This document provides information about Christmas traditions and food in England. It discusses some key English Christmas traditions like advent calendars, Christmas cards, and decorating trees. It also describes several traditional English Christmas foods like mince pies, Christmas cake, Christmas pudding, roast turkey, and Christmas side dishes. The document includes recipes for a traditional rich Christmas pudding and a no-fat vegetarian version. It notes that Christmas pudding has evolved over time and was originally eaten year-round. The document recommends ready-made Christmas puddings for those who leave their pudding making too close to the holiday.

1. Christmas in England.
Christmas food and recipes.

2. Christmas in England
Roofs covered with snow, red-breasted robins on thickly frosted branches and
fluffy cats leaving deep footprints on their solitary walks through deep
snow ... popular Christmas cards conjure up an image that most of us have
never seen!
But Christmas in England can be a magical experience, full of traditions and fun
and delicious food. Maybe it's time you visited us and found out for yourself.

3. History and TraditionsHistory and Traditions
Christmas has been celebrated in England forChristmas has been celebrated in England for
over a thousand years. But what makesover a thousand years. But what makes
Christmas wonderful traditions:Christmas wonderful traditions:
counting down to the big day by using adventcounting down to the big day by using advent
calendars,calendars,
sending Christmas cardsending Christmas card
listening to Christmas musiclistening to Christmas music
Beautifully decorated trees are a symbol ofBeautifully decorated trees are a symbol of
Christmas in England. lights in the streets andChristmas in England. lights in the streets and
at home brighten everything more than in anyat home brighten everything more than in any
other time of year.other time of year.
Christmas stockings are such a traditionalChristmas stockings are such a traditional
part of an English Christmas. They come in allpart of an English Christmas. They come in all
shapes and sizes, from luxury, whimsicalshapes and sizes, from luxury, whimsical
stockings that are a gift in themselves, tostockings that are a gift in themselves, to
gorgeously decorated felt Christmas stockingsgorgeously decorated felt Christmas stockings
that the children will love, to all manner ofthat the children will love, to all manner of
handmade Christmas stockings.handmade Christmas stockings.

4. Christmas Food
Celebrations, crowds and food have always gone together. And
there are few celebrations that draw on traditional food as much
as Christmas.
We have traditional Christmas foods for
every part of the Christmas celebrations.
Mince Pies, a sweet pastry crust filled
with mincemeat are offered at tea time,
carol concerts and Christmas parties all
the way through the Christmas season.
Dainty canapes and the best of English
cheeses are served at Christmas parties
and family gatherings alike.

5. While Christmas cake and the world-famous Christmas pudding -
flamed with cognac and served with cream and brandy butter -
usually round off the festivities - supported by more mince pies and
maybe a traditional sherry trifle, syllabub or chocolate.
Many of the traditional
Christmas foods, such as
mincemeat, Christmas cake and
Christmas Pudding are better
for being made weeks in
advance and being left to
mature.
Fragrant with Christmas
spices, studded with dried and
candied fruit, and laced with
alcohol ... these are truly
festive foods that would have
done a Medieval king's table
proud.

6. For most families, recipes for Christmas dinner include roast
turkey with all the trimmings - that's sprouts, roast
potatoes, carrots, chipolata sausages wrapped in bacon,
chestnuts, and bread sauce and cranberry sauce. This is
followed by either Christmas pudding or a Christmas trifle
and later tea, coffee and mince pies.

7. On Boxing Day, a baked ham could take centre stage, served cold
with salads and pickles and Cumberland sauce. There could also be
smoked salmon, or a large pie.
But away from the very traditional, there are many variations. Not
everyone likes turkey. Goose and duck - very popular in the Middle
Ages - are still the preferred choice in many families, as is fish.
And the many Vegetarians in England are developing their own
traditional dinners.
And all around the house there will be nibbles, and mince pies, and
sweets and nuts and - of course - chocolate! Christmas would not be
Christmas without chocolate.
And as for drinks... mulled wine and mulled cider go extremely well
with mince pies and keep out the cold, while a claret cup would make
a very good starter to the Christmas festivities.

