Christmas food shopping - when do you?

waitrose delivery 23rd. Job done!

liz that sounds wonderful for all concerned!

So ... re our shopping trip - the "rough guide" budget was blown in the first 3 aisles and I'm going to have to go back sometime soon and do the shopping I really wanted!

I shall get the perishables from our little local store on Monday. I can't face big supermarkets this time of year.

Going down to daughters for Xmas on Tuesday will take a few bits and some wine down with me as extras and then they are staying with me later in the week so have booked an Ocado order to be delivered the day I drive back and then all I'll have to do is put it away and wait for them to arrive. I'll be waited on on Christmas Day and return the favour when they are in my house. Just so looking forward to it. I still work full time and am shattered need a rest!

I'm supposed to be going to youngest daughter's for Xmas lunch. Their kitchen currently contains only a disconnected cooker and dishwasher and they laughingly suppose that the walls will be plastered, the floor tiles laid and the new sink and units all installed in time. They haven't given a thought to actual food. I've offered to have them here but been assured they will do Christmas lunch for the first time.
I'm secretly writing lists in full expectation of having to buy the entire meal for the 5 of us on Christmas Eve and then cooking it myself in my own kitchen.

apricot they can always have you there next year instead. I'd be doing the same though if it were me.

I've got a slot booked with Tesco for 23rd but keep altering my order. I can't believe they haven't put up online whether mince pies have nuts in or not. I have been buying non perishable for a bit though and freezer stuff too so not too bad although for just two of us you would think we were feeding an army. Although I am hoping my brother will be able to visit, he is currently suffering from shingles and is unwell with them so I do hope he is feeling better and will come to see me, I have missed him.

I do the non perishables gradually over a few weeks but off today to stock up for 'the invasion' of my family from England. There will be 11 of us in the house for a week. Extras include nappies for baby and night nappies for toddler. There will be 15 for Christmas dinner so perishables will be bought in a foray on Christmas Eve, along with Turkey. My freezer is already full so no room left to store anything else. And all the rooms need cleared out so there is room for everyone to sleep.

And I've got a rotten cold.

Still, it will be fun, and I've been saving a gift voucher for a spa retreat day in New Year to recover.

Oh joy, I have no need to shop. My DH works in the local Co-op. It is double discount until Christmas Eve, plus he gets his staff discount on top of that. I just give him my list and he does it for me. He is going to do it in stages until we have everything we need.

I've just staggered back from Aldi. They've completely run out of boxes of wine so I'm hoping DD will be able to nab some when she does her shop tomorrow.

Siege mentality sets in here because we're so far from the shops and with at least ten people to cater for I daren't run out of anything but the big advantage is that as soon as it's all over I don't have to do any shopping for ages.

Whenever I can, all the ferries have stopped running today, tomorrow may be a bit dodgy because of the high winds, the shops are closed on Sunday.
The only thing I really want is a pineapple but none have been seen on the Island for a couple of months now

I have to buy everything from the supermarket delivery really early, because this coming week's slot has to be reserved for my mother and I can't change the delivery address to hers until mine has cleared. So there's an increasingly fraught time every year wondering if there will be a slot available for her. This year the only available slot for her - bearing in mind that I was booking this last night at 4am because mine is finalised for delivery today so my address won't get altered by mistake - was 9pm tomorrow night. My stepfather says it's fine, he'd rather stay up late putting it away than fight their way around the shops next week.

DBH is going to the market tomorrow for fresh stuff and our meat (2 ducks and a rib of beef joint) is booked up for collection at the butcher's on Tuesday. The butcher's will be closed tomorrow. WHY? Just, WHY? He won't say. Normally the queue on the Saturday before xmas for meat collection runs halfway down the high street.

" I have not even decided what to have for my meal, possibly a sirloin steak or maybe a boiled egg? "

How about this, I just stumbled across it five minutes ago. I love stilton, so I think I'll give it a try.

Stilton, OMG forgot to ask daughter to bring Stilton from UK.

Where is the recipe btw?

Lovely street market in the village today. Cambridge Cheese Company, local farm produce home-made chutneys, cakes etc., as well as local cider and carol singing. What spoiled it?? The village shopkeeper's wife refusing cash-back on purchases (which they are only too happy to do when it suits them) I ran out of money and didn't want to make a 12 mile round trip to the nearest cashpoint and I wasn't the only one.

Cash-back means someone has to spend money first so.....cutting your nose off???

I would have liked to have told her where to shove the bottle of I was about to buy but when there's only one shop in the village there is nothing to be gained by falling out with them.

She can't be very intelligent, can she.

Recipe Granjura? I haven't got anything other than the link above, it's just a chicken breast stuffed with stilton and wrapped with bacon.

All done and delivered free by Sainsburys last Friday ! And all within decent after Christmas use by dates

Finished all the main shopping today, all the vegetables, turkey and accompaniments, Christmas pudding, brandy cream and butter, mince pies, ham, smoked salmon, wine etc. etc. Tomorrow we'll get bread and milk, some Prosecco for Christmas morning breakfast and that's it.

It's like laying in for a siege, ridiculous really shops will be open again on Saturday!

susieb755. How does that work as regards fruit, eg grapes?

Done it she said smugly My poor sister and bil battled around the supermarket yesterday and were approaching the checkout when the fire alarms went off and a voice came over the tannoy telling everyone to leave their shopping where it was and get out of the store immediately Everyone rushed for the door, leaving trolleys full of food dotted around the store. They waited outside for a while but went home in the end and had to face it again today. Pity the poor staff who had to put all that food back!

Lidl on Monday for all the fresh fruit, wine etc waitrose this morning at 7 am for the turkey and a few treats total cost over £400, we have got 10 people for 2 days and we did buy more fancy stuff than usual but still a huge bill! Hopefully won't be going near a supermarket for a while!

Did M&S at 8.30 on Monday morning and Morrison's at 9.30 this morning both relatively stress free events.

Did Sainsburys at 7.30 this morning and had the shop to myself!

I was at Waitrose at 7.30 this morning and the car park was at least half full. Inside it was busy but not crowded. As my bill came to over £70 I was able to use one of the £14.00 off vouchers Waitrose had sent me, plus I used the £20.00 of vouchers I received based on how much I had charged to my JLP credit card over the year so was able to reduce the bill by a very satisfactory £34.

After that, the farm for the turkey and the farm shop for the gammon and home by 9.30 and breakfast. I have spent the rest of the day pottering and doing not very much. Made some Christmas biscuits, went for a nice long walk, delivered local Christmas cards.

I'm just off to our local Sainsbury's in five minutes, vegas. Should be a bit quieter now.