5 Traditional British Christmas Foods You Must Try
8 min read
Level: Upper-intermediate—Advanced
Wondering what British people traditionally eat and drink at Christmas? Read on to find out!
It's that time of year again, when most British households are making preparations for Christmas. Are the decorations up? Have you done all of your Christmas shopping yet? And most importantly...have we got enough food and drinks in the house??
Food (and drink) is a BIG part of the celebrations, and there are certain traditional British Christmas foods and drinks that simply must be indulged in each year. A Christmas without them wouldn't be Christmas at all! Here are five of the most traditional ones...
Pigs in blankets
'Pigs in blankets' are basically pork sausages wrapped in streaky bacon and cooked to perfection. It might sound a bit pork-heavy, but trust me, it works. The sausages need to be golden brown and the streaky bacon slightly crispy for maximum taste.
Some people love their plate to be almost swimming in it!
They can be found on most (non-vegetarian) people's plates on Christmas Day, alongside the traditional roast turkey, potatoes and veg. Delicious!
Stuffing and gravy
Another essential part of a traditional Christmas lunch is the stuffing. This is a kind of filling that is normally cooked inside the roast meat—hence the name 'stuffing', because it's stuffed inside the meat's cavities before it goes into the oven to roast. Stuffing is made of herbs and breadcrumbs and can come in different varieties, the most traditional being sage and onion. But you can also find stuffing with pork or chestnuts, and others using dried fruit, like cranberries and apricots. What you choose to have on your plate just depends on how much of a stickler for tradition you are.
You could also add a drizzle of honey to create a sweet, sticky outer glaze.
The traditional Christmas lunch of roast turkey, potatoes, vegetables and stuffing must also be accompanied by a large jug of gravy. This is a sauce made from the juices of meat that are produced naturally during cooking, which is thickened using flour. It's served warm and you can pour it over your meal, which gives extra flavour and makes everything on the plate more moist. Some people love their plate to be almost swimming in gravy!
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Roast potatoes and parsnips
And the final must-have element of a Christmas lunch is the roast vegetables. Especially potatoes. It's important to get them nice and crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, which can take some skill! Some people swear by boiling the potatoes first before cooking them in a hot pan in the oven, while others put them straight in. Some people cook them in hot oil, some use butter, and others use lard. You could even go for a combination. Whatever it takes to get that crunchy exterior we all long for.
But don't be fooled by the name—there's absolutely no meat inside!
Another Christmas vegetable is the parsnip. Parsnips are a root vegetable which look a bit like white carrots. When you roast them in the oven, they become lovely and sweet tasting. They can be simply roasted in hot oil or butter, like roast potatoes, but you could also add a drizzle of honey to create a sweet, sticky outer glaze. Yum!
Mince pies with brandy butter
You can't have a Christmas without mince pies. Come December (or even as early as November!), they're the first Christmas treat to hit the supermarket shelves. So what are they? Well, mince pies are small, sweet pastry cases filled with mincemeat. But don't be fooled by the name—there's absolutely no meat inside! There used to be, in the Middle Ages, which is how mincemeat got its name. But these days, it's just a sweet, sticky mixture of currants, raisins, sultanas, liquor and Christmassy spices, like cinnamon and nutmeg.
This can be described as a kind of grown-up buttercream frosting.
Mince pies can be eaten warm, fresh out of the oven, or cold, always dusted with icing sugar. And some might say that a mince pie cannot be eaten without brandy butter. This can be described as a kind of grown-up buttercream frosting. It's typically made of butter, icing sugar, brandy and sometimes vanilla flavouring. The perfect, classic accompaniment to mince pies.
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Mulled wine
And finally, something that is always around during the festive season is mulled wine. It's an alcoholic drink made from red wine and various spices, and served hot or warm. All around the UK in winter you can find this drink in bottles on supermarket shelves, ready to take home and warm up on your cooker (or in the microwave if you can't wait that long!).
Perfect for warming up on cold wintery evenings.
It's also served in most pubs around Christmas time. And you'll soon know if a pub is serving it, as the spiced, sweet smell fills the air as you walk in from the cold outside. Perfect for warming up on cold wintery evenings.
So...are you hungry yet? If you found this interesting, and you're intrigued to know more about traditional British dishes, check out our livestream where a native British tutor discusses the question: Is British Food Really That Bad?, or you can scroll down to watch it below. Alternatively, why not sign up to lessons with Britcent and ask your tutor about British traditions? Until then, Merry Christmas and a Happy New year!
Vocabulary takeaway
Watch this video on the Britcent YouTube channel, where you'll find videos, podcasts, audiobooks and more...
Please note: These blog posts are written in informal, conversational English.
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