Christmas Luncheon Sandringham, 1953.

Christmas Luncheon Sandringham, 1953.

At this time of year I usually give you a few Christmas menus from actual events - preferably those involving notable people or unusual circumstances.  Sometimes these ‘menus’ are in the form of simple descriptions, such as  the one I gave last week in my post on the food situation in the besieged city of Ladysmith during the Boer war. Today I return to a more formal menu, with the details of the Christmas luncheon of the royal family at their private Norfolk retreat – Sandringham Estate.

The menu is from 1936: I found the menu in the Courier Mail (Brisbane, Queensland) of December 2, 1953 in an article on “Royal Banquets of the Past.” This meal took place a matter of weeks after the abdication of Edward VII.

Christmas luncheon Sandringham, 1936

Mock Turtle Soup

Norfolk Turkey

Sandringham Beef

Yorkshire Pudding

Asparagus                  Parsnips

Baked Potatoes         French Beans

Brussels Sprouts

Mince Pies                 Ice Cream

Cheese            Biscuits          Celery

Fresh Fruit

Coffee

As the royal recipe for the day, I give you a couple of ideas from Mrs. McKee’s Royal Cookery Book.  Alma McKee was “formerly cook to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother,”

Filet de Boeuf.

3 lb. undercut fillet of beef             ¼ lb bacon fat

Garlic salt                                          Pepper and salt

Rub the fillet with pepper and salt, and sprinkle over a little garlic salt. Tie the bacon fat round the beef and place it in a hot oven to roast. When brown on the outside, lower the heat, baste and roast for forty-five minutes. Baste every fifteen minutes in its own juice. When cooked, untie the bacon, remove the juice from the pan, cut the beef in thin slices, and place in the middle of the serving dish.

Turkey with Walnut Stuffing.

1 turkey (about 15 lbs)                     ¼ lb. breadcrumbs

½ lb. ground walnuts                                  Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons cream                                    Nut oil

2 lbs. sausage meat

Mix together the walnuts, butter [not listed in the ingredients!] breadcrumbs and cream, and season. Stuff the neck end of the turkey with the sausage meat, and the rear end with the walnut stuffing.

Rub nut oil all over the skin of the bird. Place in a hot oven and roast for fifteen minutes, then baste. When the turkey has turned a light brown, reduce the heat, turn on its side, and cook for ten to fifteen minutes per pound. Roast and turn the turkey every fifteen minutes.

When cooked, strain the juice and skim off the fat. Garnish with chipolata sausages.

Serve with cranberry and bread sauce.

For the menu of Christmas dinner at Sandringham in 1930, go here.

http://www.theoldfoodie.com/2011/12/christmas-dinner-at-sandringham.html