Traditional English Christmas foods in the Georgian times

Traditional Christmas food includes:
Christmas pudding, Mince Pies, Brawn Paté, Asparagus soup, Jerusalem artichokes, Chocolate Drops, Blancmange, Boozy Madeira Jelly, a Cod's Head, Three-bird Yorkshire pie, etc.
They were all served at once and were called "Service a la Francaise".
Christmas Pudding had less sugar and a Minced Pie was a sweet meat pie.
Yorkshire pie contained chicken, a pheasant and a pigeon.
They had lots of meat dishes and ate Christmas pudding and beef together.

[@ginal.f.3462]

I just honestly love English history and customs

[@exeuroweenie]

Yeah,some of their customs,traditions,and manners are really beautiful.I don't know how they stand their weather,though.

[@amosjevons2959]

We just keep calm and carry on !

[@sunnie734]

@@exeuroweenie The weather really isn't that bad. If you can't stand that, I don't know how you stand anything.

[@elizabethshaw734]

My grandmother used venison in her mince pie and then as I got older she used corn beef from a can along with all of the other ingredients in a mince pie and it was sweet and it was lovely and I haven't had it since I was 19 years old. Me and my Dad loved it and my mother is still to this day talks about how much she hated it. It was a dessert.

[@kevinbyrne4538]

If they ate these "luxuries" at Christmas, what did they eat during the rest of the year? One shudders to think.

[@mmthomas3729]

It all looked good to me. Then again, I'm from the US Gulf Coast. We eat lots of things.

[@itwasagoodideaatthetime7980]

This was part of a documentary about Christmas throughout the ages at Rise Hall Yorkshire England. Could you PLEASE post the rest of this documentry. Thankyou! 😊

[@lizdessi9348]

Her facial expressions are epic!

[@allisonforfornsed]

what galls me is that nobody can ever talk about traditional English FOLK culture. All they can EVER talk about when it comes to English is aristocrats.

[@allisonforfornsed]

Certainly!

[@slonkey3641]

maybe because the pesants were too poor to do anything notable

[@arthurstein-tarnowski4732]

allisonforfornsed I think probably because our culture evolved with an outlook to aristocracy upon which ideal were formed of the simple people look around we’re that different to others our desire to stay in pubs , traditions of gentry were overtaken or passed down from the elite which indeed has taken decades or probably even a centuries to turn us into civilised , respected people worldwide just correlating this fact could be an underlying reason of the aforementioned question above .

[@JamieHaDov]

You should look up the BBC's historical farm series. They do early 17th Century (Tales from the Green Valley), Tudor Monastery Farm, Victorian Farm, Wartime Farm, and a Victorian Farm Christmas. There's also a Tudor Feast at Christmas, though that does center on the nobility, as well as Victorian Pharmacy and one whose name I can't recall in which they help build a castle in France using only 13th century tools and technique.

[@mmthomas3729]

If you want to know about 18th century recipes for Christmas from the common folk, check out Jas Townsend's videos. They are from the American frontier but I'm but I'm sure they are mostly of English and Dutch origin.

[@DemonVermin]

Hmmm getting a person who doesn't like eating a lot of meat to narrate the making and eating of a traditional Christmas dinner. Seems like a bad choice. Seriously get someone excited to learn about this and try out everything. Just seeing how negatively she acts and the seeming disdain she has for this really made me just mute the video and skip any scene with her face.

[@fennecfox8623]

TheDemonRaticate the narrator is Sarah Beeny who owns Rise Hall - the house where this is filmed...hence why she’s narrating. Plus, she’s having the same reactions the many a modern Brit would have to this sort of food😀

[@keithrobynkeepness9574]

I hate it when the so called host is disrespectful towards the subject, or, tradition, get someone who actually wants to take part and genuinely has an interest........

[@351cleavland]

Well said. It comes across as very ethnocentric/ego centric. Its sad that that attitude has been so popularized.

[@Timsterfield]

She was quite rude wasn't she?

[@nopushbutton]

To be fair, a period aristocrat would probably also be pretty disgusted if you brought a raw pig's head and hooves out to the dinner table.

