Alternative Christmas dinner ideas please.

Lydie45

I don’t think you can beat M&S for special meals
Me too Lydie45. I don’t think I’ve ever been disappointed with anything I’ve bought from M&S.

We've had this in the past for Sunday lunch and really enjoyed it. Hubby even suggested it for Christmas but probably wouldn't serve 7/9 for a main meal. There would be plenty for some sandwiches too so you could have a traditional Christmas dinner.

I don’t think you can beat M&S for special meals.

An M&S pasta tray bake with garlic flatbread and Parmesan cheese. Delicious with a good red wine. For dessert an M&S raspberry trifle with cheeseboard to follow, and coffee and mints to finish. A bottle of Bailey’s for later along with some chocolates. Well, maybe not all the Bailey’s 😉

Also I used to get the mini Christmas puddings - they cook in the microwave in about 30 seconds - because I do like my Christmas pudding. I'd go on holiday over Christmas (or sometimes on boxing day), come back new year's eve and then have my Christmas pudding :-)

Now I just have the drudgery of food orders and cooking ha ha.

You can do whatever you want :-) I once had a Fray Bentos tinned pie on Christmas day (admittedly I was on holiday and shops were closed). A friend who was a single Mum used to drive to the coast with a flask of soup and sandwiches. It can be a bind getting food in at all before Christmas - packed shops, having to book supermarket deliveries a month early. So if you fancy fish, you could get some frozen fish now for the freezer. I like the frozen smoked haddock from Sainsburys. Just bake it in the oven with a bit of butter on top and milk poured in (and foil over the top). Which is how my grandmother used to cook it.

If you want to be a bit more extravagant, I think M&S sell fresh Halibut - which is always a treat as it's very hard to find halibut. But that would probably mean ordering and going to pick up on Christmas Eve or something, which I hate.

I had a few years with Christmas on my own but only once where I was on my own at home and I didn't like it so I started going on holiday instead :-)

I would treat myself at M&S they do roast dinners for one and other treats

nice bread and lots of cheese and crisps, what is not to likee

I've had cheese sandwiches, crisps, and pickles one Christmas, and thoroughly enjoyed them.

I was home alone last year and I hate ready meals. I had turkey steak (escalope) with a baked potato and sprouts on Christmas Day, steak and chips on Boxing Day. I did indulge in frozen fancy desserts from M&S.

My choice of meal for myself with no effort is an M&S Gastro pub Moussaka. There must be something that you love to eat. If you like to to cook, make it & freeze the rest, or just choose a ready meal. Cook to a great range, pricey but worth it for a Christmas treat.

I know a widowed lady and her sister is also widowed. They take turns staying over at each others homes and do exactly what they want.

It’s usually something like wake up late, shower and put on Xmas PJs. They have smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, bucks fizz and listen to their fave music. The rest of the day they just eat things that don’t need cooking. cheeses, crackers, dips, ready luxury salads, trifles etc. i think they also enjoy quite a bit of festive alcohol.

DH and I usually travel to see family at Christmas but had to stay home last year as had just started chemo treatment/vulnerable to infections/energy levels collapsed. Wonderful ACs organised delivery of Cook frozen Christmas dinners with all the trimmings,which were very little trouble to prepare.NB Did need microwave as well as ordinary oven though in order to get the timings right.

Good bacon would be my suggestion. The best bacon you can afford, some lettuce, good tomato, (a stretch I know), but there must be some somewhere, and make a BLT or 2 .
Delicious, and the best treat I can think of for myself if I was alone on Christmas Day.
Some bubbly at some point during the day, and some delicious (the best you can get) ice cream for later on.

I love Lambshanks and can recommend the ALDI pack of 2 individually packed as slow cooked in mint/rosemary gravy. Simply reheat and enjoy with whatever veg you like. I remove the plastic packaging and thoroughly heat the shank in the microwave, the meat just falls off the bone.

All these lovely ideas are making me hungry!

For a change you could try a vegetarian meal - here is a link which would help:
www.bbc.co.uk/food/collections/vegetarian_christmas
And you could help make it feel more special by trying out different recipes in advance (along with cooking the sprouts......) and choose your own favourite for the day itself. I hope you find something which you enjoy.

A tasty ready meal and pudding is a good idea. So suggests me who doesn't like cooking especially on Christmas Day - but still feels she has to do it! No filly faddling about. Perfect! Enjoy!

I did a really nice special curry one year for Christmas lunch.

We're going to have a full English.

Fancy ready meal with a starter and lovely rich dessert, bottle wine, nice liqueur for after and some chocolates, heaven xx

semperfidelis I like the idea of a ready made quiche that you can have for breakfast or lunch… then a bought dinner.

And yes, candles… more than one, I love candlelight. Don’t forget the music! Throw a small poinsettia in there too, for your dining room table, or wherever. You’ll have a readymade Christmas setup that will last till New Year’s.

Find a deli or market that will make a one person meal that you can take home and reheat. Then get a dessert or pudding for yourself. Done.

For cold selections: make a cheese and sausage platter you can munch on (or buy one) then supplement with a couple of premade salads (pasta, veggie, potato, coleslaw) in take out containers. You can eat for a couple of days off this and it’s delish.

Treat yourself!!!

I booked an Indian restaurant as a change one Christmas Day. They had traditional turkey on the menu as well.
My adult children were in uproar!
"It won't be the same..."
No, that was precisely why I did it!
Reluctantly I rang to cancel and explained why. The waiter was very understanding!