Hertford Christmas dinners

[fra828]

Can anyone from Hertford era remember our Christmas dinners? Were they just a variation on the Sunday roasts which were not good in my time -late 60's /early 70's? Cannot remember having Christmas pudding there at all. My mind is a complete blank on this subject, except for an occasion when a contemporary from another house didn't eat anything except a couple of sprouts - realise now she had an eating disorder, certainly not talked of then - maybe not even recognised in those days.

[MKM]

I definitely remember Christmas pudding. We may even have had a choice of puddings (it would have been the only occasion in the whole year when there was any choice of food) with the alternative of jelly, made extra solid. It says something about my tastes that I don't remember the main course.

[Fjgrogan]

I don't remember having any kind of special Christmas dinner at all.

[MKM]

I don't remember having any kind of special Christmas dinner at all.

Looks like they were introduced between 1962 and 1971. My memory is that it was an extra-special roast dinner served on the last Sunday of term before Christmas, and DR went round the tables serving second helpings. We also had Christmas cake and orange squash for tea. I bet Alex can remember more.

[Katharine]

I thought I remembered a full Christmas Dinner on the last Sunday of the Autumn term. We did have a choice of jelly instead of Christmas Pud - I believe it was because DR herself did not like Christmas Pud - does she say that in Half to Remember?

[Fjgrogan]

Good heavens! At last there is something that DR and I agree on! I don't think any of our familiy like Christmas pudding, nor turkey, so we often have lamb and trifle for Christmas dinner! This year Kirri is in charge of catering, as she is the one with the super-duper newbuild house with a huge kitchen, and she has a terrific local butcher and a farm shop within walking distance with all organic veg etc. So we are expecting great things. H'm, she is the one of the family who was not taught to cook by Miss Jukes, and actually took Food and Nutrition for GCSE, so we claim that she is the only one 'qualified' to cook!

[Angela Woodford]

We definitely had a Christmas dinner. It was exactly like Sunday lunch only with the metal tray containing well-cooked turkey (or was it?). Several trays of red jelly cut up into big cubes were served up at the Housemistress's table, which Christmas Pud dislikers could have with the custard on the House tables.

I love Christmas Pud - it wasn't too bad. Dry in texture, but OK.

I enjoyed all the Christmas end of term stuff very much. Exams over, decorated Houses, the carols, sticking and licking and the prospect of home!

[midget]

We didn't even have a Sunday roast, let alone Christmas dinner, though rationing was still a fact of life. We did however have a roast most weeks, and great good fun that was, as the House mistresses had to carve. I can still see Miss Norris putting on her coy look as she asked Mr Robinson to sharpen the carving knife. (And the meat was usually pretty good as well)

[fra828]

Yes, Christmas 'celebrations' at Hertford were one of the better things. Can remember singing carols in the house sitting in a circle- by candlelight one year, as there were power strikes- and that made for a really good festive atmosphere. We learnt carols in German too and probably French. Thinking about it, was probably the most relaxed we were allowed to be at Hertford, except after Olevels when we had a couple of weeks or so at the end of the summer term with little academic work.(However did we pass the time within those walls?!) And on long light summer evenings after prep, we often played tennis, and maybe other sports. I enjoyed that too. Maybe we should start a thread: Happy Hertford Memories !

[anniexf]

Maybe we should start a thread: Happy Hertford Memories !

One brief sentence each?

[icomefromalanddownunder]

I thought I remembered a full Christmas Dinner on the last Sunday of the Autumn term. We did have a choice of jelly instead of Christmas Pud - I believe it was because DR herself did not like Christmas Pud - does she say that in Half to Remember?

If only DR had disliked fish: what agonies that would have spared me (and the people watching me gag, retch, and try to spit the offending matter into my hankie (for later disposal via ala) without the supervising VIth former seeing me. What a joke: how could she not have seen me spitting it out: she was looming over me. Why didn't she just let me shovel the entire amount into my hankie in one go ??????????????????

Oooops. And now for a happy Hertford memory:

midnight swims
walks on The Leas
Queenie's sarcasm
singing in Chapel
.......................

[englishangel]

The choir would go round carol singing to each house, all wrapped up against the cold, carrying a lantern on the end of a pole (very Victorian) and would end up at the staff houses where Miss Jukes and Miss Wilson would dish out hot chocolate and hot mince pies, or is that just wishful thinking? <<<goes into kitchen to make hot chocolate and grab a Mr Kipling mince pie>>>

[MaryB]

We used to sing carols round the dayroom fireplace on the last night of term - known as holly burning, and in my early years I think we did have a fire. We chose the carols in turns -that years leavers, by age working down, alternating with juniors, working up by age.

[Kim2s70-77]

The word "Hollyburning" just stirred some dim memories - although I don't remember any specifics. English Angel - did we do anything in 2's??

[midget]

There was a thread on "holly burning some time ago!