What are you having for Christmas dinner?

The 24th, since Christmas Eve, dinner begins approx. 21.00 hours, we like to keep it light.

We always do 7 various small plates of differennt shellfish & fin scaled fish. The final is usally lobster thermador.

The 25th on the other hand is usually a traditional classic Roast Lamb or Roast leg of lamb.

We keep sides to a minimum as at this point all are full from the appetisers and breads.

Desserts are usually for the grandchildren .. We do not have a sweet tooth.

We prefer a cheeseboard with fruits and dried fruits.

Sorry, previous message meant for Pammiel, but I wish a happy and healthy Christmas period to all, obviously!

Aldom

Pammie1

Not sure what we’re doing here at the moment. I was proposing lamb with all the trimmings but, having been diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year, I had a lumpectomy four weeks ago which hasn’t cleared it, and they’ve found cancer in one of the lymph nodes, so going in next Wednesday as a day case to have a mastectomy and node clearance. I was fine - up and around the day after the lumpectomy, which was quite invasive, but somehow I don’t think this will be quite as easy to navigate. Any suggestions for something festive and simple would be welcomed.

*Dear Pammiel I shall am thinking of you and hoping for a successful outcome following your breast surgery. All my good wishes for Christmas and the coming year.*

Oh bless you! As a cancer sufferer myself, I have the greatest sympathy and hope it all goes well.

MissAdventure

I fancy a pie of some sort, with mash, and nice veg.

Turkey and cranberry pie, maybe.

That sounds delicious, Miss A!
Saw you weren’t feeling brilliant the other day, so hope you are feeling better now x

madeleine I hope you get back home before Christmas. Best wishes

Pammie I hope all goes well with your upcoming surgery. Since you are a day case and will be recovering at home, I think you should keep everything as straightforward and simple as possible. Prepare as much for Christmas as you can, present wrapping and so on, and buy ready meals and simple food your partner/husband can prepare (assuming you have one.) Or simple foods you can prepare yourself if you live alone. Take it easy and look after yourself. Don’t push yourself to do anything you’re not ready for. Best wishes

Not sure, but it’ll more than likely involve a lot of fish and prawns on the proverbial barbey with salads and of course champagne followed by a dip in the pool. I’ll be Downunder this year with 2 of my DDs & their families 🙃🌞

ordinarygirl

To be honest, I'm more interested how people will be cooking their meal. With the rise of air fryers, how many potatoes will be cooked in an oven or the air fryer ?
I don't have an air fryer and I'm not yet sure what we will be eating ( we are vegan and I usually decide a few days in advance) but my current fad is having hasselback potatoes as I think they are pretty .
will the increase in the number of air fryers affect the outcome of the meal ?
just curious

I have an air fryer and find it useful, but Christmas dinner will be oven / hob and steamer on the hob for the pudding. I use the air fryer for things like rosemary potatoes, but if the oven is on for the bird I will use that.

Well right now I would be glad to be at home with a working loo and bathroom and hot water! Have been in a hotel for over 7 weeks and however good they are it is not home.Hotel totally full for the actual Christmas week so just hoping it will be done by then. Otherwise I may have to look for somewhere to sleep. I know there's a precedent for checking out stables! On previous occasions have done the big family meals in various countries. So have done turkey with three kinds of stuffing, reindeer meal with red cabbage and apple. Bacalou a braz -dried cod cooked with scrambled eggs in Portugal. Etc etc. When my husband and I were on our own we chose to have roast beef and Yorkshire pudding etc.then we were popular guests happy to have a turkey sandwich. So will hope to get home and hope to enjoy roast duck and all the trimmings. We shall see !!

To be honest, I'm more interested how people will be cooking their meal. With the rise of air fryers, how many potatoes will be cooked in an oven or the air fryer ?
I don't have an air fryer and I'm not yet sure what we will be eating ( we are vegan and I usually decide a few days in advance) but my current fad is having hasselback potatoes as I think they are pretty .
will the increase in the number of air fryers affect the outcome of the meal ?
just curious

We are having roast Guinea Fowl with prune, bacon and Armagnac stuffing, roast potatoes, sprouts with butter and garlic. Haven't decided on a sauce yet, but possibly Cumberland. The pudding will be Christmas pudding from last year (I always make two), which has been frozen and will be fed with lots more Calvados, which is where it will be eaten!

Pammie1

Not sure what we’re doing here at the moment. I was proposing lamb with all the trimmings but, having been diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year, I had a lumpectomy four weeks ago which hasn’t cleared it, and they’ve found cancer in one of the lymph nodes, so going in next Wednesday as a day case to have a mastectomy and node clearance. I was fine - up and around the day after the lumpectomy, which was quite invasive, but somehow I don’t think this will be quite as easy to navigate. Any suggestions for something festive and simple would be welcomed.

*Dear Pammiel I shall am thinking of you and hoping for a successful outcome following your breast surgery. All my good wishes for Christmas and the coming year.*

We are going out for tapas on Christmas Eve. On the actual day my daughter is in charge and she mentioned duck . Last year it was curry all the way!! Boxing Day will be gammon joint, jacket potatoes, homemade coleslaw plus pickled onions, chutneys and gin!!!!

I'd love to have egg and chips, but I doubt Beloved will allow it.

Nut roast, roast potatoes and veg. No lives lost here.

Pammie1 I’m not sure I can make any helpful suggestions as I’m a) a rubbish cook b) vegetarian and c) my husband has always cooked Christmas dinner (although he has now handed this over to our wonderful daughter). But I couldn’t pass by your post without wishing you well for your operation and hoping you have a happy and restful Christmas and New Year and a good recovery

Vegetarian Wellington, honeyed parsnips, mash, roast potatoes, other vegetables.
Pistachio Tiramisu.

On Boxing Day, Pasta with fresh Pesto. Salads.

Turkey crown cooked night before, pork on the day for crispy crackling, pigs in blankets and gluten free pigs in blankets, Auntie Bessie potatoes-which I don’t like only my own, carrots, peas, sprouts, stuffing and gluten free stuffin, yorky puds and gluten free yorkys, gravy and gluten free gravy! Then Xmas pud for the 2 that like it, roulade for the gluten frees and me and ice cream for the children. Quite enough thank you.

Whatever meal I have will be vegetarian😊

We spend Christmas on our own (family in USA) so we always go out for Christmas dinner and have anything but Turkey ! We both hate roast dinners. This year I have chosen fish !

I am disabled and on my own for Christmas as my son is in the army and away from the UK doing his duty. I'm very proud of him. So no point in getting a turkey. I am relying on Parsley Box ready meals that I can cook in the microwave. So my Christmas dinner will not be too bad. Their Christmas dinner comprise of sliced turkey roll with stuffing, boiled potatoes, carrots and parsnip. I will add their pigs in blankets and mashed potatoes and cabbage. This will be followed by Parsley Box Christmas pud with brandy sauce. That doesn't sound too bad does it?

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.

Worked = whittled

Like M0nica I’ve worked it down to what people like to eat and it seems to please. Absolutely no chips!! I’d have a mutiny on my hands if we didn’t have Grandad’s roast potatoes!

DH and I are home alone over Christmas and we’ll be having leg of lamb with roast potatoes, parsnips, carrots, etc. This Yorkshire lass can’t make Yorkshire puddings but may buy some ready mades. Christmas pud, brandy butter and vanilla custard to finish us off for the day. Def no chips.