198: The history behind your Christmas dinner

<div>Turkey, roast potatoes, Christmas pudding, Brussels sprouts - Christmas dinner hasn't always been this way.<br> <br> And there is certainly no reason to think it will stay that way in the future.<br> <br> In this episode of the Table Talk podcast, Stefan Gates delves into the history of the Christmas dinner with food historian Seren Charrington-Hollins.<br> <br> Seren reveals why Victorian Christmas traditions have endured the longest, how plant-based foods have always played a role in the main festive meal, and she re-visits the once ubiquitous 'Christmas Kissing Ball'.<br> <br> And she tries to answer a key question; are current Christmas dinner traditions sustainable in the long-term? <br> <br> <strong>Seren Charrington-Hollins<br> </strong><br> As a food historian, Seren has been bringing food history to life since 2007. <br> <br> She has written countless articles on food and domestic history, has given countless local and national radio interviews, as well as having appeared in a variety of TV programmes and productions. <br> <br> Already the published author of "A Dark History of Tea", she is currently working on her new book 'A Century of Eating: How our tastes have changed", which focuses on what has happened to the way we shop and eat in the past century. </div>