The six most divisive traditional Christmas foods

‘Tis the season for arguing about what to eat, says Rachel Hosie

Many people can't switch off their work life over Christmas (Getty Images)

If there’s one time of the year people care most about tradition, it’s Christmas. No, Mum, I am not too old for an advent calendar. And how dare you suggest we go abroad for the big day?

No, the rituals of Christmas must be maintained every year, even if some of them are actually highly bizarre.

And traditional festive foods may be some of the most divisive traditions of all - if we really loved them, wouldn’t we eat them all year round?

Prompted by a recent online debate about the merits of fruitcake, here are the six most divisive traditional Christmas foods:

1. Christmas cake

As cakes go, most people would agree that Christmas cake - or fruitcake of any sort - is not one of the best. No sane person’s favourite cake is fruitcake, so why do we insist on making it part of the most delicious day of the year, when you have a free pass to eat whatever you want and calories don’t count?

Fruitcake is tolerable at best. Surely it would be wiser to sub in something you actually love like carrot or chocolate cake?

Well, because it’s traditional and some people genuinely enjoy it. Very few people, sure, but some nonetheless. They’re probably the same people who like Christmas pudding too.

2. Turkey

Arguably an inferior chicken, many people consider turkey to be a dry waste of space on their Christmas dinner plate.

So, sure - plenty of Brits jazz it up as a turducken (a chicken stuffed into a duck, stuffed into a turkey, for the uninitiated) and some even go so far as to skip turkey altogether, shun tradition and go for a goose or beef, the mavericks.

And yet, 87 per cent of Brits believe turkey is an integral part of Christmas dinner.

3. Mulled wine

Why would you ruin something as delicious as wine by heating it and lobbing in a load of sugar and spices, some people ask.

Because spiced, sweet, fruity, hot wine is infinitely superior, I would respond.

And it conjures up images of sipping Glühwein at a twinkly German Christmas market, even if you are in a dingy London flat.

4. Bread sauce

D’you know what would make this huge, heavy meal better? LIQUID CARBS! Seriously, whose idea was bread sauce?

Hundreds of years ago, bread was used as a thickener for sauces, but we don’t need (or should I say knead?) it any more.

That said, some people argue bread sauce binds the whole meal together. And it's TRADITION!

5. Brussels sprouts

Overboiled, soggy, bland sprouts are no one’s idea of fun.

And yet, these little green guys have started getting pretty trendy over the past couple of years with all the hot young foodie influencers creating recipes for roasting, shredding and even spiralising sprouts in innovative ways.

They’re being touted as a superfood, and yet 7.8 million kilos of brussels sprouts are thrown away each Christmas. So sad.

6. Eggnog

Also known under the unappetising name of ‘egg milk punch’, eggnog is an American Christmas beverage that is increasingly appearing in the UK. Or trying to, anyway, as most of us just can’t get on board with the strange, creamy, eggy, alcoholic drink.

But as with so many American gourmet imports, it’s becoming more and more trendy amongst millennials, with everyone from Made In Chelsea stars to instagrammers seen drinking the stuff. Cheers to overindulgence and not fitting in your clothes!