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Hello and welcome back to English with Ally! Today we’re talking about one of the best parts of the festive season: Christmas food. From savoury dishes to sweet treats, food is at the heart of Christmas celebrations. And if you are a foodie or have a sweet tooth—meaning you love sugary things—this episode is just for you!

Some words to listen out for in this episode are:

• Foodie - someone who loves or is knowledgeable about food
• Sweet tooth – a love for sweet foods.
• Stuffing – a mixture of bread, herbs, and spices used to fill meat like turkey.
• Mince pies – small sweet pies filled with dried fruit and spices 
• Christmas pudding – a rich, steamed dessert made with dried fruit suet, and spices.
• Christmas cake – a dense fruit cake covered with marzipan and icing.
• Leftovers – food remaining after a meal.

I'm feeling hungry already…

Do you know what the classic Christmas dinner includes?  Roast turkey (like a chicken but bigger!), stuffing  and bread sauce to go with the turkey and then  roast potatoes, and vegetables like Brussels sprouts - this is a very divisive vegetable as people either love them (like me) or hate them! Delicious! I only eat turkey at Christmas time, we'll have the main meal on Christmas day, the 25th, and then we'll eat the leftover turkey for a few days afterwards, in a salad or in a curry.

These are all savoury foods but for those with a sweet tooth, the real stars are the special desserts:

• Mince pies –sweet not filled with meat but with dried fruit and spices. They are traditionally eaten throughout December.
• Christmas pudding – my favourite - a rich, hot dessert served on Christmas Day - we set it on fire with brandy for a very dramatic effect!
• Christmas cake – a dense fruit cake covered with marzipan and icing. 

Both the Christmas pudding and the Christmas cake can be made weeks in advance so the flavours develop. My grandmother, my gran, made  her puddings in May!

So they all seem the same, what's the difference?

• Mince pies are individual and eaten as a sweet treat.
• Christmas pudding is steamed and served hot after dinner.
• Christmas cake is baked, iced, and sliced—perfect for tea time.

As with many celebrations, food plays an important role as we eat with family or friends.

Do you have a sweet tooth? Have you ever tried mince pies, Christmas pudding, or Christmas cake? Do you have a favourite food that is connected to a feast or special day? Let me know, you can email me on helloenglishwithally@gmail.com.

That’s all for today. Thanks for listening, and I’ll see you next time. Merry Christmas!

Learn the language, discover the culture.