What are you having for Christmas dinner?

Do we all really care what others are eating?

It’s usually the same old, same old.

I have absolutely no idea. I know I will enjoy it though because I'm not cooking this year.

Primrose we are in Leicestershire and DH will have prk pie for breakfast - and any other time it is on offer.

We will be having roast potatoes turkey cranberry sauce and veg

I'm Atheist/don't do Christmas and will be off work from the 25th and back on the 2nd January so I'll put my tootsies up with a huge glass of Baileys or some other cream liqueurs and a bung-it-in-the-microwave ready meal, probably Bisto bangers mash peas and gravy!

I’m completely on my own this year so I’ve decided not to cook. I’m having salmon mousse with brown bread & butter for lunch. Will have dinner on the night as usual which will be sliced turkey off the deli with lots of different salad bits ie Moroccan couscous, celery apple and walnut salad etc. Half of an individual Christmas pudding with individual custard pot for supper heated in the microwave.

Fish and chips, followed by raspberry ripple ice cream. Not a Brussel sprout in sight.

Sarahr

We are having venison steak with new potatoes from the garden and whatever veg we choose on the day. I love my turkey dinner, but with it being only the two of us it would take a month of Sundays to eat a whole turkey. I will miss the turkey stew I always made after Christmas. I can't persuade any of the neighbours to give me the left over carcass as they all prefer to throw the leftover turkey in the dustbin after their Christmas Dinner.

I find that such an unbelievable waste.. the soup and stew is the best part for me.. so delicious with barley..

Have made Beef Wellington for the past 30 years, It’s far less hassle than turkey.Always have roast potatoes and parsnips,peas, carrots,pigs in blankets,gravy- plus a small turkey crown for the grandchildren.Beef Wellington goes a long way,there is no waste and it is lovely cold with salad for tea.

Nothing would surprise me about our Christmas dinner. I'm going to stay with DS2 and DiL and sons. Another family will join us on the day. I'm a veggie, DS and Dil are now vegans, the two sons are omnivores and I think the other family are too. I'm waiting with bated breath! On Boxing Day DS1 with his wife and my DGD and DGGD will join us. His wife is dairy and gluten intolerant, but the rest are not hard to please. To be brief, it's possible that along the line, chips may make an appearance. Two year old DGGD loves them, but also eats anything put in front of her.

Primrose53

A few years ago we had neighbours from the Czech Republic. They told me in CR They eat Carp on Christmas day as it is considered a great delicacy over there. Someone gave my husband a carp which we tried but we didn’t like it. It lives on the river bed so is quite a muddy tasting fish.

They also prepare huge dishes of potato salad on Christmas day.

When we lived in Leicester the tradition was to eat local pork pie for breakfast on Christmas Day.

Very interesting how different parts of the country and even countries eat so differently.

When we lived in our last house, we had a Polish cleaner, and when we talked with her about Christmas customs here and asked what were theirs, she said Polish Christmas dinner was always fish, it may well have been Carp but I can't remember. She also would bring us some delicious home made Polish cakes every year for Christmas.

A few years ago we had neighbours from the Czech Republic. They told me in CR They eat Carp on Christmas day as it is considered a great delicacy over there. Someone gave my husband a carp which we tried but we didn’t like it. It lives on the river bed so is quite a muddy tasting fish.

They also prepare huge dishes of potato salad on Christmas day.

When we lived in Leicester the tradition was to eat local pork pie for breakfast on Christmas Day.

Very interesting how different parts of the country and even countries eat so differently.

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We’re spending Christmas and New Year in Lanzarote where the hotel hosts Red and Gold Carpet events respectively which includes a pre-dinner cocktail party. Having stayed there before we know that the format will be five courses without a chip or roastie in sight.

Six o clock on Christmas Day is very late to start drinking Lilyflower.
In my heyday , many years ago, when I cooked for all the family, I would have everything prepared, turkey in and in full Christmas gear and made up by approximately 11;30 when I would have my first Harvey Wallbanger.
Never at any other time of the year but Christmas Day.

Now?
A small glass of wine or a single measure G&T before going out to eat about 3 pm.
How I miss those days with my H and Family.

Due to the newborn the daughter will stay home with her family for dinner - if they make it to an evening meal.

So it will be four of us and no pressure to have eighteen different items on the table at the same time and we can do Mr Turkey as a dinner party in the evening.

