At Christmas We Feast: Festive Food Through the Ages

Description

'A joy to immerse oneself in' - Andi Oliver 'In the field of food history, Annie Gray leads the pack' - Jay Rayner For many people Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a turkey and trimmings, pudding and brandy butter. And yet it wasn't always that way. Gone are the gluttonous banquets featuring boar's head and brawn - but how did we get to the Christmas food of today? Historian Annie Gray digs into the evolution of our festive meal, from the birth of the twelve-day celebration under Edward I and the the restoration of holiday splendour under Victoria to the present day. Organised by festive dish and illustrated throughout, At Christmas We Feast is a delectable trip through time - stuffed full of classic recipes, doused with history and tradition, and sprinkled with the joy of the feasts of Christmas past.

Annie Gray FRHistS is a historian, cook, broadcaster and writer specialising in the history of food and dining in Britain from around 1600 to the present day. She is the author of Victory in the Kitchen and The Greedy Queen, among a number of other titles. She has presented TV history documentaries including Victorian Bakers and The Sweetmakers, and appears on BBC Radio 4's The Kitchen Cabinet. She lives in East Anglia.

'Lively ... distinguished by the insight and knowledge of a culinary expert ... filled with fascinating facts and foods ... For all its historical interest, it is [Gray's] enthusiasm which gives the book its mouth-watering appeal, and infuses it with Christmas spirit' - Rosemary Goring 'Packed with fascinating historical facts and some even more absorbing recipes ... a cracking read and a great stocking filler' - Irish Daily Mail 'Dr Annie Gray is just one of the best! She brings history and food to life with humanity and her customary wry wit and attention to detail. Anything that she writes is always a joy to immerse oneself in.' - Andi Oliver, chef and broadcaster 'Enlightening ... as much a social study as it is a food book' - Yorkshire Post 'Praise for Victory in the Kitchen: Zingy, fresh, and unexpected: Annie Gray, the queen of food historians, finds her perfect subject. A book to devour' - Lucy Worsley