GMAP's 12 Food & Drinks of Christmas

Turkey is native to North America, and has been eaten as a meat since the 15th century. Prior to the 20th century, turkeys were so abundant in the wild they were eaten year-round (just as Joe does!) and it was pork ribs that were the most common holiday food. Today, turkey is traditional to Thanksgiving dinners in the US and Canada, and at Christmas dinners elsewhere across the world. Turkey as a Christmas food spread throughout Britain in the 17th Century. 

Port, from the Douro region of northern Portugal, became a popular drink in the UK following the 1700s war with France which deprived the English of French wine. Due to English investments in importing Port, it became so affordable that people of all classes could afford a bottle for Christmas! 

Drink: None, “more of a summer drinker”

“My favourite food is honey roasted peanuts… not sure I have a favourite drink. I personally really dislike all of the Christmassy drinks like Baileys, port etc. more of a summer drinker!”

Not a typical Christmas food, but nonetheless served in many households over the holidays often with a drink or two… The concept for honey roasted peanuts originated from a food scientist at North Carolina State University who discovered roasting legumes, and coating them with glad whilst the nuts are between 160 and 350 degrees, resulted in a less sticky product that remained fresh for longer. This patent was sold to Anheuser-Busch, a Missouri-based American brewing company which is now home to brands including Budweiser and Stella Artois. 

Drink: Champagne

“My favourite Christmas morning tradition is champagne and croissants”

Coralie is a fan of the perfect French breakfast, or so it would seem… Champagne is of course from the Champagne wine region. However, Croissants which are most often associated with France, are from Austria! Perhaps not a typical Christmas tradition, but one I’m sure many could get on board with. 

Drink: Mulled Wine

Two very typical, yet reliable, Christmas food and drink traditions! Mince Pies originated in the UK and were originally a savoury pie. In the Tudor period they were rectangular shaped like a manger and often had a pastry baby Jesus on the lid…. It was not until the late Victorian period and early 20th Century that mince pies dropped the meat and had all fruit fillings. Mulled Wine was created by the Romans in the 2nd century who would heat wine to stay warm in winter. As the Romans conquered Europe across the next century, their love for mulled wine spread across their empire. 

Drink: Beer

“Stollen and drink would be beer but I don’t have a favourite”

Stollen came from Germany in the 15th Century, for anyone else who loves stollen as much as Rob, the Stollen Season apparently runs from 1st November to 31st December annually, and the city of Dresden runs an annual Stollen Festival! In 2010, supermarket Lidl won the record for the world’s longest stollen, which measured over 70m long, according to the Guinness Book of World Records! 

Drink: Snowballs

No official history or origin could be found about chocolate ginger. However, Snowballs are apparently of UK origin despite Advocaat coming from The Netherlands. They were invented in the 1940s but were made popular in the 1970s. According to British Food History, you should also include Brandy in your Snowball. 

Snowball Recipe (per person)

Pour the Advocaat, brandy and lime juice in a cocktail shaker and add plenty of ice. Shake well and strain into glasses. Add a single ice cube per glass and top up with a little lemon (it will fizz up!). Stir and garnish with the slice of lime. 

Drink: Bourbon Whiskey

“My favourite food(s) is usually the meal in the evening of Christmas Day after we've had our lunch. My parents get fantastic pork pie and sausage rolls from their local butchers using local Lincolnshire pork and we have these with turkey sandwiches and thickly cut ham. My favourite drink around Christmas time (and most of the year) is a Bourbon whiskey, something like Bulleit Bourbon from Kentucky, USA”

Drink: Bollinger Grande Année, La Gioiosa prosecco, Negroni, Multiple flavours of Soplica Polish Vodkas

“Every Christmas I have a Brillat-Savarin cheese. It’s really light and creamy, and feels very luxurious to eat. For years my Christmas tradition has been to go to a very nice cheesemonger in St. James’s for it, Paxton & Whitfield, just near the back entrance to Fortnum & Mason’s. This year I’ve noticed it’s even in Waitrose, so I’ll need to check that one out before the big day to decide whose is better…

Red cabbage cooked with an apple, Christmassy spices and a large amount of butter is also one of my favourite things. It makes boring meats such as turkey really tasty, and is also great with bubble and squeak the next day. I don’t think there’s any need to bother with cranberry sauce if you have red cabbage. One cabbage makes tonnes, and you can keep reheating it for days until it runs out.

