Christmas eve meal

This year we are having moussaka and salad. All made and in the freezer.

Whatever I fancy but nothing particularly festive.

Just sandwiches, crisps, cheese, salad.
Whatever bits I've been collecting ready for Christmas.
I don't cook.

A chilli out of the freezer this year, I don’t cook on Christmas Eve ,
It’s a day preparing vedge and anything else that needs doing for Christmas Day Lunch

When my mother was alive and would be with us every Christmas we would eat early and it would always be cold.
Ham, pork pie, pate, crusty bread, salad etc but when she no longer came my H and I always had a proper meal eating in the conservatory which has a tree and is cosy.
It would be something easy to prepare, salmon or duck breasts, rack of lamb with nice veg.
Now it is just my GD and I and she is not so keen on “proper meals” so this year it is M&S party food with a bottle of Prosecco and a Christmas film.

In the evening? a tea meal, crumpets, sandwiches, Christmas cake and mince pies.

Our main meal is at lunch time, and that will be fondue.

I'll be round ann!

Steak of some sort as it is quick. When the hildren were small it was fish and chips sprinkled with mild panic!!

Shepherd's Pie and lots of veg making the most of those supermarket offers available at the moment.

We always have fish pie. Younger son is back for Christmas today and has offered to make it. Pudding will be chocolate cheesecake which I made a while ago and froze.

We are having bacon and mushroom risotto.

We always have fish on Christmas Eve with mince pies for pud. This year it's just the two of us but we shall have that again. It used to be fish and chips when the children were small with us too Kitty.

Always mince pies though - home made with sweet short crust pastry. DH used to take the children on a holly with berries hunt in the afternoon, whilst I made them. He made sure it was a good long walk so they would sleep as DS was prone to over-excitement otherwise and would be awake in the early hours. Happy days!

I am providing it and taking it to D’s. Venison stew with pickled walnuts (how we miss Len Goodman!) with dauphinoise potatoes, and red cabbage followed by lemon tart with crème fraiche . A roast stuffed chicken legs thing for the children with rice followed by individual tubs of Hagen Dasz ice cream. Note to self - do NOT forget to take the I/c in a cool bag tomorrow!

We have our Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve and it’s lovely everyone is so excited. Then on Christmas Day we put a buffet out for anyone who drops in.

We always had fish and chips when the children were young. Then we upgraded to a Chinese meal. Very different to what we would be eating over the next few days.

Indian Takeaway - and my eldest daughter will join us. When I asked yesterday if she was coming down she said "Yes, it is a tradition to have takeaway on Christmas Eve!"

I roast the ham on Christmas Eve so we have that. Together with pineapple AND fried egg. I try to do something exotic with potatoes but it may be wedges or even chips! Plenty to eat cold over the next few days. There was one year when my greedy dog found a way to leap up as high as the work top and bite chunks out of it! Fortunately it was only at one edge so I just cut it off and kept schtum.

An Italian inspired meal here, meatballs al forno and tagliatelle.
Meatballs will be cooked in their sauce beforehand, so very little washing up on Christmas Eve night.

Fish pie
Apple dumpling puddle pudding and ice cream.

Spatchcock chicken, fresh green veg and mashed potatoes. We’re having beef for Christmas dinner, as we’re not keen on Turkey.
When the DCs were living at home and we were all often out on Christmas Eve, I’d make a huge beef casserole that could be eaten when the various family members returned home.

Lasagne and salad this year. To follow fruit for me and mince pies for Mr C. Always fish of some sort if family were/are here. Never anything complicated!

Crispy whole duck with pancakes etc, the duck fat will be used for roasties and parsnips on the day.

Our family has taken on my Swedish DD-out-law's tradition of a smorgasbord. We have a hot and cold buffet, and of course glasses of glogg. Looking forward to smoked salmon, sausages, Swedish meatballs, ham, hard-boiled eggs, jacket potatoes or Jansens Delight and lingonberry jam. DD-out-law will also have roll mop herrings and mustard, (she's on her own there!).

I cook the Christmas ham. We eat some with a jacket spud and hot red cabbage

Fish and chips for us this year. We might even get to eat them at the table if I can clear enough of the debris from my Christmas dinner prep by then.