Taron Egerton Shares His Ideal Welsh Christmas Traditions, Including a Unique Culinary Preference

Hollywood actor Taron Egerton, 35, has shared his vision for an ideal Welsh Christmas. Egerton, widely recognized for his portrayal of Elton John in the biopic *Rocketman* and his significant roles in the *Kingsman* spy film series, also stars in the upcoming Netflix action thriller *Carry-On*. Before achieving fame, Egerton spent his childhood on Anglesey, subsequently relocating to Aberystwyth in Ceredigion at the age of 12. His preferred Christmas celebration encompasses drinks served at 10am, Welsh singing, and a distinctive pairing of cranberry sauce with mayonnaise. Indeed, mayonnaise. However, his festive customs do not incorporate the traditional Mari Lwyd. This custom, meaning “grey mare,” involves a horse figure carried from door to door by wassailing groups, who visit homes singing Christmas carols during the holiday period in south Wales. During a promotional interview for *Carry-On* with Netflix, Egerton appeared unfamiliar with the tradition. Holding up a horse skull figure, he remarked: “I would advise the next time you do a segment on Wales, don’t do research from the occult.” Despite his Christmas being devoid of the Mari Lwyd, he emphasized that the season would be incomplete without singing. Early morning drinks are also a staple, poured at 10am on Christmas Day for the Egerton family. He humorously stated, “We really like to fuel those family arguments as much as we can before they happen.” Regarding Christmas dinner, Egerton identified pigs in blankets as “the peach” of the meal. He also mentioned wrapping his turkey “head to toe” in lardo, or pork back fat, which he described as “very, very, very, very high fat content bacon.” He firmly asserted his culinary preference, stating, “Cranberry sauce for me really needs mayonnaise to be served with it. I don’t care what you have to say. Mayonnaise belongs at every meal, especially Christmas dinner. It’s great – it makes everything better.” Every Christmas, Egerton’s mum prepares a trifle. He once made a trifle with Jamie Oliver during a live festive cooking program. He recounted, “Don’t tell Jamie! It was nowhere near as good as my mum’s but because I was live on camera I had to go ‘oh mmm Jamie, that’s just like my mother used to make.’ But it wasn’t, it was dry,” he added with a smile. Egerton previously starred as Eggsy in two *Kingsman* films and also played the British ski-jumper Eddie Edwards in *Eddie The Eagle*. In his most recent role in *Carry-On*, he portrays an airport security guard responsible for screening passengers at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). His character is compelled to pursue a mysterious villain after being blackmailed into permitting a potentially dangerous package onto a Christmas Eve flight. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.