Eleanor Barnett serves up festive classic favourites that graced dining tables during three eras of British history <\/p>

In the midst of the Christmas festivities of 1577, the parson of the Cheshire village of Winwick preached against \u201cgluttons and dronkerdes\u201d who \u201cthincke they maye eate and drinke as much as they will\u201d during the season of goodwill. This \u201coftentimes\u201d meant consuming \u201cso much as they cannot disgest\u201d, cramming \u201cthemselves like swine\u2026 till they bee out of theyr wittes like beastes\u201d. Sound familiar?<\/p>\n

Since at least the ninth century, Christmas has been associated with feasting and mirth in the Christian tradition. In fact, in the medieval period, Christmas was just the start of 12 full days of riotous consumption and celebration that ended on Twelfth Night (5 January) with another massive blowout.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t until the early 20th century that turkey came to be associated with the holiday <\/blockquote> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>
Today, turkey takes centre stage on the Christmas Day menu. Native to the Americas, turkey arrived in Britain only in the 1520s and, though it featured in feasts of some of Britain\u2019s wealthiest people, alongside swan and peacock, it wasn\u2019t until the early 20th century that turkey came to be associated with the holiday. Instead, beef or goose were the roast meats of choice; earlier medieval Christmases often featured brawn \u2013preserved salted boar\u2019s meat or pork.<\/p>\n
Stuart mince pie<\/h2>\n
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Try the recipe<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
By the late Tudor era, mince pies had become popular festive treats. Contrary to popular myth, Oliver Cromwell never explicitly banned them, even when the puritans outlawed celebrating Christmas itself in England in the 1640s and \u201950s. Unlike the bite-sized fruity snacks we enjoy today with a glass of sherry, the mince pies of the 16th and 17th centuries were huge, intended to feed a lot of people as part of the main course. And, as the name suggests, the filling in mince pies was actually meat \u2013 veal, mutton, pork, turkey, capon (castrated cockerel) or beef, as in the recipe shared here, which is adapted from Robert May\u2019s 1660 recipe book. With the familiar festive flavours imparted by dried fruits and spices such as nutmeg, mace and cloves, the meaty versions are also quite delicious.<\/p>