There’s nothing that we like more in Britain at Christmas time than our food! Whether it is turkey, ham, cockerel or a game bird that we’ve shot and feathered ourselves – our food tends to be a focal point of our celebrations. And Christmas birds are a big part of that.
And, as keen shots and field sport enthusiasts, eating the quality meat that we shoot is important.
So, with Christmas approaching, we thought it would be interesting to look at what has been popular on the Christmas table in the UK over the years.
Also, as an industry that creates habitats for a multitude of farmland and other bird species, we wonder why birds are so central to Christmas celebrations.
The Christmas Table
Over the years, the British Christmas table has seen a wide and exotic array of game birds and meat.
If we start in medieval Britain, wild boar was the most popular Christmas meat; for those who could afford it anyway. Those with less money would have eaten similar foods to their everyday meals – stews, dairy, ale – just more of it at Christmas time.
It is thought that King Henry VIII in the 16th century was the first English monarch to have turkey for Christmas. Turkeys were seen as an exotic delicacy and are thought to have been walked from Norfolk to market in London. However, this wasn’t all. The Tudors were known to eat a whole range of animals including badgers, blackbirds and peacocks. One can only imagine what a badger might taste like! They were also fond of pickled pigs feet and the heads of wild boars.
There are several interesting Tudor traditions that we can easily trace back from things we eat today.
A Christmas pie was often served made of a pigeon, placed inside a partridge, inside a chicken, inside a goose, inside a turkey, inside a pastry case called a coffin. This is similar to both a wellington and a ballotine (a three-bird roast) that people across the UK still enjoy today.
There was also a 12th Night Cake, which was a fruit cake baked with a coin hidden inside. Many people still hide a coin in their Christmas puddings nowadays.
Whilst this was going on in the monarch’s circle, the most common table birds during this time and up until the 17th century were goose and capon (a castrated male chicken).
By the time of the Georgians and the Victorians, Goose was still popular, but Turkey was closing in on its crown – certainly or those that could afford it. Queen Victoria was particularly partial to roast swan.
As we can see, it was game birds galore for much of Britain’s Christmas dinner history, and hopefully this tradition continues in households over the Christmas period.
Christmas Birds
Christmas tradition is steeped in images of birds, some game birds as we’ve seen above, and some not. But from robins to partridges, turtle doves to geese and turkey’s to French hens – we love our Christmas Birds in the UK.
Partridge
What better place to start than one of our favourite game birds and the first bird of Christmas (according to the 12 days of Christmas).
In medieval times, Partridges were thought to possess mystical powers. They were thought to forecast things to come in the new year, and were the announcers of the holiday season – and very often the food for the feast.
Thankfully, conservation efforts from our industry help them continue to thrive.
Robins
Few birds are as strongly associated with Christmas as the robin. But, why?
In Victorian England – when the tradition of Christmas cards began – the Royal Mail postmen earned the name of ‘robin’ due to the red uniforms. Some stories link the bird’s red colouring to the blood of Jesus, claiming that the robin attempted to pick the crown of thorns off, and a drop of blood stained the breast.
The real origin though is that some robins migrate from Scandinavia, Russia and Europe in the winter. So, in addition to native robins, there are more around when there isn’t too much of anything else!
Pheasants
One of our favourite game birds, and certainly the most popular on UK shoots.
It is often believed that the ‘five gold rings’ line is a reference to the rings that are around the neck of pheasants. Though our pheasants in the UK only have one white ring around the neck, the ring-necked pheasant was well-established in England by the 10th century.
Swan
As mentioned previously, the swan was a sign of affluence at the dinner table; and they were enjoyed for centuries by monarchs.
Swans appear regularly on Christmas cards, and in the 12 days on Christmas, and this is most likely down to their historical place on the dinner table!
Though there are numerous other birds associated with Christmas, we thought these were the most interesting.
If you are a fan of the historical side of things, you can check out our blog on Gamecover Through the Ages.
We would like to wish all of our customers and partners a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Enjoy the field over the Christmas break!