Focus Winter 2015
Page 9
8 million
real Christmas trees are bought in the UK
every year
10 million
turkeys were consumed last year in the UK
76 per cen
t of families around the UK will be serving up a
succulent roast turkey as the centre piece of their festive
meal this Christmas
40 per cent
is the increase in alcohol consumption in
Britain in December
600 million
units of alcohol are consumed by Britons
during
December
25 million
Christmas puddings consumed in the Christmas
Period
35 million
bottles of wine consumed in the Christmas period
250 million
pints of beer consumed in the Christmas period
9875 tonnes
of sprouts are consumed in December each
year
7 million
mince pies left for Santa Claus by children in the
UK on Christmas Eve
All this extra food consumption means that the average
person could put on an extra 5lbs (2kg) in weight
300 million
crackers are pulled in the Christmas period
It is estimated £22bn is spent by UK households at
Christmas, with the average household spending £835.
Of this, £161 is thought to go on food and drink and the
rest on gifts (£634) , cards, trees and decorations (£40).
The majority of families (76%) around the UK will serve up a suc-
culent roast turkey as the centre piece of their festive meal this
Christmas. Turkey is a relative newcomer to the Yuletide table -
it was a luxury right up until the 1950's when they became more
widely available. In Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol (1843),
Bob Cratchit had a goose before Scrooge bought him a turkey.
Last Christmas saw the UK consuming approximately 10 million
turkeys. Prior to the turkey tradition Christmas fare included
roast swan, pheasants and peacocks. A special treat was a roast
boars head decorated with holly and fruit. A survey has revealed
on average, British women do not attempt their first Christmas
lunch until the age of 34. Nearly half of women polled said they
felt a real sense of achievement when finally dishing up the
Christmas dinner and 28% of British men admit that their part-
ner's dinner is better than their mother's.
Henry VIII was the first English king to enjoy turkey, although
Edward VII made eating turkey fashionable at Christmas. Indeed
turkey was a luxury right up until the 1950's when refrigerators
became commonplace. However, traditions for many countries
around the globe vary enormously where the centrepiece can
range from pork chops to curried goat!
Austria: A typical Christmas dinner would consist of braised carp
served with gingerbread and beer sauce.
Czech Republic: Tradition dictates that the tree is not lit before
Christmas Eve then they have a big dinner of fish soup, salads,
eggs and carp. Scarily, the number of people at the table must
be even or it is believed the person without a partner will die
next year.
Germany: The Germans tend to have a game feast on Christmas
day, usually wild boar or venison.
Italy: Christmas dinner in Italy can last for more than 4 hours.
Most families will have 7 or more courses including antipasti, a
small portion of pasta, a roast meal, followed by 2 salads and 2
sweet puddings - then cheese fruit, brandy and chocolates.
Jamaica: Christmas dinner usually consists of rice, gungo peas,
chicken, ox tail and curried goat.
Norway: The big festive feast takes place on Christmas Eve.
Most people around the coastal regions eat fish - concoctions of
cod and haddock and a variety called lutefisk. Inland they go for
pork chops, specially prepared sausages and occasionally lamb.
Poland: The traditional Christmas Eve supper consists of 12
non-meat dishes, representing the months of the year and
featuring fish such as pike, herring and carp. Other typical Polish
dishes are fish soup, sauerkraut with wild mushrooms or peas
and Polish dumplings with various fillings.
FAMILY BUTCHERS
5, Market Hill, Clare, Nr. Sudbury, Suffolk
Telephone : Clare (01787) 277294
ORDERS BEING TAKEN NOW FOR
CHRISTMAS TURKEYS, POULTRY,
LOCAL GAME & SMOKED HAMS
MEAT GAME POULTRY EGGS
DELICATESSEN CHEESES PIES
Always a fine selection of Locally
Sourced Products
J.R.Humphrey & Sons
Est 1984