WHAT have Christmas trees, cards, stockings, kissing under the mistletoe, crackers, roast goose with stuffing, mince pies and plum pudding all got in common?

The answer – they were all started or popularised as Christmas traditions by the Victorians.

It was also a time when people would rely on the foods that were in season and available locally or those which had been pickled or preserved – much as farmers’ markets supply for us today.

In those days there were no fridges and freezers in homes to keep food for a long time, and no supermarkets with fresh unseasonal veg flown in from around the world, so meals were limited by the available local food supply. What better way to keep down your food miles.

So, in honour of the great Victorian Christmas, over the next four weeks we will be supplying you with the recipes to have a great 19thcentury festive season – all with ingredients available at your local farmers’ market.

This week, we will be looking at those all-important first courses.

Soup was, of course, the traditional starter (most likely brown windsor) – but the Victorians wouldn’t stop there. You would also be able to enjoy a baked cod’s head and a large plate of potato croquettes.

It is these that we are going to offer up a recipe for here. Why not cut it out and give it to your cook (as any self-respecting middle class Victorian would have done).

Next week, we’ll move on to the second course – cold game pie.

There are no Worcestershire farmers’ markets this weekend, so to buy your eggs, potatoes and onions, head to next week’s Christmas markets at Victoria Square, Droitwich, from 9am until 2pm on Saturday, December 6, or Royal Worcester Porcelain, from 10am until 2pm on Sunday, December 7.

● For more information about Worcestershire Farmers’ Markets, log on to wfmg.co.uk.

Recipe: Potato Croquettes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons milk

Pinch of salt

½ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon chopped onion

2 egg yolks, beaten

3 tablespoons of flour

500 grams mashed potatoes

1 egg, beaten

Sifted dried bread crumbs

Vegetable oil, enough to fill pan by half an inch.

Method

Add milk, salt, pepper, chopped onion, beaten egg yolks and flour to mashed potatoes. Chill and then shape using an ice cream scoop. Dip in the beaten egg, then roll through bread crumbs.

Fry each croquette in the oil until brown on all sides. Cook these in small batches, giving each croquette plenty of space around it to not overcrowd the pan. This prevents the croquettes from crumbling while frying.