FEEDING THE FOUNDLINGS
Forget Oliver Twist and his gruel. Children who grew up at London’s Foundling Hospital drank coffee and beer, and ate well at tables laid with china and linen – but they did so in silence and sat in height order.
The Feeding the 400 exhibition at the Foundling Museum in Bloomsbury explores the impact of food on these abandoned children between 1740 and 1950. In the 18th century, as a show of respect to their benefactors, the children would be observed eating Sunday lunch by members of well-to-do society, and paraded holding oranges at the governor’s banquet. Christmas provided cause for something of a spectacle, too, as the staged 1950s image (above) of the children preparing a Christmas pudding shows. £10.25 adults; £7.50 concessions; children free; until 8 January 2017;foundlingmuseum.org.uk
THE ALTERNATIVE CHRISTMAS TIME PLAN
Everyone has their own traditions for the big day, but there are small rituals we’re all familiar with. How do you rate compared to these timings?* Let us know at facebook.com/deliciousmagazineuk
NEW ON OUR PODCAST
In the latest episode, we talk to Pierre Koffmann, one of the godfathers of the fine-dining scene, discover what the Canadian Thanksgiving can teach us for our own Christmas celebrations, hear what it’s like to be a judge at the World Cheese Awards and learn about fruity, British cassis.
WIN! WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU For a chance to win the Harvey Nichols hamper on p18, tell us about a food memory you treasure – perhaps the first time your grandma taught you to bake a cake, or a visit to a food market abroad that’s inspired your cooking ever since. Your story may make it into an upcoming podcast. Call 020 3868 1919 to record your story. Find the podcast on iTunes or the podcast app, or visit deliciousmagazine.co.uk and follow the links.
IN THIS MONTH...
1840 Sir Henry Cole was too busy to write to all his friends, so he asked Torquay artist John Horsley to design a festive card he could send instead. On 17 December Horsley dropped round the notelets – and Christmas cards were invented.
1843
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens was published on 19 December. Scrooge saves the day, upgrading the Cratchits’ goose to a huge turkey – helping to make the bird a fixture on the Christmas table.