Let the feast begin

Is there a typical first course for Christmas lunch or dinner? In Paris, the answer would be oui: oysters, smoked salmon or foie gras; and many French families will lash out on one — or all three — of these luxuries for at least one of the réveillons. (Tradition is on their side: ‘Oysters are the usual opening to a winter breakfast . . . indeed they are almost indispensable’, pronounced the Almanach des Gourmands in 1803.) The same is increasingly true in Britain. And why not? After all, Scottish smoked salmon is certainly the best in the whole world, and I would make the same claim for English native oysters, if only they were more easily available for people to test whether I’m correct or not.