😮 ghastly 🎄 supermarket party food.

AuntieE

I don't suppose anyone of our age group needs these things but if you are young, and they are fashionable in your circle, then you probably do need or want them.

I don't know what your age group is but I am very nearly 76, am a good adventurous cook and I have fed the family, often over 20, at Christmas for over 50 years. I just can't be ar**ed with twiddly bits any more.

I am a bit fed up of judgemental posters too.

Lyndie

Sago

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏.

Same here!

It’s all yuk.

I make my own canapés as they are so expensive, here’s some ideas if anyone is stuck.

Make and freeze mini Yorkshire puds fill when warm/reheated fill with a dollop of mushy peas and a mini chipolata.
Fried Halloumi with a chunk of melon or a seedless grape on a cocktail stick.
Homemade Parmesan biscuits with a dollop of homemade pesto and baby tomato slice.
Smoked trout on a blini or brown bread ( salmon is now too heavily farmed).
Little croustades filled with haggis/vegetarian haggis and topped with scrambled egg.
Homemade soup served in little espresso cups.
Homemade hummus with pitta bread cut into strips and fried in a little olive oil.
Good old fashioned devils on horseback always go down well.
With the left over pastry from the mince pies I make mini quiches.

Christmas pud and cheese to finish.

Yum.

I need a lie down in a darkened room.

Sago

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏.

Same here!

It’s all yuk.

I make my own canapés as they are so expensive, here’s some ideas if anyone is stuck.

Make and freeze mini Yorkshire puds fill when warm/reheated fill with a dollop of mushy peas and a mini chipolata.
Fried Halloumi with a chunk of melon or a seedless grape on a cocktail stick.
Homemade Parmesan biscuits with a dollop of homemade pesto and baby tomato slice.
Smoked trout on a blini or brown bread ( salmon is now too heavily farmed).
Little croustades filled with haggis/vegetarian haggis and topped with scrambled egg.
Homemade soup served in little espresso cups.
Homemade hummus with pitta bread cut into strips and fried in a little olive oil.
Good old fashioned devils on horseback always go down well.
With the left over pastry from the mince pies I make mini quiches.

Christmas pud and cheese to finish.

Yum.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

I don’t think I’m moralising.
Just pointing out Christmas naff desserts. Not real food.
But we know this (of course).

I've sussed out who you really are. You're that Times critic, Harry Wallop. 😂

Love the article.

I don’t think I’m moralising.
Just pointing out Christmas naff desserts. Not real food.
But we know this (of course).

Although I make my own , I can assure you I do not spend all Christmas in the kitchen,
I cook and bake bit by bit and put away in the freezer.
Veg. are prepared the day before and the table laid and decorated by anyone who is around.
On the day , whoever is eating gets roped in to help to various jobs and keeping the drinks flowing.
Same with clearing up .

I don't suppose anyone of our age group needs these things but if you are young, and they are fashionable in your circle, then you probably do need or want them.

valdavi

I have quite a wodge of christmas entertaining coming up, I'll be cooking for 3 days anyway (ham, mincepies, brownies 2 days out, alt dessert, stuffing, starter, bread sauce 1 day out, bread & roast lunch & present it all & entertain on the Day, mini-lasagnes & more bread (+ leftovers) for boxing day guests, salad to prep for the Day tea & Boxing lunch. I do have a few canape frozen snacks i can just pop in the airfryer to make christmas tea a "feast", as well as the ham & cheese & pate & cakes etc. Thank goodness for them! if people find them yucky, there's plenty else! & a drop in the ocean compared to what will be home-cooked.

I do have a few canape frozen snacks i can just pop in the airfryer
Good for you!

I feel exhausted enough reading about the rest of your preparations. Years ago, I would have spent days in the kitchen but just can't manage it now.

I am sure there are many people reading this who also use supermarket snacks.I love them. We can't all be fabulous cooks. I am now 75 and my husband has to do most of the cooking because I am disabled. We love buying these treats at Xmas.We always a Christmas dinner but the rest of the holidays we enjoy eating prepared food. Especially M&S .

valdavi

I have quite a wodge of christmas entertaining coming up, I'll be cooking for 3 days anyway (ham, mincepies, brownies 2 days out, alt dessert, stuffing, starter, bread sauce 1 day out, bread & roast lunch & present it all & entertain on the Day, mini-lasagnes & more bread (+ leftovers) for boxing day guests, salad to prep for the Day tea & Boxing lunch. I do have a few canape frozen snacks i can just pop in the airfryer to make christmas tea a "feast", as well as the ham & cheese & pate & cakes etc. Thank goodness for them! if people find them yucky, there's plenty else! & a drop in the ocean compared to what will be home-cooked.

