General Chat

when i was young in wales we used to take our christmas cakes to the bakers to cook and the turkeys snow was so deep lines down so no electric had lamps and candles freezing cold so my dad made a coal fire in their bedroom so we got in bed with mum and slept on the floor no central heating and cmforts like these days we hve so much now we dont appreciate it xmas eve was the best the smells of cooking coming from the kitchen i still prefer xmas eve

I'm in Wales - we had no electricity - just gas lamps downstairs and candles upstairs - Christmas fare was usually pheasant shot by my Dad

he used to chop down a big tree and place the trunk half way up the chimney in our huge fireplace and it burned all through Christmas

That's the thing though. Preparing Christmas food took month of careful planning, and much of it was done in advance. I always remember my Gran making her Christmas cake in September, putting Marzipan on in November, and the icing at the beginning of December. The puddings were cooked several months in advance too, all the better for it, and the mincemeat was made around the same time.

Seasonal veg was eaten, which is why sprouts are such a tradition now, no imported stuff, except maybe the oranges, and much was grown in the garden. The only thing that was bought just prior to Christmas was the meat and little things like nuts and dates (always had a box of dates and a box of figs).

It was all so simple then, though lots of cooking and hard work. I learned how to 'do' Christmas from my Gran, and used to do all my own cooking and prep when my kids were at home, usually for a housefull of people too, often 16 to 20 at the table at lunchtime. Loved it.