The tradition of feasting in December dates back thousands of years in countries in the northern hemisphere as part of winter solstice rituals to give thanks for the past year and to ensure that the next years harvests were successful. In England the feasting took part over twelve days with eating, drinking and making merry culminating with an enormous feast on the night of the winter solstice beginning with the entrance of a boars head on a platter. There are many traditions and customs which are still upheld at what is now called Christmas including the celebration for Christians of the birth of Christ.

Henry VIII is believed to have introduced the custom of eating turkey rather than a boars head on Christmas Day, this custom is still upheld in the majority of homes throughout the UK. The more recent tradition of accompaniments such as cranberry sauce have largely been introduced from America, where cranberry sauce is eaten during Thanksgiving and replaces the more traditional bread sauce in many households in the UK.

For many a Christmas meal is incomplete without Christmas pudding full of dried fruits and brandy, served with cream or brandy butter. The tradition of eating this rich fruity pudding also dates back hundreds of years in what was called Plum Pudding. A traditional Victorian Christmas pudding contained silver charms which were thought to bring luck to the person who was fortunate to find the charm in their serving of pudding. Few people now make their own pudding, instead they buy ready made pudding which are packed full of juicy fruits, sherry and brandy and simply re-heat it on Christmas Day, under Health & Safety regulations these puddings no longer contain sliver charms due to risk of choking, they do however remain packed full of dried fruits and alcohol.

Making homemade cranberry sauce, chutneys, preserves, Christmas pudding, mince pies, Christmas cake is now a thing of the past for the majority of UK households and yet the tradition of feasting on Christmas Day and over the festive season continues to be upheld with family gatherings, parties and work colleagues getting together to eat, drink and be merry!

It is unnecessary to wait to see whether a hamper will be received to ensure that a home has all the scrumptious Christmas goodies to hand over the Christmas festivities. The perfect solution is to select and have a traditional Christmas Hamper delivered to your home. These fantastic wicker baskets are treasure troves packed full of the traditional festive foods such as Christmas pudding, brandy butter, cranberry sauce as well as a multitude of delicious savoury and sweet snacks, homemade preserves and chutneys, selections of cheeses, luxurious chocolates, biscuits and much more besides. Quite simply a traditional Christmas hamper offers the essential festive foods without any hassle or stress. As tastes vary there are numerous different Christmas hampers available to chose from, all contain the highest quality gourmet treats and a diversity of different foods from around the world as well as bottles of port and fine wines, ensuring that a truly festive feast will be enjoyed!