This is the third in the series on Victorian Christmas. See below for links to the other two "take a breaks."
After
attending church, the family would return home to a table decorated with
seasonal greens, flowers, the best dishes and table linens. While small gifts
adorned the trees, the gift was actually the feast. After dinner, there maybe
“parlor games,” such as charades, as well as fireworks.
If
you’ve read or seen “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens, you know that a
goose is a must, along with a Christmas pudding, and some sort of drink. The serving of the pudding was one of the great
rituals of the Victorian Christmas dinner; indeed it was almost as much a
ceremony as the creation of the pudding. The plum pudding, made up of suet,
bread crumbs, raisins, and spices, was a family effort. On Stir-Up Sunday at
the beginning of Advent, each family member took a turn a beating the pudding,
making a wish, and stirring clockwise for good luck. Then a ring, coin, or
thimble was tossed into the batter. Until Christmas Day the pudding hung from a
sack, then it was boiled in beef broth for eight hours. After dinner it was
turned out on a platter, topped with a sprig of holly, set alight, and carried
into the dining room. Victorian Christmas Dinner
Below
are a variety of recipes to help re create a Victorian Christmas feast. Least
we forget, here is a link to make Christmas Crackers (Snaps), which appear next to each person’s place setting.
•
The Victorian Christmas Dinner: Original recipes from the Victorian era.
•
Victorian Christmas Dinner: Includes an interesting pudding recipe
• Victorian
Christmas: Food and Drink: Includes how to videos and
recipes for mulled wine, mince pies, sugar plums, Wassail punch, turkey and
stuffing, bread sauce, Christmas pudding.
For more on Victorian
Christmas, check out the following links in this series:
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