From brawn to plum pottage, Annie Gray takes us back to the raucous world of festive feasting in the medieval and Tudor eras. Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, for the first episode in our new mini-series on Christmas food through history, she also touches on subversive merrymaking, spectacular dinnertime entertainments and hefty meat pies.

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Next episode: Georgian elegance

Inspired to cook up some treats from the past? Browse our historical recipes:

  • Nesselrode pudding – a delicious Victorian alternative to traditional Christmas pudding
  • Buttered beere – a sweet, slightly alcoholic drink that warmed the cockles in Tudor times

Annie Gray is the author of At Christmas We Feast: Festive Food through the Ages (Profile Books, 2021)

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Authors

Ellie CawthornePodcast editor, HistoryExtra

Ellie Cawthorne is HistoryExtra’s podcast editor. She also contributes to BBC History Magazine, runs the podcast newsletter and hosts several live and virtual BBC History Magazine events.

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