What are you having for Christmas dinner?

Nanato3

I've cooked Christmas dinner for 46 years all from scratch with never any help , so this year
Due to poor health I'm going for something simple, don't know what yet.
I can't even be bothered to put the tree up !

You deserve a blooming good rest, and a tasty meal this year.
Hope you feel better, and enjoy whatever you have.

We have the works, and then eat the leftovers for the next two days which I think is the best bit. Nothing is as tasty as cold turkey with bubble and squeak, refried sprouts and chestnuts on Boxing Day. We always have Western Australian wine with Christmas lunch, and toast my sister and family in Perth.

I've been deliberating over this for a while. We are doing the whole turkey roast dinner rigmarole on Boxing Day as that's when the grandchildren are coming and they like roast dinner, I believe they don't have turkey at home on the 25th. So on Christmas Day, I'm thinking of doing something different entirely, maybe steak with a nice sauce and some different accompaniments, such as cauliflower cheese and roasted baby potatoes with sea salt and Rosemary and a couple of others we won't be having on Boxing Day and one guest will be vegetarian so something different for her. One son who is coming both days, when consulting him about what I have in mind, starts wittering on about "that's not traditional enough and there won't be any friggin' pigs in blankets" "no there won't be" said I "because you'll be getting those on Boxing Day" First world problems so tedious, can't please all the people all of the time and everyone hates Christmas pudding except me and my husband so will have to do something else for the rich fruit dodgers. I'll make some chocolate sauce to go on ice cream for the children they like that, and maybe a fruit crumble or pavlova as an alternative pudding, which aren't traditional but that's selectively applied it seems.

After Boxing Day we are going off to a nearby hotel for a night that has a spa and indoor pool to indulge ourselves and be waited on.

Chips? Never! Nor mash, but there were members of my wider family that we used to entertain who couldn’t countenance Christmas lunch without mash, so I would make duchesse potatoes, which looked a little more festive and kept everyone happy. I haven’t made them for years. GS loves mash. Maybe it’s time to revive them. DD and SiL are coming to me this year and the cooking, thankfully, will be a joint effort. It will be a traditional turkey and gammon dinner with all the trimmings followed by Christmas pudding and an alternative for GS who doesn’t care for it.

I'm hoping someone younger than me and who can enjoy cooking will invite DH and me to their lunch. Last year was a disaster and left me drained.

Choice of rib of beef or leg of lamb with all the trimings.

lindiann

A frozen, uncooked turkey crown, suggests on the packaging - 'do not reheat'. I can't eat a whole joint and was hoping after cooking to slice/cube the rest freeze and use again later (after defrosting) in casseroles another dinner sandwichs etc is this not possible?

I wouldn’t have thought there would be a problem with freezing after cooking. If it’s a raw joint I’d do as I would for most meats and after cooking, freeze what’s left to use up later. As long as the turkey is cooked through thoroughly and frozen when completely cooled, I don’t see a problem.

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.

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.

Well i would say turkey & trimmings, but dont want to tempt fate- last year turkey gone off by xmas day and too late to get one by then, but anyway oven decided to go on blink as well by new year needed new fan fitted in even though was brand new oven in october! Not our year obviously.Going to get turkey crown at butchers around the corner this year.😆

I'm supporting our British farmers and ordering some small festive turkey food items straight from the farmers' kitchens.

Flappergirl can I come to your house for Christmas dinner?
Your menu looks delicious! Perhaps not....as I'm in Australia but thank you for inspiring me! 😊

Traditional sans chips and sprouts

I hope you all don't mind me joining this group. I'm from the state of Delaware in the U.S. Your menus for Christmas sound so delicious! My family will be having turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes and a green bean casserole at my daughter's home on Christmas day. Then we'll be having a seafood dinner either on Christmas Eve or the day after Christmas.

Of course not, welcome Camry1952. It’s always interesting to hear about people’s food choices, more so if from outside the UK.

Beef Wellington. Game pie on Boxing Day.

I'm cooking, as I do most years. I'm also going totally over the top, as I do most years. I'm gluten free, so practically everything has been made from scratch because the ready made GF variations are almost universally dreadful.

Blinis with a smear of smetana, topped with arenkha "caviar", trout "caviar", smoked salmon or humous;
Champagne.

Once the toddlers have been fed and settled for their naps:

Ballotine of goose stuffed with chicken and chestnut stuffing;
Pigs in blankets;
Sage and onion stuffing;
Souped up arancini type stuffing balls;
Roast potatoes;
Roast parsnips;
Sprouts with chestnuts, drizzled with melted butter and bacon bits;
Cauliflower cheese;
Mashed carrot and swede with butter and cream and loads of nutmeg;
Creamed spinach;
Bread sauce;
Gravy;
Cranberry sauce;
Kumquat relish;
Pickled pears;
Red and white wine.

Followed by:
Christmas pudding;
Mince pies;
Meringues with coffee and whisky flavoured whipped cream;
Brandy butter;
Pouring cream;
Muscat de Beaumes de Venise and/or dessert Tokay.

Followed by:
4 British territorial cheeses (Red Leicester, Stilton, artisan Cheddar, Lancashire) with biscuits;
Grapes and clementines;
Tea and coffee;
Port and brandy.

Next year is going to be my last, I think - time to hang up my Christmas apron once I pass 70.

My Yorkshire mother (adopted) who grew up in service in the ‘big house’ always said Yorkshire Puddings were to be served before a roast beef. It was a way of filling empty tummies before the meat was served. The. saying was, the more Yorkshire Pudding you ate may be you would get more meat. However, while I was growing up it was served at the same time.

Just saying……

Just husband and me on Christmas Day. We’ve decided to have salmon on croute (we are mostly vegetarian, but occasionally eat fish), potatoes and mushrooms, followed by Trifle, or tiramisu.

watermeadow

Why on earth would anybody ever eat mashed potatoes and roast potatoes at the same meal? That’s like having fried eggs and scrambled eggs together, or apple crumble and rice pudding, or a cup of tea and a cup of coffee.
I only get roast potatoes on Christmas Day so they are a treat.

Us Brits love our carbs - the more the merrier .. roast potatoes, mashed potatoes & Yorkshire pudding on the same dinner .. can't beat it 😋 👌 . Lashings of gravy & onion sauce too!

Pen50 WOW Wow wow!
And how many are there present at this feast?😋

First Christmas on my own, so it won’t be Turkey (I’d be eating it for the rest of the year!) but it will be a roast of some sort and most definitely roast potatoes (best part of the meal in my opinion) plus parsnips, stuffing, pigs in blankets, Yorkshire pudding and peas. Definitely no Brussels sprouts!

As this will be the 2nd year in 42 years I am not hosting a house full I suggested we could change the usual menu . DH not impressed . So everything but on a much, much smaller scale.
Usually everyone goes to our local while I am in the kitchen, this year I can go as only two of us ! DH has announced to all and sundry " Lucky if we eat at all " .

Turkey sandwiches & chips

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.