9. Cadbury Chocolate Christmas Gifts
Cadbury chocolate is a firm favourite in English homes and many visitors to our country love it,
too! You give Cadbury's Roses to say thank you, or bring a tin of Quality Street to cheer up a
party. And Christmas in England certainly wouldn't be complete without Cadbury Chocolate.
There'll be tins of it dotted around the office during the run-up to Christmas. There will be
boxes of it under the Christmas tree. It's all about generosity and indulgence ... and there
are a couple of very old-fashioned sweets and games that will take some of us back a few

10. Christmas Pudding
The Traditional Grand Finale
Christmas puddings as we now serve them are another 'tradition' invented by the
Victorians. In medieval England puddings were popular and eaten all year round and not
just at Christmas time.
Made with suet, dried fruit and sugar, a
traditional Christmas pudding keeps extremely well
and can be made several weeks or even months in
advance of Christmas.
Michael Barry's Cookery recipes are
considered the best ones in the world. They are
rather easy and with them cooking becomes a real
pleasure.
Michael Barry's traditional Christmas pudding
recipe is apparently the one that's been used by
the Royal Family since the beginning of the 18th
century. It's very rich, but keeps very well.
The other recipe is the one for a No-fat
Christmas pudding. It's much lighter and also
Vegetarian, but - because of that lightness -
doesn't keep.

11. Traditional Christmas Pudding
This one is so rich, it should definitely remind you of Christmas past, but it keeps up to a year in a
cool place, so if you make too much, you can be sure your puddings won't spoil.
The recipe makes enough for 1.5kg of pudding. It will fill two medium-sized (16in) pudding basins,
or a large (20in) one.
•175g (6oz) shredded suet
•175g (6oz) soft brown or demerara sugar
•175g (6oz) seedless raisins
•175g (6oz) stoned prunes
•175g (6oz) self-raising flour
•100g (4oz) chopped mixed peel
•1/2 tsp salt
•1 tsp mixed spice
•1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
•4 large eggs
•150ml (5 fl oz) milk
Mix all the dry ingredients together.
Beat the eggs and the milk until frothy then stir into the dried ingredients until thoroughly mixed.
Allow to stand in a cool place (not the fridge) for 12 hours.
Put mixture into pudding basins and cover with a layer of folded greaseproof paper. Tie with string.
Cook, covered in a water bath, for 3 hours. Keep 4-5cm (1-2in) simmering water in the pan at all
times. If using a pressure cooker, cook for 1 1/4 hours.
Allow to cool and store in a cool, dark place.
Before serving, steam for an hour in a saucepan (or for 30mins in a pressure cooker).
Flame with brandy and serve with all the usual asides.

12. No-fat Christmas Pudding
As mentioned above, this pudding is much lighter and completely fat-free. It's also vegetarian, so
make this one if you have non-meateaters coming round.
This pudding will not keep for very long. So don't make it more than 2-3 weeks before Christmas.
To serve four:
•2 medium-sized apples
•2 bananas
•50g (2oz) walnuts
•50g (2oz) almonds
•50g (2oz) hazelnuts
•4 eggs
•150ml (5 fl oz) milk
•450g (1lb) mixed dried fruit
•juice and grated rind of 1 lemon
•1 tsp mixed spice
•1 tsp salt
•450g (1lb) freshly made wholemeal breadcrumbs
•50g (2oz) soft brown sugar
Grate the apples without peeling them. Peel and roughly chop the bananas and nuts. Break the eggs
and whisk with the milk.
Mix all the ingredients together and stir well.
Place into one or two well-greased pudding basins and cover with folded greaseproof paper. Tie
round with string.
Steam for 3-4 hours in a covered pan with 5cm (2in) simmering water. Check the water level at
intervals and don't allow to boil dry. Then cool and store.

13. Left it too late?
It happens. Sometimes, time just flies and it's Christmas before you know it. But that
doesn't mean that you and your family have to miss out.
There are some truly delicious ready-made Christmas puddings out there, and The
Lakeland Christmas Pudding is definitely one of them.
Lakeland say - very proudly - that sales of this particular pudding climb every year as
more and more people discover how good it is.
So if you left it a bit late, or can't face the hassle of making your own ... maybe give
this one a taste test.