1. The first-ever Hogwarts start-of-term feast
Bearing in mind Harry grew up with the Dursleys’ scraps while his cousin got all the spoils, his first-ever Hogwarts feast is a true joy to behold. For anyone not British, they were left wondering what on earth a Yorkshire pudding was. But the bountiful joy of the Hogwarts feast (especially for a skinny, neglected eleven-year-old) surely united us all across the world. And did you also notice the mint humbugs – clearly an addition from the Muggle-sweet-loving Professor Dumbledore? A very nice touch.
2. Harry has a proper Christmas meal
And if a regular Hogwarts feast wasn’t good enough, we then got to see what a Christmas dinner at Hogwarts looked like. Spoiler: it was extremely yum. The description of the ‘tureens of buttered peas’ gets us every time. Never has a vegetable seemed so alluring – and the fact this was Harry’s first proper Christmas gave this scene emotional heft.
3. Some extremely helpful chocolate
It doesn’t always need to be a plentiful feast when it comes to the small pleasures of eating well. During Harry’s unpleasant (to say the least) encounter with a Dementor aboard the Hogwarts Express, he was surprised to learn that a bit of chocolate could do so much more than just be delicious. After being left cold and weakened by the heinous creature, his new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Lupin, knew what was best for him. Sometimes it’s the simple things that are the most powerful, if consumed in the right moment.
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4. The first swig of Butterbeer
Ah, of course. The spectre of Butterbeer loomed large over Harry during Prisoner of Azkaban, on account of the fact he couldn’t go to Hogsmeade to have any. After hearing the accounts from Ron and Hermione on just how great it was, he eventually snuck into the wizarding village to try it for himself. We bet it tasted all the sweeter having to wait for it for so long.
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5. The glorious shelves of Honeydukes
Butterbeer wasn’t the only delicious thing waiting for Harry in Hogsmeade. The luscious confectionary of Honeydukes also cast a spell on him – where we discovered even more weird and wonderful sweets not available from the Trolley Witch’s selection. Just seeing the seemingly endless choices at Hogsmeade’s shops really opened up the wizarding world for us even more. And besides the magical options, even just the creamy chunks of nougat sound great.
6. Secret birthday cake
After Dudley was forced on a diet during another miserable summer at the Dursleys, Harry evaded the banality of grapefruit breakfasts thanks to a little help from his friends. Although birthday cake is delicious, whatever the context, it’s more about the secrecy of enjoying his birthday cake undercover that we love the most about this scene. A sly moment of hidden happiness after weeks of the opposite.
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7. Sirius’s chicken and bread feast
Bit of a weird one, admittedly, but a moment that sticks in the mind all the same. After having been forced on the run at the end of Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry’s Godfather was a sorry state by the time they were able to reunite. Again, the simplicity of this meal is what was important – as poor Sirius ravenously feasted on chicken and bread, snuck out of Hogwarts by Harry. You can feel his hunger emanating from the pages.
8. Dinner at Grimmauld Place
And of course, we couldn’t talk about the bliss of a well-cooked dish without thinking of the Weasley matriarch, Molly Weasley. Dinnertime at The Burrow was always a pleasure thanks to Molly’s enviable culinary skills. And there was just something so wholesome about breakfast sizzling on a pan, or a delicious stew being stirred whenever Harry came to visit.
Molly upped the ante when certain events forced everybody to move into Sirius’s decrepit family home – but she would not be deterred by the unwelcoming surroundings. Upon Harry’s first visit there with the Order of the Phoenix, tense discussions eventually gave way to Molly’s delicious cooking. Lord Voldemort might have been on the ascent, but nothing was going to stop Molly from making her rhubarb crumble.
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What was your favourite Harry Potter food moment?
