The Maynard, a historic hotel and restaurant in the Peak District, has revealed that the Christmas foods that most remind Brits of their childhoods are pigs in blankets (53%), Christmas pudding (51%), homemade mince pies (48%) and sherry trifle (35%).
The survey of 2,000 British adults took place throughout October 2023 and asked them which festive foods brought back memories of childhood Christmases and why.
Yule log, sprouts, roast turkey and smoked salmon also featured, as well as sausage stuffing, bread sauce, warm sausage rolls, and a big tin of Quality Street.
Top 10 nostalgic Christmas foods for Brits
Pigs in blankets (53%)
Christmas pudding (51%)
Homemade mince pies (48%)
Sherry trifle (35%)
Sprouts (33%)
Sausage stuffing (33%)
Christmas cake with white royal icing (30%)
Chocolate yule log (30%)
Warm sausage rolls (24%)
Big metal tin of Quality Street (23%
For almost all of the respondents (97%), their most nostalgic foods were closely linked to memories of spending Christmas Day with their families. Seventy-five percent said that their mother or grandma cooked or baked – with mince pies, Christmas puddings, and Christmas cake being the most common homemade foods.
Stories included:
“Mince pies are my most nostalgic food as we used to make them with our mum at the start of the Christmas holidays from a very young age.”
“Chocolate log, my Nan used to make one every year for dessert (because I don’t like Christmas pud) and now my mum does the same for my kids (and me – I still don’t like Christmas pud).”
“My mum’s stuffing… she always had to make extra as we would always eat it before dinner. Holds lots of family memories Christmas morning all in the kitchen with the Christmas carols on in the background.”
“Pigs in blankets! You only had them on Christmas day so would get excited about having them.”
“I loved my mum’s homemade trifle- she always and still does add lots of SHERRY. This reminds me of my childhood.”
“Christmas pudding- home made. Used to help mum stir the mixture. Always excited to see find a coin in your bowl on Christmas Day (mum used to collect them beforehand to make sure we all had one (5 children).”
“Pigs in blankets and the light hearted squabbles over them at dinner, it still happens now when we’re all together.”
There were some more unusual nostalgic foods mentioned by some participants, including cheesy brussels sprouts, which were invented when a family member had consumed too much alcohol the day before – and remained a staple thereafter. Dates stuffed with cream cheese, Boxing Day bubble and squeak, Party Rings at the school Christmas party, turkey curry, and salmon sandwiches also got a mention.
“Making memories is top of mind for us this Christmas, as we’ll be closing on Christmas Day for the first time since I took on The Maynard three years ago,” explains owner, Rob Hattersley.
“Losing my grandmother last year made me pause and think about the opportunities that I missed to celebrate Christmas with her. I don’t want my team members to miss making those Christmas memories and traditions with their own families. For many of them, particularly those that have been in hospitality for a long time, this will be the first Christmas Day off that they’ve had in decades. That feels right.”
Instead, The Maynard will be running an extensive programme of festive events throughout December, including a Christmas Eve lunch called ‘A Taste of Christmas.” The menu will take diners on a nostalgic journey with twists on traditional festive favourites, accompanied by a Grumpah band.
