h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

A conversation elsewhere has pointed out that, in Scotland, the food available to mourners after a funeral (the purvey) varies depending on religion. Catholics tend to have steak pie whilst Protestants have sausage rolls. Does this hold true in your experience? Do other religions serve different food? What's the best grub you've had at a funeral?

I haven't been to enough funerals for the results to be representative. I perhaps need to mature a bit more.

At my Dad's funeral (he was Scottish incidentally but insisted on a humanist service - he was atheist) - we had sausage rolls as I recall. But it wasn't held in Scotland either - East Midlands of England.

I went to a memorial service for a friend a week ago. We went to a restaurant afterward for a buffet. There was chicken, fish, rice, macaroni, and some mixed veggies, with cookies and small pastries for dessert.

As funerals tend to be around 2 pm here, they finish just in time for the legendary German afternoon coffee. So a wake usually involves copious amounts of coffee and a selection of cakes and gateaux. Restaurants and cafés will provide tables and coffee and let people bring their own home-baked cakes.

All the funerals I've been to have served the generic buffet which is small triangular sandwiches (egg mayonnaise, cheese & tomato, ham & tomato, white bread), sausage rolls, quiche, scotch egg, crisps, and some individual Mr Kipling type cakes. Maybe a couple of cherry tomatoes & lettuce leaves as a garnish around the sandwiches.

Deb

I have actually attended very few funerals over the years as one-of-the-crowd. I probably served far more of them as an altar boy, and as such, not generally invited to "the afters".

How-ever, the ones that I was simply attending generally served up the small sandwiches (cold meats, egg salad, tuna salad, etc), light veggie and cheese trays, small measures of cakes and pastries, and coffee and tea to wash it down. Some also offered orange or apple juice, presuming any children wouldn't want the hot beverages. In brief, a polite and social snack size, not an actual meal by anyone's measure.

"a wake usually involves copious amounts of coffee and a selection of cakes and gateaux' [TC]

Sounds good.

I don't go to funerals as a rule. But at my dad's (which I did go to) it was the usual sandwiches, vol au vonts, tiny sausage rolls and small cake things. And lots of tea and coffee (followed by lots of beer in the pub)

Living, as I do, in a small village with an aging population, it often happens that one of the neighbours dies and I get invited (it's not really a request) to do the rounds of pouring coffee and doling out cake (and doing the washing up afterwards) at German funerals. It really is just that. Coffee and cake. And schnapps.

Yes, but what cake! I used to go to Oktoberfests near my home, and the desserts were spectacular.

You'd be welcome to come and pour whisk(e)y and drink it at any send off for me Sho. There won't be an actual funeral as my body is going to the nearest teaching hos[ital.

Coffee and cake in the French Ardennes too. And fruit juice for the coffee non-drinkers.
The cakes tend to be the local classics : brioche and "galette au sucre" (a yeast dough with a sugar and butter topping).

And WS, you're still not allowed to die until you've finished writing your memoirs, remember ? (and even then, it'll probably have to go through a vote or something).

oh yes, WS - clogs will not be popped until the memoirs are done and dusted

When I go, I'm taking all of you with me to that big Hootoo in the sky.

Where hopefully St Peter will make a better job of the log-in procedure

No need to hold a seat for me, Paul - I just ain't going.

What ?
You don't want to go to the Great Hootoo in the Sky ?
let's burn the heretic !!

Just 3 or 4 should do - spontaneous combustion ...

I'm glad that I brought a few and to people's lips.

Rpund here the funeral gathering is often mid afternoon so it's generally a buffet of savoury finger food & cakes & a small amount of seating. Tea & coffee, sometimes wine too. Particularly if mourners are likely to have come a long distance there might be a more substantial meat & salad to put on a plate type of food available with tables to sit at.

Rather like weddings, I often feel the eating time doesn't fit comfortably with any usual meal time.

The funeral I went to yesterday had triangular sandwiches, pork pie, and the obligatory sausage rolls. I think sausage rolls have been there for me at every funeral, christening and wedding (a bit like my suit, really, except you don't get sausage rolls at interviews too) as well as birthday parties, picnics and other occasions. I think the sausage roll is the savoury equivalent of .

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