No actual recipe. Saute pancetta cut into 1/4 inch cubes. Add brussels sprouts and about a half cup water. Steam until done. Drain water off. Add walnuts and a couple tablespoons sour cream. Add salt, pepper, and a bit of fresh ground nutmeg. Heat through.

I don't think we "get" mince pies over here. I think we make them. In fact, in my exercise class, we were just discussing recipes for mince pie. I never cared for them when I was a child, and when one woman said she made them with minced heart, I finally understood why. Heart! How disgusting!

You can find them in British food shops, but homemade are the best.

lvillinois, "mince" pies are not the same as mincemeat pies here. Same mincemeat, but they are individual size. You have to find pretty shallow, smaller-than-muffin size baking pans to make them right.

Mince pies were made with meat (minced meat, hence the name) back in the Middle Ages. These days they're not. None that I ever ate, anyway. More "sugar and spice and all things nice". Not sure where "here" is, but if it's the U.S. I definitely saw mince pies for sale this week. In boxes.

julia_t, thanks for the pudding recipe. Any idea what's American for treacle? Would umm..sorghum do, or dark corn syrup?

What time's the King's College broadcast?

>>Yorkies with turkey: What fresh yankee madness is this?<<

A candy bar with turkey does sound a bit odd... :-)

We have rib roast and Yorkshire pudding at Christmas, because we just roasted a turkey a month earlier for Thanksgiving dinner.

Lee Ann

I believe molasses is an American substitute for treacle. At least, the English told me to use treacle for molasses in my gingerbread this year and they turned out fine.

It's too late and too much faff to make mince pies now, but this is what Christmas "mincemeat" means nowadays:

http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/h...t,1235,RC.html

Easier components of a British family Christmas (oh, how stfc's description rings true) would be nibbly bits scattered about, in a vague imitation of Victorian/Edwardian splendour for a family of fifteen - things like tangerines, mixed nuts (don't forget the nutcrackers), Turkish Delight (loukoum), dates, preserved figs, stray boxes of chocolates. You don't need all (or any) of them, but they any or all might evoke a bit of nostalgia.

And as for King's - 3pm GMT on Christmas Eve for live broadcast (so sometime in the morning in the US), but it will be available on their website for some days:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/progra...elessons.shtml

They also have some pre-recorded video clips of individual carols.

And if you really want to watch HMQ, that too will be on the internet:

http://tinyurl.com/2z6xx3

According to this morning's news she's going to have her own channel on Youtube as well.

I think that molasses is runnier than treacle and a step along the refinement process.
I can imagine substituting treacle for molasses, but it might not always work the other way round.

Of course, there's always a possibility that he might be of this view:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld1YEXlRDTk

The Queen:

http://uk.youtube.com/theroyalchannel

What ever next?

A taste of King's carols (Honestly: this is something that we do better than anyone else - do make an effort):

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=PC4MUhSDzPA


http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=PC4MUhSDzPA

I came across this on youtube and it would be a shame not to share:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=iXze_T...eature=related

At the risk of being a bore:

My old school give it large:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=lg00cc...eature=related

My father in law loves mince pies, and I've always bought a jar of mincemeat pie filling in the supermarket (usually Nonesuch brand) and dumped it into the crust. It's easy and not half bad. The jar is expensive, however.

I've made Christmas pudding the day before and it was wonderful - then I saved it for months and it got better and better. The recipe I made used Guinness (was given to me by an Irish friend).

Saute pancetta cut into 1/4 inch cubes. Add brussels sprouts and about a half cup water. Steam until done. Drain water off. Add walnuts and a couple tablespoons sour cream. Add salt, pepper, and a bit of fresh ground nutmeg. Heat through. >>>>>

This misses the point of brussel sprouts - you use them the next day to make bubble and squeak. You shouldn't ponce about with them. It would muck up the bubble.

My old school give it large:

So they do and don't the choirboys look cherubic?
Were you ever one of them?

We also have goodies scattered around.
I can still get real Turkish delight, but what has happened to Chinese figs and EatMe dates?
I haven't seen either for years.

The BBC says rain in London for Christmas. Is the BBC reputable for their weather forecasting?

I understand we will be having a vegetarian curry dish for Christmas. I want some figgy pudding, lol. :)

>>The icing on the cake is to get as many members of your family, particularly ones you don't get on with, in as small a space as possible and wait for the arguments and tantrums. Copious amounts of alcohol helps move this forward.<<

We definitely have this part down!! I think it's a worldwide phenomenon...

All these great ideas, maybe we'll have a totally British Christmas this year!! And I would love to extend Christmas to Jan. 6, but it doesn't seem to fly around here...pity!

Champagne and Guinness?? Can't wrap my brain around that taste combo, may have to try it out of curiosity...

Have enjoyed everyones' memories and the suggestions of the Queen's speech and King's choir.

Merry Merry!

Sorry...King's College..

Crackers pulled at the start of the meal and silly hats worn for the duration. Turkey, roast potatoes, carrots, sprouts (sometimes replaced by broccoli in our family - though I don't actually mind sprouts), parsnips, stuffing, bacon wrapped round chipolatas or sausage meat. No Yorkshires!!!

