The most overrated Christmas foods, according to Matt Preston - Food Files

Dec 23, 2025

Just stop it with the gingerbread mash-ups already already.

Now is when marketing teams break out their most outlandish ideas in the hope that the seasonal silliness might see us buy a pudding gin or make a French onion Christmas tree dip. It’s a hard impulse to resist. I myself want to make a watermelon and cucumber tree dusted in feta snow, and I might have even (confession time) written a recipe for a charcuterie wreath in a moment of festive overexcitement. This, at least, was tasty.

But my aim this week is to help you navigate those moments of bad taste. So, what are the Christmas flavours that we should add to naughty list?

Gingerbread hybrids

Last Christmas was all about gingerbread cheesecakes, gingerbread martinis, gingerbread lattes, even a bloomin’ gingerbread cob loaf. And I have to say, I think you can have too much of a good thing. Just dial it back to the classic: the gingerbread house.

Eggnog

Eggnog is just a bad head cold in a small cut-crystal glass. Enough said. And raw eggs are rather on the nose, too, thanks to salmonella. So that cuts out many old family recipes.

Christmas chips

Christmas is a time for chips, but rather than the worrying prospect of Christmas pudding- flavoured potato chips that were floating around in the UK last year, let’s keep our chips traditional – salt & vinegar, sweet chilli, and that chip on your shoulder when your smug brother-in-law who filed for bankruptcy last year pulls up for Christmas lunch in a new Mercedes G Wagon.

Mutant mince pies

While not as adulterated by wacky flavours as hot cross buns, I still rail against caramel mince pies, chocolate-chip mince pies or lemon meringue-topped mince pies. More of an issue is mince pies that aren’t fully filled with plenty of plump fruit. That’s a rort. However, it does mean they can be served gently warmed with an extra spoon of brandy butter to fill the void. BTW, If you aren’t topping mince pies with brandy butter, you’re doing it wrong.

Related story: The CWA’s classic mince pies

Christmas hampers

Not quite a towel or a new ironing board, but hampers run a close third in my list of ‘Christmas Gifts I Never Want To Receive Again’. Too much packaging, too many baked goods (oat biscuits for cheese, cheese straws by another name, bad shortbread made by a machine) and those dreaded novelty chutneys. Just buy someone you love a lump of good cheese instead, which will be far tastier, or bake them some shortbread, which will be much cheaper.

Credit: Alan Jensen

Candy canes

Candy canes are like the crap sweets you offer the more unimpressive Halloween trick-or-treaters – sure, they’re associated with Christmas, but they are profoundly disappointing compared to what’s in a box of Roses, Favourites or the (sadly discontinued) Quality Street – even if only the fake Mars Bar are left. The best thing about candy canes is using them as decoration – if you’re lucky and the humidity is high, they might also double as fly paper.

Brussels sprout gratin with macadamia crumb.

Brussels sprouts

It’s strange but true that some people don’t adore brussels sprouts. How could these cute little dollhouse cabbages offend anybody? Well, unless they’re overcooked, in which case, *green-face emoji*. I can see why they then get on lots of people’s naughty lists.