[@annadurkee8607]

I was just thinking that as I was watching this..trying to enjoy the history of this but host was c revolting

[@faflamingo2193]

Her disrespect for the culture just encourages more disrespect for English culture.

[@sumamme]

The narrator is annoying and does not have one ounce of respect for the chef who made all the dishes.

[@jamescoffey5330]

A lot of this is to help preserve and get the most out of an animal. Don't ask what part of the cow was minced for the pie. The spice was intended to hide the meat flavor. Brawn took something it was hard to preserve and made it into something somewhat edible. It was high in fat, when fatty foods could be hard to come by. Remember too, that at the time meat was a treat and only the wealthy could afford fresh meat. Spiced meats were often done with meat that was a bit past the due date. It hid the flavor and the long cooking time would kill the bacteria.

[@greenshp]

I found it funny this woman who supposedly knows so much about cooking, is so surprised by the meat in mincemeat. When I was growing up - this would have been the 1960s so fairly recently, my grandmother made and canned mincemeat with the venison my grandfather brought back from hunting. It was wonderful - lots of cinnamon, raisins, cloves... I'd kill to have a jar of it now! The cellar would have jars of it, to last all year but especially for the winter months and holidays, to be made into pies. If anyone cares.. the same can be made today with roasted beef leftovers, if not venison.

[@janeaustencentre]

“Imagine eating white soup with Mr. Darcy, roast pork with Miss Bates, or scones with Mr. Collins!” Dinner With Mr Darcy has quite a few excellent recipes from the Georgian and Regency era that you might like to try out. A full review of the book can be found here: Dinner with Mr. Darcy: www.janeausten.co.uk/dinner-mr-darcy-recipes-inspired-novels-letters-jane-austen-pen-vogler-review/

[@nopushbutton]

that mince pie kind of reminds me of the empanadas I know, essentially handformed small meat pies with beef and raisins. they're really good

[@55mmartin]

Certainly no worse than eating crawfish, lobster or shrimp and we love those in the U.S.!

[@lesamisdelacuisineprovenca9534]

Or snails with garlic butter or frogs legs or foie gras.....

[@shelby6571]

But seeing as you would probably eat your own children, that doesn't mean much.

[@dearbronzefromsilver3270]

speak for yourself lol

[@witchapparatus]

Emasculated mincemeat pies. Ha! I'd love to try a meaty mince, I bet it tastes fantastic.

[@richarddickson5078]

Where have these people been. Even in Elizabethan times mixed dried fruit and meat was called SWEETMEATS. I was brought up with brawn which can be Pig head and feet, Sheep head and feet and beef knees. I make this quite often and it is delicious.

[@HolidaysCelebrations]

I love traditional Christmas foods. Loved the video! I will share!

[@Sunshine-np8gq]

That all looked really good

[@danjames5552]

My dad's favourite thing was braun , he really loved it and after his funeral there was loads of food etc and not one person touched the braun!!! He would of ate the lot !

[@sonnyroy497]

What is braun?

[@danjames5552]

@@sonnyroy497 pigs head pate

[@qualqui]

A Cod's Head, as in the fish, I don't remember the french name for codfish, but the spanish name is bacalao, and that is one tasty fish but literally the head of a codfish? Hoy Zeyn, you've done stirred my curiosity now I have to know what a Cod's Head is like,...hehehe! Uprated, thanks for sharin' this most entertaining and educational video! ;)

[@snowleopard7952]

Fun and Funny. thank you for this food history😊

[@briannemorna4268]

now it's called hot dogs and lunch meat. haha. same stuff packaged differently. no point in waisting perfectly fine meat!

[@gustavo5989]

I loved it!

[@jennyhohmann4384]

Looks delicious!

[@elizabethshaw734]

I begin my Christmas cooking and baking right after Thanksgiving in November. :-)

[@kat35lulu88]

The lady in high hair is ready to run far away.

[@Maloyo]

Four & twenty blackbirds baked in a pie, huh? So now I see what that meant, LOL!

[@madhonib]

the pigs head stuff is what we call 'HeadCheese"....

