Christmas Dinner and Boxing Day Traditions in the UK

Published October 24, 2026 · GiveOwl

Turkey, crackers and paper crowns, then Boxing Day: the British Christmas has changed a lot over the centuries. This page covers what the sources say, Boxing Day 2026, food safety for the big meal, and two simple recipes.

A short history of the Christmas dinner

• Medieval: Historic UK says the centrepiece of the medieval feast was not turkey but wild boar, with pies an essential part of the Christmas table.
• Tudor: Turkey appears on the menu, dated by Historic UK to 1523, as an exotic luxury enjoyed by a select few.
• Georgian and Victorian: The Brussels sprout reached England in the Georgian period. In the Victorian era, Christmas became a smaller family occasion, and the meal began to take its modern shape, with meat served alongside potatoes, carrots, sprouts and parsnips.
• 20th century: In the 1920s and 1930s turkey was one of the most popular meats, but a bird could cost an average person's weekly wage.

Christmas crackers

The V&A credits the London confectioner Tom Smith, who set up shop in Clerkenwell in the 1840s. After seeing French bonbons in Paris, sugared almonds in twists of tissue paper, he added a small love motto, and he patented his first cracker device in 1847. The snap was supposedly inspired by the crackle of a log fire. The V&A says his son Walter added the paper hats. The Royal Museums Greenwich notes that other makers may have sold crackers earlier, so the credit is not quite certain.

Boxing Day

Boxing Day (26 December) falls on a Saturday in 2026, so the substitute bank holiday is Monday 28 December, according to GOV.UK. Christmas Day is Friday 25 December.

• Christmas boxes: Oxford University Press says the name comes from the custom of giving "Christmas boxes", money or gifts, with the earliest references from the 1620s to 1640s. They went to apprentices and servants from employers, and later to tradespeople who had served you well.
• Alms boxes: Another theory ties the name to church alms boxes opened on 26 December, the feast of St Stephen, with the money given to the poor.
• Which is right? HISTORY reports that the exact roots are unknown, and that the Oxford English Dictionary's earliest print reference is from 1833.

Food safety for the big meal

• Do not wash raw turkey. The Food Standards Agency says washing raw meat spreads germs onto hands, clothes, utensils and worktops. Wash your hands with soap and warm water after touching it.
• Cook it through. The FSA lists temperature and time combinations that make food safe to eat, for example 70°C for 2 minutes or 75°C for 30 seconds, measured in the thickest part with a clean thermometer.
• Cool leftovers quickly. Cool cooked food at room temperature and put it in the fridge or freezer within one to two hours. Smaller portions cool faster.
• Eat or freeze. Eat refrigerated leftovers within two days, or freeze them.

Pigs in blankets (makes 12)

Our own recipe; we have not kitchen-tested it.

• 12 chipolata sausages
• 6 rashers of streaky bacon, each cut in half

1. Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan).
2. Stretch each half-rasher with the back of a knife. Wrap it around a sausage.
3. Place on a tray, seam side down, and bake for about 25–30 minutes, turning once, until the sausages are cooked all the way through with no pink and the bacon is golden.

Boxing Day bubble and squeak

A way to use leftover vegetables. Our own recipe; we have not kitchen-tested it.

• About 400 g cold leftover mashed or boiled potato
• About 200 g cooked cabbage, sprouts or other vegetables, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped and softened in oil (optional)
• Oil for frying, salt and pepper

1. Mix the potato, vegetables and onion and season.
2. Fry in a hot, oiled pan, pressing the mixture down, for about 10–15 minutes, turning, until browned and piping hot in the middle.

Use leftovers within two days, or freeze them. Cook everything until steaming hot all the way through, and reheat only once.

This is our own simple recipe with everyday ingredients – we have not kitchen-tested it, so treat times and temperatures as a guide and adjust for your oven. Allergens: depending on the recipe it contains gluten (flour, breadcrumbs), milk (butter), eggs and nuts or almonds, and dried fruit may contain sulphites. Check every label before you cook for other people.

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More baking and traditions: Christmas pudding recipe and Stir-up Sunday, Mince pies: history and a simple recipe, Christmas cake: history and a simple recipe and Wassail tradition and an alcohol-free mulled apple drink. All the dates 2026: Christmas in the UK: traditions and recipes.