Country Life

Perfect presents

AN orange rustling in the bottom of a stocking, a sixpence dropped into the plum-pudding mixture, nuts, dates, gingerbread and festive drinks—these were the simple treats of Christmases past, as evoked in our food-themed Advent calendar this year.

Imagine the anticipation withthe reverence with which seasons were eagerly awaited and such novelties greeted: ‘After dessert, in orange season, Miss Jenkyns and Miss Matty used to rise up, possess themselves each of an orange in silence, and withdraw to the privacy of their own rooms to indulge in sucking oranges.’

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Country Life

Country Life6 min read
Rock Around The Clock
DAVID HARVEY can’t believe his luck. Not only is he getting married next month, but his work as an antiques dealer never ceases to thrill him. ‘I rush to go to work because something wonderful happens every day.’ Mr Harvey grew up around antiques: in
Country Life5 min read
Mere Moth Or Merveille Du Jour?
THE names of our butterflies are so familiar now that it is easy to miss how strange they are. Some are baldly descriptive: there’s a large white (Pieris brassicae) and a small white (Pieris rapae); a large blue (Phengaris arion) and a small blue (Cu
Country Life2 min read
Bedtime Stories
The striking Chloe headboard, from £1,682, is available in the new Fable Woodland fabric featuring pretty floral embroidery, from Andrew Martin (020–3887 6113; www.andrewmartin.co.uk) Inspired by an early-19th-century French design, Salvesen Graham’s

Related Books & Audiobooks