Queen Victoria's Christmas Feast

Her Majesty's Christmas menu from 1894.

In addition to being the Queen of the United Kingdom and the vast British Empire, Victoria might also be lauded as the Queen of Christmas. She and her beloved husband Prince Albert popularized many of the quintessential holiday traditions that we still enjoy today including the Christmas tree, Christmas cards and Christmas Crackers. Their 9 children enjoyed trees decorated with delectable dainties like sugar plums, candy canes and gingerbread. And many new delicious dishes were added to the traditional medieval fare on the royal holiday dining table including roast Turkey, chestnuts and plum pudding. Let’s take a look at the history of how these holiday foods made it on to her majesty’s table and enjoy a fabulously festive feast, fit for a Queen.

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[j.j.w.]

Great job as usual Lindsay! I have one burning question.... What did Queen Victoria do with all the leftover food that wasn't eaten?

[yvonnemason]

Fascinating fact: Prince Albert didn't 'introduce' the Christmas Tree to England. This honour goes to Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg, wife of King George III in the 18th century. Queen Charlotte was the first to bring the Christmas 'branch' and later 'tree' to England, from her native Germany, but this didn't take off as a regular Christmas tradition beyond the top nobility in Britain until Prince Albert revived the custom in the 19th century. What Prince Albert, along with Queen Victoria, did was make the Christmas Tree popular as a result of the pictures of them which appeared in British and American newspapers.

[JamieHaDov]

My ex wanted a “victorian christmas” one year so that’s what I did. It was...difficult without servants

[renarsspons]

wow you don’t really ever think just how many things and traditions started because of Queen Victoria. Everything from white wedding dresses to what we eat for Christmas comes from her. She really was a very influential and a very admired woman. 🥰

[crystalschweitzer]

My grandpa who is 97 talks about how when he was little he would eat turtle soup. Im told my great grandma made the best in town. He still talks about how good it was.

[watercressfabrique]

We can't forget Mrs. Crocombe! Mrs. Crocombe lovers unite!

[tyrant-den]

Sweetmeat: not meat, sometimes bread.
Sweetbread: not bread, always meat.

[paulellis]

I am dying of a heart attack from watching this video. How rich and succulent the food must have been. I enjoy fine dining as a treat, but cannot imagine eating like this on a regular occurrence. Nevertheless, I would not mind enjoying a traditional Victorian Christmas feast no matter what the cost. <3

[ArtArtsSakeVideo]

I was a medieval history and literature major in college. My gang of medievalists would hold winter and summer feasts, mostly involving lots of mead, singing and roast chicken (those being the days when beef was far too expensive for college kids). Fast forward to the years (from the mid 1980s on) when I lived in the UK, inside the North Circular Road. This meant easy access to London's vast array of fishmongers, fresh fruit and veg markets, specialty bakers and butchers. And one year, I scored a piglet to make roast suckling pig in my modern ground-floor flat kitchen. I vividly recall the surprise on my British guests' faces when I marched around the table to the Boar's Head Carol, bearing on an oversize platter an actual pig head -- complete with gilt apple in its mouth!

[owlynashewood]

I live on the Sea Islands of the Southern United States. Our Christmas feast is mostly seafood: crabs, steamed shrimp, oysters, and other side dishes like rice and vegetables.
I would love to spend one Christmas in London; eating minced pies and plum pudding.

[IGotTheCookieSyndrom]

It was queen Charlotte, king George lll’s wife, that introduced the Christmas tree to the English royal family. And queen Victoria grew up with having a Christmas tree in her room during her childhood so there was a tradition with Christmas trees before Prince Albert’s time at the court. But it got widespread during their marriage

[Rosedawn]

We are In America but my mother always served a traditional English Christmas feast! Prime Rib roast, Yorkshire Pudding popovers, buttered green beans, spiced crab apples and Plum Pudding. Yum!

[Lauren.E.O]

It’s hard to think of Victoria being into Christmas. She never seemed that whimsical to me... 🎄

[Lauren.E.O]

The sight of the trees covered in lit candles is giving me anxiety like woah 🎄 🔥 😅

[monakayk]

One Christmas I cooked a 🎄"Dicken's" Dinner🎄 with Roast Goose, Chestnut Dressing. & Plumb Pudding. The family it !!!

[malthesse]

With a menu like that, it's no wonder that Queen Victoria was a bit on the heavier side in her later years. So much meat, which horrifies me a bit as a vegetarian. And the mock turtle soup makes me think of the poor sad Mock Turtle form "Alice in Wonderland" - "Soup of the evening, beautiful soup..." It's amazing though that we have so many of our current Christmas traditions thanks to Victoria and her family and their mixing of old English and German traditions. She, along with Dickens and some others of the same time, really did make Christmas popular again as a cozy, family centred holiday, which I think most of us are very thankful for!

[elaineburnett]

Thank you Albert and Victoria...we are forever indebted!🎄

[voxveritas]

Listen up, people. You all would not decline an invitation to such a feast. So quit your bitchin'! Granted, some of the items sound a bit over the top, but I'm sure nobody gorged themselves on everything. It reminds me of our family holiday feasts; you have a bit of this, a nibble of that, and so on. I am sure this meal was planned and produced to be shared with many folks and staff. Stop being a Grinch and be thankful for what you have to share. Lindsay, you did a great job describing this event and providing us all with vicarious enjoyment!

[cyberqueen]

I'm drooling right now! That's a lot of food! I do love learning the origin and history of foods and dishes. I never thought of Queen Victoria as a foodie. But I guess you can't judge a book by its cover. I have some newfound respect for Queen Victoria after watching this video. She left a lasting influence on Christmas traditions. I do love decorating and admiring Christmas trees and cooking on Christmas.

[louisethompson]

There are programmes on the BBC where it shows modern day confectionery professionals making Christmas candies from the tudor period to modern day. Its very interesting. Watching "hidden killers" also shows sweet meats and its just sugar molded into a shaped and coloured