Foods that become family traditions for no reason - what are yours?

[IHeartKingThistle]

DS is 16 today, and I’m in the kitchen making the three things he always asks for on his birthday - Nigella’s Nutella cheesecake, feta and herb mini filo pies from the Good Food website (random) and Betty Crocker Devil’s Food cake mix made into cupcakes with chocolate icing and topped with those Aero mint bubble things.

I can’t remember how any of them became his traditional ‘birthday foods’ but they’re what he wants and I only ever make them on his birthday! (I am not such an attentive mother the rest of the year, I’ll be honest ).

Are there random foods that you always end up making for certain occasions in your family?

For the last few years we've had Booths' Yule Log cake on Boxing Day, which is quite epic, but our nearest Booths is closing and I'm bracing myself to recreate it myself. I can do a good traditional Yule Log but the cake version is basically a vast multi tiered ganache cake so I'm preparing to get very grubby in the process!

OMG I never knew Booths make one!! Do you have to pre-order in advance?

I live in London but drive up to Lancs every Christmas Eve so can make a sneaky Booths detour on the way to my Dad’s.

My (late) Grandma used to make our chocolate Yule Logs every year and since she died, we’ve struggled to find an equivalent. I have serious Booths withdrawal now I live ‘darn sarf’ and a visit to Booths is mandatory whenever I visit the NW.

Nigella's lasagne of love (I think that's what it is called) for dinner parties.
Chinese takeaway on Christmas Eve.
Smoked salmon bagels with cream cheese on Christmas Day morning.

Booths do a fairly standard Yule log that they sell in store but the Yule Log Cake is in the Christmas book and needs to be pre-ordered. And it goes quite fast!

I”ll share a photo.

delias macaroni cheese on Xmas Eve

Yule Log Cake! Edible gonk on top.

Lowering the tone a bit but Iceland's prawn ring as a starter for Christmas lunch. My DD gets a whole one to herself and it looks like DGS is going to follow in her footsteps.

Don’t know if there’s anyone Danish on here but when we lived there I became addicted to a desert they have traditionally mainly around Xmas called Risalamande - kind of cold rice pudding made with cream with a berry compote and toasted almonds. I was totally addicted and mourned when it was no longer in store. I also really really love semla buns that they have in Sweden traditionally around Easter, kind of plain buns sandwiched with cream and almond paste — none of these remotely good for you of course.

I am so happy I started this thread. What lovely stories!

Christmas dinner on Easter Sunday. My parents and I love it. Get a Xmas pudding after Christmas in the clearance. Usually get a turkey crown reduced (or free some years- working for a supermarket)

Parsnip puff at Christmas. MIL made it once and then it became a permanent feature.