FANS of 1970s party food get a taste of nostalgia this Christmas with the return of a retro favourite — vol au vents.

       Supermarkets are stocking the filled French pastries as part of their festive selections.

       1

       Vol au vent is French for “flight of wind” due to the light puff-pastry case Credit: Getty

       Experts claim the revival of the naff snack — made memorable in the 1977 play Abigail’s Party — was due to sentimental Brits longing for a return to simpler times.

       Professor Ratula Chakraborty, from the University of East Anglia, said: “When things are constantly changing, like during the pandemic, we crave comfort food and the memories of our childhoods and youth.

       “Vol au vents may have gone out of fashion after the 1970s but their comeback helps customers re-create nostalgic Christmases of years gone by — which is especially important when we’re all trying to have the best Christmas possible in a time of crisis.”

       Most read in The Sun

       NOW UC ME Extra Universal Credit cash WILL be in bank accounts of over 1m Brits before Xmas

       GROUNDED British Airways cancels thousands of flights until March

       ALARM BELLS Omicron symptoms are DIFFERENT to other strains - signs you shouldn't ignore

       Queen of Kyle Jeremy Kyle guest Julie King is unrecognisable four years after final show

       Vol au vent, French for “flight of wind” due to the light puff-pastry case, was a treat first popularised in Paris in the early 1800s. They were usually filled with a chicken or fish-based savoury sauce.

       From the 1950s to the 1970s, they were considered a must-have at any buffet or posh dinner party.

       The Great Sport Relief Bake Off: SamCam’s vol-au-vents