Curious Culinary Creations of Christmases Past

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Festive Foods

We reflect on the weird and wonderful festive foodstuffs of the 1960s and 70s, from cranberry candles to cheese-stuffed pinecones

The 1960s and 70s set the stage for women to explore the exotic, newfangled cuisines of British cookery writer Elizabeth David – and they did so haphazardly, in kitchens and supermarkets equipped only for post-war austerity. Today, the idea of such extravagent, meticiously choreographed dishes leaves more than a sour taste. Now – as advocated by Paleo bloggers and quinoa fiends – we’re all about restraint: conscientious nose-to-tail eating as a style, rather than a fiscal choice, and as such our decade is more gluten-free than gourmand. 

No matter how sophisticated our culinary habits, however, or how over Instagramming avocados we are, we still like to show off from time to time – and there's no better time for ostentatious cookery than period around the 25th of December. So, to whet your festive appetite, we've selected some offbeat dishes from decades past – captured for posterty by culinary magazines and cookbooks of the era. #anotherhappymonday