[@jonnavdpas]

Looks pretty good tbh

[@roxannewalcott2501]

Huge, even though our country of Trinidad and Tobago maybe third world, we have a hearty wholesome good Christmas meal, bake turkey, pork, beef, patelle a corn meal dough stuff with meat and rasins well season, shepherds pie, corn on the cob, potato salad, fresh salad, bake chicken, stew chicken, lasagna and lots more different dishes, peas, callaloo, I tell you, bring it on, all sorts of drink, sorrel, ginger beer, orange juice, mauby and dessert if you can make it. Wow I love my country.

[@msannetrophy8542]

roxanne walcott I'm from Jamaica and I must say that your food ranks up there with mine. Love Trinidad food!

[@evahamrick3282]

Hope they didn't forget the brain in the brawn. Yes, it was in there. My great-grandmother used the pigs head meat for the mincemeat. I saw her do it.

[@qpid8110]

Headcheese! 😍 So delicious!

[@mikedench1110]

Brawn should be gelatinous not fatty and if done right its delicious! Especially if sprinkled with malt vinegar

[@garyclark9807]

My grandma used to make souse or sometimes called head cheese from a pigs head

[@rozamunduszek4787]

"dinners up to 20 dishes" you say? I'm from a country where the main Christmas celebration is the Christmas Eve Supper, which consists of 12 dishes (and you have to eat at least a bit of every one, otherwise it's considered bad luck)... XD

[@mastersnet18]

Rozamunduszek is it an Eastern European country?

[@bitterbeauty711]

Rozamunduszek we have the feast of the seven fishes on Xmas eve

[@passionfruitfruit]

mastersnet18 no. That sounds like Poland.

[@donaldwycoff4154]

The history is interesting, but the running commentary is done in a tiresome manner.

[@historicalfashion1514]

From which programme does this come? I'd love to watch it all!

[@williamfriedrichwynne6372]

From what full documentary was this taken, please? Could anyone give the link for that?

[@garymitchell9848]

Don't know of any (legal) links, but the programme was called "A Great British Christmas with Sarah Beeny". Ms Beeny is the - ahem - "voluptuous" lady wearing the high wig. Hope this helps. :-)

[@CearaQC]

What is the name of this from BBC? Is it another series? Or a single episode special?

[@corettaha7855]

It all looks good to me. The old gal on here just turns her nose up at everything for effect.

[@aedynjakpoetry]

where's the rest of this doco??

[@jesterha3310]

What's with playing card suit shaped pies

[@donghyunlee540]

What's wrong with you guys!! these are decent foods cooked by decent materials

[@jamesmiller7275]

I can't look at those mince pies after watching Johnny Depp as Sweeny Todd, that movie spoiled it for me.....

[@rikkileitch8083]

The main lady clearly doesn't know much because meat was cheaper back in those times then fresh or even dried fruits

[@Unicron4ever]

I am shocked by the number of living creatures who had to die for that feast...

[@TsLilithnf]

I'm judging all of this. lol

[@KateKatastrophe]

What is this documentary?

[@ms.d267]

What is the name of this show?

[@sallytse1272]

The way to processing the pigeon just remind me that when I just 3 I saw a farmer man killing a chicken right in front of me (and I have no expression on my face)

[@sayounara1232]

Is that Ron Wesley's dad? XD He reminded me of him

[@winstonl4573]

what an earwax cake

[@bradleynoneofyourbizz5341]

My mother used to make "traditional", as she called it, Christmas plum pudding. She put so much candied citron in it, it was just revolting. It deserved to be set on fire!

[@eclecticreader961]

I've had plum pudding but never with citron in it. I've only ever put whipped cream on plumb pudding.

[@VladSWG]

The presenter is such a privileged hypocrite. Totally ruined the episide. Grow a pair or get some one else to do it.

[@pearlg6411]

Someone went through a lot of trouble to painstakingly recreate this meal, then they chose an obviously inappropriate host who hated all things Georgian...

[@royperkins3851]

Victorians are the creators of the truducin! One bird served in another bird in yet another bird!Haha ha ha ha ha ha

[@MarlomRV]

In other words, it was all about eating dead birds and melted pig heads....

