English Christmas Dinner

The word ‘Christmas’ conjures up happy images of gifts, a lavish spread of delectable food and a good time with family and friends. A lavish and sumptuous family dinner is a tradition in most western households during Christmas. The table is laid out and massive planning goes into both the food and the table decoration as well. Different parts of the world have different spreads lined up. The Austrians and the Germans prepare carps, cookies, goose and ham for their traditional Christmas dinner; similarly the English have roasted turkey, potatoes, Brussels sprouts, cranberry sauce, bacon, parsnips etc. The divine ending to this perfect meal is the lip smacking English Christmas plum pudding. The preparation for all this begins a month in advance. Lots of planning and preparation goes into deciding the menu for the feast. Tried and tested favourites are given preference since a lot is at stake and this is not the moment to experiment and take a risk. Read the following sections to know more about the various dishes of a traditional English Christmas dinner.

Traditional English Christmas Dinner

Roasted Turkey in Bacon
It is best to get started with the turkey a day before the gala festivities. Prepare the turkey stuffing first. It could be pork stuffing or even a vegetable stuffing, the bottom line is that it should be tasty! Refrigerate the turkey that you have bought from the market, but keep it under normal temperature at least two hours before cooking. Roast your turkey an hour before your guests are scheduled to arrive. A turkey is an integral part of a Christmas dinner. There is an age old tradition which involves two people pulling the wishbone of the turkey and the winner is the individual who is left with the bigger piece. It is believed that the wish he/she makes upon the bigger piece of wishbone will come true.

Roasted Potatoes
This is a relatively simple dish, but at the same time the easiest to goof up with. Boil your potatoes to soften them and then deep fry them. Bake these deep fried slices after they are fried until they are golden brown and crispy. Keep a close eye all through out to see that they don’t burn.

Sausages Wrapped In Bacon
Envelop each sausage link with half a piece of bacon. Dig a toothpick from side to side. This will keep the bacon from unwrapping during the baking process and also serves as a little handle for your convenience. The next step is to place the wrapped sausages in the oven until they are crispy and brown. Take them out from the oven and lightly pour maple syrup over each sausage while they are hot. Bake in the oven for some more time and lo and behold, your sausages wrapped in bacon are ready to be devoured!

Brussels Sprouts In Walnuts
Brussels sprouts in walnuts are another favourite of this holiday season. Some like sprouts with chestnuts and those who do not fancy sprouts prefer them with walnuts. Cleaning, trimming and dumping the sprouts to simmer in boiling water is all that you need to do. Once slightly cooked, just bake them after adding a little oil, vinegar, black pepper and salt etc. Stir in some walnuts and your sprouts are ready as well.

Plum Pudding
The Christmas plum pudding is definitely way richer than your normal everyday pudding. All the raisins, candied fruits, prunes, almonds etc are mixed with the butter initially. Brandy is also generously poured while mixing the butter and the flour. Flaming the plum pudding is also a popular sight.