Course overview

This four week course will explore the history of Christmas food and feasting from the Mediaeval Era to the High Victorian Age. We will examine the foodstuffs associated with the Christmas Festival throughout these centuries, and descriptions and recipes of various Christmas staples and delicacies will be provided on Canvas, accompanied by illustrations and other forms of mixed media. As far as possible we will refer to contemporary documents from each period to support our conjectures and conclusions regarding the British Christmas, discussing how there isn鈥檛 a single Christmas, but instead many Christmases depending on social position throughout the span of centuries addressed.

Course description

Within each period considered, we will be minded to discover how the Twelve Days of Christmas as a festival reflects the demographics of society during those ages, as Christmas and its foodstuffs cannot be adequately separated from religious significances and social hierarchies. This will be demonstrated and discussed by referring to surviving menus for Christmas and Epiphany from each age. Perhaps, such recipes may inspire you to experiment this year.

Along the way, we will encounter eccentricities of belief and symbolism regarding Christmas fare. The symbolism of food is an important area to discuss, as it discloses much about the contemporary mind of each era. Thus, we will experience Christmas at the Court of Richard II, in the poorer quarters of the peasantry and later in the Tudor Court, the streets of Tudor London and Dickensian Britain.

The study of foodstuffs is an area of great interest to the social historian, as it crosses numerous historical disciplines such as the study of economic history: trade, the cost of living and access to markets, but more than this, food is a sensory experience and this will lead us to discuss its presence in literature, art and popular culture.

There is much to digest.

What financial support is available?

We don't want anything to stand in your way when it comes to bringing Adult learning within reach so if you need anything to support you to achieve your goals then speak to one of our education experts during your enrolment journey. Most of our courses are government funded but if you don't qualify or need alternative financial help to access them then let us know.

What other support is available?

All of our digital content, teaching and learning activities and assessments are designed to be accessible so if you need any additional support you can discuss this with the education experts during your enrolment journey and we will do all we can to make sure you have optimal access.

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