[@starfirenuclear]

what's the matter with those dishes?? looks perfectly delicious for me.

[@missmaryh6932]

It was all ok till they introduced the head. Then I fast forwarded the beef looked well done and the pud. Season's greetings. We are having Turkey x

[@sunnie734]

Turkey is disgusting.

[@Jha0601]

So is she still not aware how processed meats are made especially hotdogs?

[@Crosshill]

gosh i love how pessimistic she is! i routinely watch this asian guy being in food heaven over pig skin pasta or pig ear or tripe or just plain fat, so in a way this is like returning to normalcy where pigs heads are gross and why is there meat in my sweet pies

[@parkchimmin7913]

Entraya Crosshill Well, in Asia it's somewhat normal to eat those stuff so I'd see why he'd think it's delicious. Even I would think it's delicious if I had the chance to try it!

[@wkcia]

I regularly eat offal and tripe, when it's properly prepared it's absolutely delish! It's one of the few things on which I'll agree with the English, foodwise. I've also eaten blood cubes, so meh. Blood cubes are exactly what it's said on the tin. I think they add stuff to make it congeal and then they let it set. It tastes like salty tofu, actually.

[@parkchimmin7913]

wkcia I love eating cubes of pigs blood. I usually eat it with soup and rice though.

[@Crosshill]

that congeal fetish they have, why are slimey things so positively desirable for them? i can get acquired tastes but the textures is what i really have trouble understanding. from my brains perspective snot and jello and weird rubbery things does not equate to proper food, does one need that association from dahm childhood? oh, i wish you could make lolipops that taste kinda like freshly torn bloody lips, that subtle warm flavor, you know? just like, lolipops instead of weird looking gel. though maybe it simply tastes better fresh than from a butcher, havent tasted that yet and im not a fan of savory foods so i wouldn't add it to my soup either

[@DemonVermin]

Actually the recipe is pigs blood with ginger to get rid of the irony metallic flavor of blood. Then salt is added and the pan of blood is steamed for some time, kinda like baking a cake. The result is a consistency of tofu, firm yet porous. I have eaten it and it doesn't have too much flavor, just a slightly bitter taste with the texture of really firm tofu. You can add it to any recipe as a tofu substitute or to add texture. It was an amazing protein source back then allowing poor farmers to get their nutrients while not having to waste any part of a butchered hen, duck or hog.

[@ButtaUsagi]

What’s the name of the show?

[@simonwatkins3236]

“Sarah Beeny’s Rise Hall Christmas”

[@simplyluk1747]

I knew that should be with meat 1:18

[@NoHateNoDrama]

Hip Hip Hooray! Long live prejudices! Thumbs up for chauvinism & ethnicism! (referring to loads of commentaries below) Why not just enjoy life and its differences? Personally I think, it's a very interesting and instructing video, if only the female presenter wouldn't pull faces, which is more disgusting than the georgian food shown.

[@eclecticreader961]

I wonder if pigeon tastes good.

[@richarddickson5078]

Pigeon and wood pigeon is really delicious. I lived in the country and we had lots. It is a cross between Quail and Pheasant.

[@erinmccarthy8784]

This meal is the reason why. Gout was the leading aliment.

[@pastelitasdelflan]

Modern research shows that a more likely reason for the prevalence of gout in the late 18th and early 19th centuries was the lead that leached out of the crystal carafes that held the after-dinner liquor. Women ate the same fatty food as men, regardless of their social status; but women did not join the men in drinking liquor. As it turns out, gout rarely plagued women or anyone of low economic status, but it was rampant among upper-class men.

[@SusanHogarth]

Would have been more pleasant had the ‘hostess’ not been so relentlessly negative about everything.

[@kicktheajummasface9200]

I like the english desserts, the roast beef ...and nothing else.

[@rupertprawnworthy758]

Really?

[@Jay-sc5rb]

they invited the wrong person to try the food or Georgian times, I am sure she is a Vegan of some sort

[@abodd8964]

😂😂😂

[@hedgewytch88]

Status Sara. Status. Having loads of dishes and loads of meat regardless of taste was just to show off your wealth .

[@ayishasonlineacademy]

Anyone from Kerala?

