It tends to be around St Patrick’s Day that the subject comes up. As our Irish friends mark their national saint’s day with mass celebrations of Celtic culture and black beer, the question often gets asked: why do we let St George’s Day pass with so little fanfare?
Other than localised morris dancing and dragon-slaying reenactments, nothing much happens. And that, I think, is partly down to the lack of an attendant food tradition. Here, the old festivities that retain their mass appeal tend to be the ones that involve the sharing of food and drink – the kind of communing we’re always most comfortable with. Christmas and Easter offer loads of food. Halloween has food and dressing up. Bonfire Night complements its fireworks with baked potatoes, toffee apples and a few beers. St George’s Day… nothing.
