Twenty-five years ago, in 1990, my mother started her Christmas book, the cover of which is reproduced below. It started life as a practical document: containing records of Christmas card recipients, presents given and received and menus; but, later on, became more of a diary: an account of what for my mother was one of the most important celebrations of the year.
On the inside cover is a heading, "Receipts", and a list of what I remember were some of the main Christmas dishes that would find their way into our home each year. I reproduce the list below, and will at some stage attempt to track down the recipes themselves:
Granny Foster Xmas Cake.
Damp beef/damp beef soup.
Oeufs a la Rook.
Kedgeree.
Boned birds and mushroom duxelles.
Orange and lemon Charlotte.
Rosemary's ham.
Delia's peppers.
John's brandy butter.
Confit de canard.
Gluhwein.
Cherries in chocolate.
Pork with garlic and anchovy.
Spiced pumpkin soup.
The recipes for the Christmas pie and the Gravlax have already appeared. I have no idea what oeufs a la Rook consisted of. More research to be done...
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