Lebkuchen, especially the ones with apricot jam inside. They’re like a Christmas version of Jaffa Cakes. I’m getting obsessed with anything with apricot jam in for some reason, now I’m getting older.

I’ll have a couple of bottles of Bollinger Grande Année, but these are only served at the right moment when I know everyone will appreciate it. You can really taste the difference with a proper champagne, but it’s very expensive. Once everyone else’s champagne has been exhausted, I will have a cupboard full of the gold La Gioiosa prosecco to get stuck into. They have an organic version in Majestic’s this year, so I might give that a try. And it’s technically impossible to get a hangover from organic wine.

I like to sip negroni later on watching TV, and it goes quite well with mince pies.

For new year, there will be a selection of different flavours of Soplica Polish vodkas. Quince is by far my favourite. A few shots of these and everyone will be dancing” 

Drink: Baileys

“As a (now lapsed) vegetarian teenager, self-deprived of pigs in blankets I turned to the next best thing, stuffing. My favourite drink is slightly controversial as I know that most people have a love or hate relationship with Baileys. My friends are obsessed with the chocolate edition, and M&S last year brought out an excellent salted caramel brownie one which isn’t as sickly as it sounds. Also, I would choose a Baby Guinness shot over a tequila or sambuca any day!”

The origin of stuffing is not very clear, but references date back to the first century AD where meats including Chicken, Rabbit, Pigs and Doormouse were stuffed with herbs and bread. Not very vegetarian! Baileys Irish Cream was the first Irish cream on the market, which was invented in Dublin in 1971. Although it didn’t start as a Christmas drink, it has become a festive favourite.

When Neil initially told us Tea was his only Christmas drink of choice, there were some laughs but we were not surprised as Neil is known for his love of Yorkshire Tea. However, little did we know that Tea has a historical association with Christmas! In the 1800s, as Christmas was one of the few days off work for many of the working and middle classes in Britain, and it was often spent in the pub. However, to address this tradition that resulted in drunken husband’s getting violent and spending their weekly family income in the pub, Christmas Eve tea parties were held. One of the first was at Preston’s Cloth Hall. Since, Christmas Afternoon Teas have become a popular Christmas activity. 

Drink: Bloody Mary

“My favourite food is Butter, if that’s not allowed then Minced Pies - If I can’t have butter, then a mince pie is my 2nd favourite Christmas food. I do tend to have them all year round though. My favourite drink is a Bloody Mary”

The French bartender Fernand Petiot claimed to have invented the Bloody Mary in 1921. He was working at the New York Bar in Paris at the time, which later became Harry's New York Bar, a frequent Paris hangout for Ernest Hemingway and other American migrant. However, New York's 21 Club claims that it was invented in the 1930s by bartender Henry Zbikiewicz, who was charged with mixing Bloody Marys.

Drink: Bank's Bitter

“For me Christmas is all about family traditions and nostalgia so I am going to pick something that reminds me of childhood family Christmas parties. Every year my Grandma would press an Ox Tongue which went down a treat with the cold buffet and intriguing home pickles served up on Boxing Day, after our family, cousins, aunts and uncles got back from the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre panto. It is also quite amusing watching somebody try Ox Tongue for the first time as it tends to provoke a pretty immediate love or hate reaction. Then there is probably no better drink to wash the buffet down with than a bottle of Bank’s Bitter. Happy days, best wishes to all for the Christmas holidays!”

We would like you wish you a very Merry Christmas from the GMAP team. To all our friends and clients, thank you for your support throughout 2021 and we look forward to  2022! Please get in touch to find out more about what we do, or if you have any favourite Christmas foods or drinks to share with us.