Christmas is a lusty fellow: The Georgian Christmas

About

Christmas as we know it was a mid-Victorian invention. So what came before?

This talk is focussed on a Christmas in decline. It looks at what happened between the Restoration of Charles II and the accession of Queen Victoria. Its main focus is on the late Georgian period, which means big wigs, risky games, booze and Jane Austen.

If you've ever wondered what we did before Dickens, trees and crackers, this will give you the – often surprising – answers.

Dr Annie Gray is one of Britain's leading food historians, specialising in the history of food and dining from c.1600 to the present day. She is an author, broadcaster and consultant. She has published numerous books, including: The Greedy Queen, The Official Downtown Abbey Cookbook, From the Alps to the Dales - 100 Years of Bettys, Victory in the Kitchen – The Life of Churchill's Cook, a biography of Winston Churchill's longest-serving cook and an in depth look into the most crucial members of the Churchillian support team.

In 2021 Annie published At Christmas We Feast: Festive Food Through the Ages, a fascinating look at the origins and traditions that surround Christmas feasting. Annie has also written for publications such as Delicious Magazine, The Telegraph, The Guardian online and BBC Good Food.

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