Festive Fridays offer a taste of Tudor Christmas

A chance to taste Tudor Christmas nibbles, such as crab apple jelly and marchpane bacon will be on the menu as part of Festive Fridays at Little Moreton Hall.

Festive Fridays are a new addition to Little Moreton’s annual Tudor Yuletide festival on December weekends, as Jo Williams, the Visitor Experience Manager, explains:                                                                                                                                            ‘We wanted to offer visitors the chance to enjoy looking round the Hall and doing their Christmas shopping in relaxing surroundings, outside our very busy festive weekends.                 So, in addition to the shop and restaurant being open, Festive Fridays will focus on Tudor feasting- as food was very important at this time of year, just as it is today.

‘A replica Tudor feast will be laid out on the huge oak ‘board’ table in the Great Hall. Replicas of dishes which provided the Tudor pudding course, such as ‘Maids of Honour’, Twelfth Night Cake and marchpane-the equivalent of marzipan- will be displayed on the ‘great round table’ in the parlour.

If the sight of the food makes you hungry, a remedy will be available on Fridays. You will be able to try samples of real Tudor food favourites, including ‘green cheese’ , ‘apricot leather’, ‘cinnamon sticks’ and a sweet chicken paste made from chicken, sugar and rosemary.’

Tudor food to go! Anna Fielding gets into the Yuletide spirit at Little Moreton Hall ⓒ Alan Ingram/National Trust

Meanwhile, the Hall’s Tudor Yuletide weekends will feature family entertainment, including live Tudor and Medieval music, carol singing, storytelling, and jesters who will invite visitors to take part in some spectacular juggling and clowning.

Jo adds: ‘Wrap up well, as it can be nippy here, but the atmosphere will be warm and welcoming for the run-up to Christmas.’

Little Moreton Hall is open 11am – 4pm for Festive Fridays on Dec 2, 9 & 16 and for Yuletide weekends on Dec 3-4, 10-11 and 17-18.                                                                                                    For more information visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/littlemoretonhall or call 01260 272018.

Little Moreton Hall ⓒ Alan Ingram/ National Trust