I shall start drinking Champagne at six as I don’t think you can make really good gravy sober. (That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.) There will be:- turkey, stuffing, PIBs, roast potatoes carrots and parsnips, broccoli, swede croquettes, cranberry sauce and gravy. We will light the Christmas pudding and have it with cream.

Then fancy chocolates and ‘Gavin and Stacey’.

I won’t actually eat very much as I have Diverticulitis but a bit of everything will be lovely. (The Champagne and chocolates would do me, to be honest.) But I love to see the others have what they like and they all say the food is the best thing about Christmas.

Ah! Witzend thankyou for the rice info….”someone” decanted rice into a Kilner jar (tidying up cupboards) but couldn’t remember if it was pudding or risotto…..problem solved🤗

It will be just the two of us and husband will have a portion of chicken. As a vegetarian, I'm thinking of making a recipe involving roasted cauliflower in puff pastry. There will of course be roast potatoes and parsnips, brussels sprouts, stuffing, gravy and some ham and pigs-in-blankets for husband.

We'll have tricolore salad as a starter and home-made Christmas pudding with rum butter afterwards.

No n eed for any more food that day! (Though I think maybe some chocolate might be involved in the evening. I don't drink any more, so I'll have Kombucha, but there will be red wine for him.

AuntieE

This year I shall be making both roast duck and a roast of pork, plain boiled potatoes, carmelised small boiled potatoes, warm red cabbage, gravy for each roast. The duck will be stuffed with prunes and cooking apples, sliced.

Second course, the traditional cold creamed rice dish that has been served by half of Denmark for the last 100 years (the other half sticks to the older tradition of rice pudding). Our dish will be served with cold cherry sauce.

drinks: red wine or non-alcoholic dark beer.

Later in the evening (we are talking Christmas Eve, the main celebration here) coffee, tea, if anyone prefers it, home-made Christmas biscuits, if that is, anyone at al has room for more food.

Swedish friends traditionally have what they call ‘rice porridge’ at Christmas - female Swedish friend living in the U.K. used to make it with all single cream!!

Her son, while working in London, complained that in the U.K. he couldn’t get the right rice to make it with. I had to tell him to ask for pudding rice, which is usually shelved with tins or pots of Ambrosia rice.
Though having said that, I’ve successfully made rice pudding with risotto rice.

Curry - vegetarian for me.

OMG there'd be uproar if we didn't have roasties on Christmas day! We're going to my son and DiL and they're both in their 30s and love roast potatoes.

We are going to my cousins place this year. All I know for sure about the menu is turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes with gravy. The rest of the dinner is potluck so it's always interesting.

Pammie
Nice to hear from you.
I don't know anything about them personally, but Gousto meals have been praised on here, and being excellent.

Maybe you could check them out?

This year I shall be making both roast duck and a roast of pork, plain boiled potatoes, carmelised small boiled potatoes, warm red cabbage, gravy for each roast. The duck will be stuffed with prunes and cooking apples, sliced.

Second course, the traditional cold creamed rice dish that has been served by half of Denmark for the last 100 years (the other half sticks to the older tradition of rice pudding). Our dish will be served with cold cherry sauce.

drinks: red wine or non-alcoholic dark beer.

Later in the evening (we are talking Christmas Eve, the main celebration here) coffee, tea, if anyone prefers it, home-made Christmas biscuits, if that is, anyone at al has room for more food.

Witzend

Re freezing cooked leftovers - I do it all the time, hence little packets in the freezer labelled ‘Chick bits’. They later go in a stir fry, or fried rice, or a soup like mulligatawny.

After Christmas there will be similar packets labelled ‘Turk bits’!

In recent years I have also been known to heat up (thoroughly) slices of any leftover roast, in gravy. Either leftover gravy, or Bisto Best, which I have to say I wouldn’t have dreamt of using not so long ago!
Nobody has ever become remotely ill from any of this.

There is a splendid Northern Irish lady on Tik Tok whose page is called Cheryl Bakes Cakes. She has some great ideas, one of which is buying ready rolled pastry ( from Lidl) and putting Christmas dinner leftovers, gravy and all, into pasties.

The Bodach’s favourite meal was homemade mince pie, chips, and baked beans, so when we were at home on Christmas Day, that was what he got!

Ah, thanks Crossstitchfan .
I'm sure a big slice of pie will cheer me up.

Maybe a nice, fluffy jacket potato would be good with it, though.
At least being alone gives me the option of buying a few different choices.
Then I can decide on the day.