What will your Christmas Day menu look like?

Thanks Hetty58 , that's going to have to be what I do I think, I preferred the lazier option, but needs must

Love Devils on Horseback. I have made Angels on Horseback.

KittyLester, brilliant!!! I did the same thing at my cousin's wedding. 😂

Now I am on my own I have a late breakfast (full English!) and "lunch" around 3.30. Usually turkey crown wrapped in bacon, roast potatoes and veggies (don't bother with cranberry sauce or yorkshire puddings!) No dessert but mince pies later in the evening together with a couple of glasses of wine.

Don’t do what I once did - had so much Buck’s Fizz I completely forgot the potatoes - hadn’t even parboiled them, so dinner was around 5, instead of 3 ish. (The turkey did keep nice and hot.)

However, since everyone was that much more ready for it, we’ve had it at 5 or 6 ever since.

I'm volunteering with the local food hub where we are cooking a communal meal for anyone who wants to eat a good vegetarian Christmas lunch. I will probably be chief washer upper for the day. I guess that all the volunteers will get to eat at some point.
New year with family and friends.

Out with family on Christmas Day but DH still wants turkey so cooking it on Boxing Day (if the farm is clear of bird flu anyway). I will cook low carb, zero sugar food as usual and no alcohol as we don’t drink.

We just have sprouts and roast potatoes. It is the turkey, ham and trimmings we want most of.

I sat down some years ago and decided to cook and provide only the basics for Christmas dinner, there are quite enough of them: turkey, ham, sausage meat, stuffing, roast potatoes, sprouts and gravy. After that, Christmas pudding and Yule log. That is more than enough for everybody. I do not buy, nibbles, chocolates, nuts (allergy problem). We have serve yourself salads in the evening with the Chritsmas meat, cold, as the centre piece.

Having dispensed with all the fripperies, I concentrate on buying top quality turkey and ham from a local pig producer and a local turkey farm.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

My butcher cooks and slices all the meat and par cooks all the veg I just pop it in the oven for required finishing time / heating time Third year of doing this best £70 I spend at Christmas

I will have the whole family here. We also do canapés instead of a sit down starter. The main meal will be about 2.30. My GC have told me they want ham, cocktail sausages and roasties. We will have the usual turkey, ham, cranberry sauce, pigs in blankets, red cabbage, roast potatoes, carrots & parsnips. I will make a nut roast on Christmas Eve, for my vegetarian guest on Christmas Day. I might make it a vegan one this year and I will not do stuffing this time as we have a severe egg allergy to cater for. Pudding will probably be eaten later. Haven’t decided yet what that will be. The DC have requested ice cream but I will make something else for the adults who want it.

rocketstop, pigs in blankets? I get 'This isn't pork sausages', cut them in half - and wrap in 'This is not bacon'!

snowberryZ, tips?? Book somewhere really nice!

It’s just DH & I on the 25th so we have a posh starter, steak and chips and an indulgent pud. Then we have all the family over on the 27th so that’s when I do the big turkey dinner. As DH & DGS will be at the football match on Boxing Day that’s when I do most of the prep to leave me time to enjoy being with everyone opening presents before lunch on the 27th. We don’t have a starter and there’s always Christmas pudding plus an alternative or Christmas cake if anyone has room for it.

Just us two on Christmas Day but I shall do the full works and we glad when the day is over so we can see some other people.

Nagmad2016

Having just enjoyed a fabulously tasty M&S 'meal deal', with a few extras, I did comment to my DH that maybe we should consider this for Christmas Day, job done!

Are M&S still doing the Meal Deal?

Perhaps in the bigger store as ours doesn't.

This year we're going to a nearby restaurant in a beautiful country house hotel for our Christmas lunch. The menu looks delicious. DS & his family go to DDIL's and DD lives 3 hours away with a partner with teenage children who they have for Christmas day. They will be coming to us a day or two after Christmas when we will all get together for Christmas lunch here. We always have the same - smoked salmon soup, roast beef, red cabbage, sprouts & potato & celeriac gazette followed by Christmas pudding. It's not too difficult to put together or cook and we all enjoy it. It's followed by present opening & a snooze or a walk, depending on the amount of champagne & wine consumed & the weather!

Gosh my mouth is watering reading this thread.

Our Christmas dinner is much like our usual Sunday dinner really. Mr A isn't fond of turkey so we usually have beef (my choice) or lamb (his choice) with all the usual roast tats and parsnips, sprouts, Yorkshire puds and whatever sauces, followed by Christmas pud. Boxing Day is ham followed by trifle. There are only two of us and I look forward to using up all the leftovers over the following week with loads of lovely bubble and squeak and various fry ups, and ham and eggs for breakfast. The table is dressed up both days with candles, and napkins and glasses and crackers. In the evening it's usually mince pies and hot chocolate and/or Baileys and sandwiches if we're hungry.

I'm off to the kitchen for another bowl of chocolate mousse and cream.

DD takes over responsibility for. the Christmas dinner which is held on Christmas Eve, leaving Christmas Day free for watching my two Gc opening their presents, and polishing off their leftovers for lunch. I contribute with Christmas cake, mince pies, Christmas pudding and a chocolate log (all home made)

Nagmad2016

Having just enjoyed a fabulously tasty M&S 'meal deal', with a few extras, I did comment to my DH that maybe we should consider this for Christmas Day, job done!

Do they do a Christmas dinner version, I wonder? For once it’ll be just me and dh this year, so I could be tempted!
I’ll always cook a nice big piece of gammon,,though - we’ll always be eating that into the New Year - and the last bits make a delicious soup.

I agree it seems less stressful having Xmas dinner on Christmas Eve, we’ve done that a few times to accommodate everyone. I’d also recommend cooking Christmas dinner weeks ahead, dishing up the plates, labelling with guests names, wrapping in cling film and plastic wrap, then freezing. On Christmas Day put in the oven. I did this once, it was surprisingly good and no fuss on the big day.

I like that idea, canapés instead of starters.

I don’t do anything at all except set the table and organise the flowers, candles etc. My children are both much better cooks than me, and they enjoy doing it, my daughter (who doesn’t live at home, but is home for Christmas) plans it all out, we agree on our favourite recipes, we all go to Waitrose and get the Christmas shop, then I put my feet up and let them get on with it. It’s heaven, I hate cooking and it’s lovely to relinquish control.

I completly prepare the whole Christmas lunch on Christmas eve to the sound of Kings College carols. Even the turkey is put in the oven over night. Table is laid and ready.

When I get up and make my morning coffee I turn the oven on and then do not go near the kitchen until midday. I am in the living room, unwrapping presents and drinking champagne cocktails. between mid day and 1.00pm I potter round the kitchen, putting things in the oven or taking them out, putting starters on the table and no doubt chatting to DD, and consuming more champagne cocktails.

Lunch is served around 1.00pm, and after lunch, once the turkey is in the garage, the rest of the clearing up is done later when I feel like it, or DD does it while preparing her 'refreshing' turkey sandwich later in the evening.

Does anyone know where I can get Veggie or vegan pigs in blankets this year ? Last year M and S, Tesco and Aldi had them in by now, not this year ???