Daughter of Claus: Day XXIII

The most exciting meal of the year

On the jukebox: Driving Home for Christmas by Chris Rea

In my own family (that is, the family in which I have parents, a brother and four sisters, rather than my own family in which I am a parent myself), Christmas Dinner is not eaten on Christmas Day, and hasn’t been for many years.

We used to eat Christmas Dinner in the late afternoon on Christmas Day, but we eventually decided to move Christmas Dinner to Boxing Day. Partly, because we didn’t want Mum (it was always Mum - just try getting anywhere near the kitchen at Christmastime!) hidden away in the kitchen for much of the day, but also because, in our family, we have a Christmas Breakfast.

Note the capitals: we’re not talking about what you have for breakfast on Christmas morning, here; we are talking about Christmas Breakfast, which is possibly the most exciting meal of the year.

Christmas Breakfast is a buffet-style culinary free-for-all, with the table packed with meats and salads and all manner of good things. There is boiled ham, roast beef, homemade Cornish Pasties, and homemade Pork Pie. I can’t remember there ever being any less than three salads, some of which change each year, and some of which are old favourites. There may be a simple garden salad, a pasta salad, a rice salad, a potato salad - there is even a delicious Polish salad (Halima’s Salad) which was introduced to us by a family friend. And there are pickles, some of which may be bought in jars, others which are pickled with produce from the garden. Onions, cabbage, beetroot, perhaps others. There is fresh bread, and there is an array of relishes and sauces.

After we’ve eaten far too much, the table and crockery gets cleaned, and everything is left ready to grab from the fridge or the table throughout the day, in breaks between the marathon that is present opening.

We tend to settle down for Christmas Breakfast at about half past eleven, or noon. Before that, there will at least be homemade mince pies to see us through. And, though I love mince pies in the run-up to Christmas, they will never taste as delicious as they do first thing on Christmas morning with a strong cup of tea.

I would love to hear about your own Christmas folklore and memories. What are your culinary Christmas traditions?