Christmas pudding, which no-one really likes. Proper coffee and petit fours afterwards. Oh, and nasty things like 'Eat Me' dates which no one touches either. A bit like the hard ones in 'Quality Street' which get left at the bottom of the tin for weeks.

Christmas tea = Yule Log, made from chocolate buttercream icing cpread over a swiss roll.

Boxing Day, cold meats for lunch with pickles and bubble and squeak.

So they do and don't the choirboys look cherubic?
Were you ever one of them?>>>>

That would be telling.......

In true Fodorites tradition, one of the beautiful carols that Chumley posted is followed by a raging debate about the festival of Nine lessons and carols outlining that "one should not listen to it, because some of the lessons are read by women, and God disapproves of women teaching"

The radio broadcast of the Nine Lessons from Kings College has always signalled the real start of Christmas to me. (Although the Salvation army brass band playing Carols in shopping centres almost qualifies)

Yes Chumley, we do it better than anyone else. Thanks for posting the links. I've been glued to YouTube all afternoon.

Wow, BabyCham ! What a throwback.

Being born and raised in the colonies, dozens of these tiny green bottles with a foiled top were staples chilling in our fridge at Christmas. Even had the champagne style glasses with the perky baby deer emblazoned on the side, if I remember correctly. I was too young to be allowed any, but all the ladies seemed to drink them.

See if you can get any for him. That would be both very 'English Christmas' and I'll bet, a surprise.

I think there was some "ironic" "post-modern" craze for Babycham a while ago, but I really really DON'T think a boyfriend from Bristol is going to be anything but bemused by the idea it's a typically Christmassy thing for his benefit. It would be a good family test of his manners though, if that's relevant.

I'm sure that the lad will enjoy himself whatever you do.
Even in the UK, families have different traditions.
Some open the presents in the morning, some in the evening, some have turkey and some have goose.
As I speak, Mrs. J. is bustling about drawing up elaborate time-tables to ensure that everything is ready at the same time.
She always serves an excellent spread and is muttering, "Now have I forgotten anything?".
As the table is usually on the point of collapse on Christmas Day with hardly any room to put another sprout, it wouldn't matter if she had.
Like Mrs. Cratchet, she is always glad when the pudding is off her mind.
Have an excellent Christmas everyone!

Thanks for the BBC KC link, Patrick - I'm listening to the service now. Plus, I now realize I can listen to a whole lot of other BBC content.

Post Christmas report

Things went great for our English visitor...I had bought him some Smarties, McVities hob nobs, lemon curd and various teas, he was tickled to see them. Then we sat down to dinner and he instructed us how to crack the crackers...lots of laughter! We all put on the hats, read the jokes, and played with the toys. And yes, the hats stayed on all through dinner, in fact all night!

I have to say that his favourite event of the night was playing "Goldeneye" on Nintendo with my sons who are all around his age, 20's!

So much for knocking myself out looking for English treats when my kids provided the most memories for him! (Playing Goldeneye while at University!)

A jolly good time had by all, thanks again for all the suggestions! Happy Boxing day!

8-)

And mine, though no actual English persons were present:

I made the quick Christmas Pudding a la Delia, using molasses, dried cranberries instead of currants, local brewery Coffee Stout -- the only one I could find before they herded us from market at 1730 on Christmas Eve -- and brandy hard sauce on the side. Delicious, liked by the whole family, and the flaming brandy was spectacular.

The pudding had been the only missing element to our yearly Bob Cratchit dinner. Every year I make minor substitutions, like duck for goose (my new idea for a family motto: "Sometimes our goose is a duck.") and brussels sprouts for the cabbage, but Christmas pudding seemed out of reach. If it made Mrs.Cratchit nervous, how could I hope? Thanks to you all.

Not enough brussels sprouts left over for B&S, though.

Hooray, also, for YouTube, and your links. We watched and listened in the afternoon while making dinner.
She is a gracious queen, and gave a gracious speech. That 1957 smile at the end was adorable.

I mined this thread last year for all sorts of holiday-enhancing hints, including Delia quick Christmas pudding and the Winchester choir clips, and will be using some of the recipes again.

Thanks, all

Goodwill to all men was sadly lacking in the turkey aisle of the local Sainsburys yesterday. Thank heavens we don't have guns in this country, or there would have been a massacre.

As I speak I suspect the police are auietly disposing of the bodies of those beaten to death with frozen poultry by enraged pensioners.

Personally I'd be really disappointed to visit a family in another country for Christmas and find them aping English traditions/foods - I'd want to experience theirs.

Nah.

You've not lived till you've had a Full English - turkey, roasties, cold lumpy gravy, Xmas pud, crackers and Her Maj on the box - in a Queensland rainforest at 110 degrees F.

You can barbie a shrimp on a beach anytime. Though possibly not in Scotland.

Australians and other southern hemispherans seem to have it easy in the winter holiday dept. People in US are expected to drive hundreds of miles through potential blizzard and ice storm conditions in order to share flu germs with nearest and dearest. And then Thanksgiving's over and time to do it again for Christmas.

I am on antibiotics - hence no booze.

This is the first christmas that I will go through stone cold sober in over 30 years.

Believe me, it's nowhere near as much fun sober :(

Sorry Cholm. Get well soon.
Red wine has antiviral properties, they say.

Red wine is drunk by poofters and Frenchies!

It's our office party tonight. I'm dreading it.