[@backandstillbgmsdangerusda5493]

If your message is that the English eat disgusting food, you've done an amazing job. The woman narrating and making ugly faces was...the cherry on top!!

[@mic01]

Enjoy Christmas while you can England, pretty soon you'll be praying to Allah soon enough

[@babyinuyasha]

Forks weren't used in the 18th century

[@MondoBeno]

Brawn isn't a pudding or pate, it's more like an aspic. In the USA, the pig's head version is called "headcheese" and it's gross. The head is rarely used now because of BSE.

[@empi4106]

That hair volume, dreams.

[@panchitoborja]

This is one of the most hilarious vids I've seen in my life! I love the woman reaction over the food... yuck

[@njf669x]

Who is the lady presenting this please..?

[@simonwatkins3236]

Sarah Beeny

[@francesvansiclen3245]

England had many beautiful aspects to its culture, but food is not one o them ! Think I will stick with Italian cuisine !

[@SCP01986]

Shame, we have some really lovely traditional dishes like roasts still but Italian dishes are pretty swell. Spaghetti and pizza, mmm!

[@VCYT]

Italian cusine don't exist as was copied from asia.

[@JD-ey9gw]

VC YT yeah that’s why we all know the world famous Beijing lasagna

[@alechachman9599]

@@VCYT there is basically no cheese in many asian cuisines soo

[@nukiudukala25]

Less on the theatrics and more the food history would’ve been nice.

[@baritonebynight]

Mincemeat without meat? Ewwweeewwww yick! The only mincemeat pie that I eat is made by a 95 year old lady who learned to make it from her grandmother. Its main ingredient is meat.

[@cjpowers9330]

Why on earth would you put people who despise the food they're eating and make disgusting noises while tasting the food?

[@huntingfashiondolls3307]

it annoyed me her negativity about almost every dish... like that pig stuff looks fkin yummy sis,she looks at everything like ohhh how gross... people were not as ridiculous then about food.

[@randomaccount6387]

When you hope to see a recipe and instead get 5 min of complaining about perfectly good food while people cook in the background [ facepalm ].Individual tastes aside, who on earth picked her to present this if she's so narrow-minded?

[@rebeccatatum7692]

Bless those animals hearts

[@Donnoha]

Can't handle all of the organs, gristle and fat that they ate in those days.

[@OUigot]

Don't you just love when feminists host these documentaries!? It turns into mockery of disrespect, childish whining, disgust of old traditions, and her inflated ego! I can't understand why they ruin programs like this.

[@jitaamesuluma9730]

The bond is pathetic , UST have been spoked , I eat most things, I had to as a child or go hungry

[@doomcloud3164]

Omg this is making me so hungry! What is wrong with pig’s head? It’s not even in the shape of a pig’s head??? Come off it and get on with the eating!

[@s.a.hbarmarymary9786]

is it me...or is the cook praising her ownself??? hhh ur looking at a good cook?? lols

[@rupertprawnworthy758]

She is a food historian talking about cooks of the time she is describing.

[@auntfanny3266]

Meat is meat. Why make a fuss about one part of an animal and not another? I don't understand squeamishness.

[@TheMPC1971]

Please find a less annoying host

[@elymedinanails9681]

oh just chicken and espaguetti !!!! who cares?.!!!! 😬😬😬😀😀😀😀😎

[@amylynn4451]

He acts like a germaphobe.

[@gisawslonim9716]

Oh no, no, no...the lady of the house would NEVER go below stairs and mess about with the food. Cook would come up to the Lady's reception quarters and discuss the menu with her, or do it through the housekeeper. This is ridiculous.

[@rupertprawnworthy758]

It isn't downton abbey.

[@juliewitt7496]

I just may barf.

[@dawne5139]

I have had store bought mincemeat without the meat. It's horrible. Way too sweet. Threw it in the the garbage. Not fit to eat. Eastern Canada means real mincemeat, which has meat.

[@alexandriasummers9341]

I hate the arrogance and disdain the narrator exhibits regarding the dishes. SHE RUINED IT FOR ME. Couldn't finish it.

[@pardyhardly]

I have fatty breasts.