... I need to go and lie down after reading that.

Misinterpreted! 😂

Well, for the first time in more than 40 years, I'm not cooking Xmas dinner this year - we're going to my son's instead. He's a decent cook, but even if it all comes from the supermarket, I don't care, because I'm not doing all the hard work!

I've been buying rubbishy boxed frozen supermarket party food for years for boxing day. Very convenient and had no complaints.

valdavi

I forgot christmas Eve beef borguignon for whoever's already here.

That used to be my Christmas Eve standby when we had a houseful. Everyone used to come and go at all different times, I liked the DCs to have something filling in them before going out to meet their friends.

kittylester

I love to cook and try new recipes as PG says. But also quite like sit down with my family when they are here.

Oh yes.
It's awful having a martyr sweating their whatsits off in the kitchen, who never gets to come out because they're catering for 79 people, cooking 15 types of meat.... zzzzzz...zzzzzz...

I forgot christmas Eve beef borguignon for whoever's already here.

I have quite a wodge of christmas entertaining coming up, I'll be cooking for 3 days anyway (ham, mincepies, brownies 2 days out, alt dessert, stuffing, starter, bread sauce 1 day out, bread & roast lunch & present it all & entertain on the Day, mini-lasagnes & more bread (+ leftovers) for boxing day guests, salad to prep for the Day tea & Boxing lunch. I do have a few canape frozen snacks i can just pop in the airfryer to make christmas tea a "feast", as well as the ham & cheese & pate & cakes etc. Thank goodness for them! if people find them yucky, there's plenty else! & a drop in the ocean compared to what will be home-cooked.

I love to cook and try new recipes as PG says. But also quite like sit down with my family when they are here.

the only party food i buy are the mini pizza as they are handy for my grandson. i understand why people buy it, if you have visitors as this time of year and you work, it is easy to prepare, i don't bother with what people eat, each to there own.

I love cooking and make most of our meals from scratch, but every so often, it's nice just to have a break from the cooking and I do enjoy a buffet-type meal from time to time. I often make a 'picky plate' for my grandson - but it's usually a pretty healthy mix of stuff like fruit, cubes of cheese and mini oatcakes.

I often buy stuff for nibbles night maybe every couple of months, plenty in the shops year round fresh or frozen and never feel I’m slumming it!

What appears not to be acknowledged here is that some of us actually enjoy food prep, cooking and baking and think nothing of spending a couple of hours trying out new recipes and tempters 😋 especially now retirement allows.

Rosalyn69

Can’t cook. Won’t cook. That’s me.
It wrong to criticise people’s eating habits and moralise on how one batch cooks and does everything from scratch etc etc. It doesn’t make one special to do that stuff. It’s a choice.
I’m an intelligent educated woman. I make my lifestyle choices. I’m sure others do too. It doesn’t mean money are wrong.
It’s meat pie for dinner and I didn’t butcher the cow myself and hand dig the vegetables.

I’m not bothered what anyone else eats or likes . Each to their own.
For me , I enjoy making much of my own . I find that much pre prepared food has a ‘taste’ to it. My family call mass produced baking , chemical cakes.
I suppose because they are not used to the additives.
Whatever you choose to eat, I hope you enjoy it .

Blessed are the cheesemakers.

Give me some cheese & biscuits and a glass of fizz and I’m happy

Witzend

cc

petal53

Nobody in their right mind makes puff/flaky pastry these days. The bought version is so good, just why would you?

That's so true, I made a huge chicken pie the other evening for my daughter's birthday dinner and the bought puff pastry was absolutely delicious and looked perfect.

Even my early 70s GH cookery book says it’s not worth making puff pastry when what you can buy is just as good as anything you and your rolling pin can produce.
(Or in my case, considerably better - not that I’ve ever tried to make any,)

I have actually made my own flaky pastry in the past, it took SOOOO long and was really no better than the bought puff pastry - though I felt very virtuous.
I've tried both the butter and the non-butter versions and there is little difference between them, especially if it's on a pie with rich gravy. I've just found the perfect big pie dish that is the right size for the Jus-roll pastry sheets.
"Rough puff" is another matter, it's very simple and almost as good, if you can be bothered. My problem is that I've not found my rolling pin since we moved!