The inclusion of Yorkshire puddings in a Christmas dinner is largely a matter of personal preference rather than a strict tradition. In the United Kingdom, Yorkshire puddings are traditionally associated with roast beef dinners, but many people also enjoy them with other meats, including turkey, which is a common centerpiece for Christmas dinners.
While some may argue that Yorkshire puddings don’t have a long-standing tradition as part of Christmas dinners, culinary traditions are often evolving, and individuals and families may incorporate various dishes into their festive meals based on personal tastes and regional influences.
Ultimately, there is no strict rule against having Yorkshire puddings with a Christmas dinner, and many people do include them as part of their holiday feast. If you enjoy the combination, there’s no reason not to include Yorkshire puddings in your Christmas dinner.
Do you have Yorkshire puddings with Christmas Dinner?
As a Yorkshire-born, Yorkshire-bred family, it sounds ridiculous to us that a Yorkshire pudding would ever be anything but welcome – especially on the King of all holidays – but it turns out, traditionally, the Yorkshire pudding should go nowhere near a Christmas dinner.
Originating in the North of England (obviously) way back in the 1700s, the Yorkshire pudding is ‘traditionally’ an accompaniment to the beef roast. Even more traditionally so, it was known as the ‘dripping pudding’ due to it making use of the leftover fat when cooking meat (most commonly beef, hence the tradition).
This was served as a cheap starter for families to enjoy, helping to elongate the amount of meals you’d get out of an expensive piece of meat. Now, of course, the classic Yorkie is the highlight of any gravy dish, taking centre stage for many and providing the perfect treat to gorge on alongside meat and veggies.
So what’s the deal with Christmas dinner then? Well, the use of turkey on a Christmas dinner dates all the way back to the 1500s when the birds actually arrived in Britain for the very first time, allowing farmers to preserve their livestock (such as cows and chickens) to use for products such as milk and eggs. Before turkeys arrived, geese, boar, and even peacock were served alongside potatoes, boars’ head, cranberry pie, mince pies, and plum pudding.
Now, we obviously weren’t around back in the 1500s, but given that Christmas dinner has been an annual staple for multiple centuries already – it’s likely that the Yorkshire pudding has been traditionally absent from the dish due to the fact that it simply wasn’t invented until hundreds of years after the Christmas dinner became prominent.
Still not convinced? Well, Christmas dinner has been evolving ever since its inception (its roots of which date way back to the Middle Ages), with even staple items such as pigs in blankets only gaining popularity in the 50s – making those tasty little suckers traditionally invalid, too. See where we’re going here?
Fast-forward to 2020, and Brits everywhere (including the Southerners) have been going absolutely nuts for Yorkshire pudding creations – from full English breakfasts stuffed in giant fluffy puds to pizzas made with a base of Yorkshire pudding mix. You name it, someone’s made it. So, enlighten me… What’s so shocking about placing a beautifully fluffy, goose-fat Yorkshire pudding on our Christmas feast?
