Regional Christmas Delicacies Across Britain

Hey, guess what? It’s Christmas! But you knew that already. The adverts have been harping on about the start of the festive season for weeks too long already – and you’ve had to turn up your central heating at least twice in the last few weeks, too. As the big day (and the blissful end of Whamageddon) approaches, so too does the equal parts fear and thrill of hosting a wonderful day with some wonderful family and friends.

If you’re anything like me, you’ll be in the unenviable position of hosting some such loved ones this time round. And, if you’re anything more like me, you’ll be fresh out of ideas for what exactly to do this time round. How on earth do you keep Christmas – the poster-child for ‘tradition’ – feeling fresh and new each year? A good start is by looking a little closer to home than you may initially expect…

Christmas traditions can be found everywhere – and what is Christmas if not an opportunity to indulge in some incredible food and drink? Taking the culinary route, I guarantee there are some gastronomic delectations you’ve not fully considered right here on home(-ish) soil. So, let’s find out together, shall we?

1. Traditional Scottish Fare

Let’s start north of the border, with Scotland – a country so rich in provincial tradition that you’ll be hard-pressed not to find something novel and delicious at first glance. I’m first inclined to touch on Scotland’s rich heritage in the world of spirits – namely, whisky. As a huge whisky buff, there’s no substitute for well-peated Islay whisky with a drop of water on a bitterly cold evening – or a dram of Bunnahabhain, if you want something that tastes literally like Christmas pudding.

But this isn’t food – and not everyone drinks. So what about something a little moreish? Well, what’s more Scottish than shortbread? If you’ve never had a Christmas morning brew or a late-night hot toddy with a plate of shortbread biscuits on standby, you frankly haven’t lived. For something a little more esoteric, how about the humble Ecclefechan tart – a rich and delectable pastry that hails from Dumfriesshire?

2. England’s Regional Favourites

England can sometimes feel like a bit of a cultural black hole, relegated purely to fish and chips, pork pies and chicken tikka masala. This does a disservice to what is actually an extremely rich and deep set of culinary traditions, a great many of which have been sadly sidelined in favour of whatever’s chocolatey from M&S.

Elsewhere in Yorkshire, new traditions are being mad…

We’re talking, after all, about a country at the centre of the spice trade – somewhere which has more festive traditions up its sleeve than most anywhere else. Mince pies are apparent, but what about the Cumberland rum nicky tart? This Cumbrian delight is a latticed tart with all that global-spiced and deeply festive warmth. Elsewhere in Yorkshire, new traditions are being made through the humble yet totally inspired Christmas Yorkshire Pudding Wrap (trademark pending, no doubt).

3. Welsh Delights

Finally, in our tour of the ‘mainland’, we visit Wales. Wales is often considered an unassuming country, but this is a deeply unfair initial assessment – as many more will understand the moment they visit Snowdonia for the first time. As for food, Wales is a secret and unmitigated joy. Over the bog-standard Turkey, Wales opts for a goose as the Christmas bird, the blood of which would be recycled in Montgomeryshire to make goose blood cakes. If this doesn’t sound appetising, you may instead look toward Toffee Evening, a North Wales tradition where slab toffee was cooked, ‘pulled’ and twisted into edible strips.