The Yorkshire Christmas pie was fit for a Queen.

There is certainly competition from other meats such as ham or beef and, of course, many people nowadays opt for vegetarian or vegan options. However, I’m yet to have anybody tell me they will be serving Yorkshire Christmas Pie this year even though this hearty dish was considered the height of sophistication not so very long ago.

Frequently both incredibly large and highly ornamented, Yorkshire Christmas Pies were made across the Northern counties of England and were often served at ball suppers. Indeed such was its fame and popularity that a Yorkshire Christmas Pie was served to Queen Victoria and her guests at Windsor Castle for Christmas in 1857. Such was its size that the contemporaneous sketch here reveals four footmen were required to carry it.

Used to demonstrate wealth and status, Yorkshire Pies were often sent as gifts by wealthy landowners, transported by coach around the country and even to the continent. They usually held a boned turkey, containing a goose, a fowl, a duck and a pigeon and other smaller birds, one inside another like a Russian doll. Some, however, contained much more - many would have several such combinations. The thick pastry crust and liberal use of clarified butter helped to seal the meat and protect the contents from decay.

We’re fortunate to have the country’s foremost expert on historic foods, Ivan Day, as a regular guest tutor at the school and he’s a fascinating source of information about all sorts of weird and wonderful recipes and techniques. His classes are always very popular in our Christmas schedule and it’s a pleasure to see how engaged people are as they recreate all manner of historic foods.

Indeed, Ivan tells me he made his own version of the Yorkshire Christmas Pie a few years ago. After baking, he stored it without refrigeration in a larder for two months. Unable to bear the suspense, he broke the crust and was delighted to find the meat perfectly edible. Such a pie is not really in keeping with the sustainable and accessible ethos that guides us at The School of Artisan Food. And I don’t have a table strong enough to hold it or enough family and friends to eat it. Perhaps I’ll stick to turkey after all.