Food Glorious Food

It's not just you. Have a look at the ingredients list when shopping. If it doesn't use mainly store cupboard ingredients then it's ultra processed and not a good food for our health. Even the so called healthier "butter spreads" are full of the wrong kind of ingredients and even a lot of the "healthy option " ready to cook meals are full of non-food ingredients.
Our Christmas table will be full of good foods but healthier.
Since I started checking ingredients lists we have stopped buying a lot of the junk that we thought was good value food. We have noticed a definite change for the better in our health.

I’m another one who’ll be longing for cheese on toast, in my case just as it comes.

Asked the family what pudding they wanted on Christmas Day and it was a unanimous vote for apple crumble. I have made cinnamon ice cream to go with it.

All the fancy foods pass me by. I shall be treating myself to good cheeses, a bit of smoked salmon etc.

Babs03

Am not into any kind of food because it is shaped like a Christmas tree etc. I will be cooking simple food over Christmas, no frills, a basic roast dinner Christmas Day and home baked cakes etc. No pudding because nobody likes it.
When I see tables heaving with novelty foods on Christmas ads I don’t feel at all tempted. Looks chock full of sugar, salt, and preservatives.

I agree, we aren’t even buying a box of biscuits this year as we seem to get given a lot of them, we still have two from last year. As I get older I prefer good, plain food nothing fancy.

Oh Oreo and others, how I agree with your cheese - on - toast respite from fancy food : chutney on the side for me, thanks.

Oreo

Sometimes you just want cheese on toast.

It does get like that, with all the excess. A couple of days after Christmas Day (which I love) I can be found having cheese on toast and munching it by the kitchen sink with no plate. I would use a bit of Marmite on the toast though not mustard!

AmberGran

I'm like M0nica - our Christmas changes very little year to year. We have a few chats about what we fancy eating and that's about it. We rarely watch live TV so don't see the adverts, and ignore most of it in store as well.

I think over the years we've just learnt to blank it out - Christmas, Easter, Valentines, Halloween, birthdays, anniversaries, Mother's Day, Father's Day, pink elephant day - and don't even notice most of it.

Good sensible advise. Could not agree more.
Of course.You should enjoy life if you want to have nice food and stuff with your friends and families.

However. Most ot these these celebrations are really just a load of old tut.

Really out of control.

So you will buy a load of vastly overpriced junk you don't want or need.

People have been brainwashed and have become anxious and can't keep up with their manipulated expectations.

Like hamsters on a exercise wheel.
Get off the treadmill.

Stop worrying about this nonsense and just ignore it.

And enjoy yourself with a normal life.

👍🕵️😻

Xxx

Samsara1

I'm a bit confused by it all on the TV adverts. Does anyone have a big table like that. There are only 4 of us for Christmas dinner. For the first time in living memory we are not having a whole turkey largely because last year I always dropped it coming out of the oven, so its a turkey without legs on. DH is not happy. Neve mind eh. DH has made the pudding as usual, I have made the cake also as usual. I dont know that I'll be buying too much else except - wine and cheeses.

I made it my personal rule a few years ago, that the turkey is no heavier than 14lbs.
Anything bigger, and it all gets too heavy to move around easily enough.

Oreo

Sometimes you just want cheese on toast.

With a smidgeon of mustard

As with others, our meals for Christmas Eve, the day and Boxing Day are broadly the same for the last twenty years or more. The only changes are granddaughter is vegetarian, so no duck fat from the Eve used on roasties, gravy not made in the poultry pan, we have a whole bird, not a crown and puds tend to be bought, not home made.
So any advertising falls on deaf ears.

Sometimes you just want cheese on toast.

ferry23

Was saying just the same at the weekend. Trying to do my Christmas food delivery order taking forever as there's so much choice.

Which on the one hand is a good thing I suppose, but on the other hand - well - I really just want a pack of 6 mince pies but there seems to be about 10 different packets to choose from.

Try them all ferry😁
We don’t go overboard with rich foodstuffs over the holiday period, just a few treats now and then.Baileys, mince pies are a must.

Sadie5803

This year instead of buying lots of stuff that's still in a box at the end of January, im buying less but more luxurious, and treating ourselves to the high end stuff

This is what I do.

This year instead of buying lots of stuff that's still in a box at the end of January, im buying less but more luxurious, and treating ourselves to the high end stuff

It all looks fabulous and I’ve bought it in recent years mostly from M&S. but it’s never as mouthwatering as you think it’s going to be and so expensive for what it is. This year I’ve not even looked at it.

We're not keen on stuffing containing sausagemeat so most of the expensive prepared versions are not for us. My mother was coeliac so I used to make a spiced fruity stuffing with brown rice and a mix of dried fruits: apricots, sour cherries, prunes, large vine fruits and some toasted slivered almonds. Even though she's no longer with us, my family like to have this every year. She and my grandmother both used to make a delicious parsley and thyme stuffing which I've never managed to replicate.
The grandchildren like to help me roll up pigs in blankets, I don't think that they'd eat them unless they'd made them themselves.

I was used to a full table spread and lots of sweet extras - all made by my SAHM who was a fabulous cook. The entertained the whole family and half the street. I miss that.

My lot are not sweet food fans, and not bothered about these fancy extras, so hardly a feast at Christmas - even the sausages an stuffing go to the dog if I cook them. <sob>

Some of the M&S "snacky" or deli food is really very expensive, though it is nice. The fancy Christmas processed food really isn't very appealing to our family. We're not that keen on mince pies or traditional Christmas cake either, though we usually have a Genoa cake as it isn't so rich, has no icing and is smaller. We do like salami and smoked salmon, and usually find some decent offers on those.
We gave up on the traditional turkey long ago and now have a cockerel (formerly known as a capon). It's not at all dry and more tasty than a typical chicken or turkey. Also not so huge...
None of us like Christmas pudding or the elabourate concocted supermarket dessert offerings. We bought a white chocolate log with a passionfruit filling from M&S last year and it was truly appalling, with greasy "white chocolate ganache" inside and outside, none of us managed to finish a slice.
We've have trifle or sticky toffee pudding (home made of course) in the past. This year I thought I'd make a baked cheesecake that we can have it with some mixed berries - M&S have them frozen and they're very nice. Our grandchildren are very happy to eat blueberries or custard tart so I thought a cheesecake might go down well.
We often have a big gammon joint on Christmas Eve so we have nice slices of gammon to eat with the cold cockerel later in the week. I bought a hand slicing machine some years ago so that I can cut straight slices now!

I live on my own and really don't care what I eat for Christmas.

I have decided to have a duck leg in a plum sauce with Dauphinoise potatoes. Already bought and in the freezer. I will buy fresh veg nearer the day.

I don't like mince pies or shortbread and will only buy a single Christmas pudding if I see one on display. I will not be looking for it. That's Christmas Day and Boxing Day sorted, and it won't have cost a fortune.

Am not into any kind of food because it is shaped like a Christmas tree etc. I will be cooking simple food over Christmas, no frills, a basic roast dinner Christmas Day and home baked cakes etc. No pudding because nobody likes it.
When I see tables heaving with novelty foods on Christmas ads I don’t feel at all tempted. Looks chock full of sugar, salt, and preservatives.

I'm like M0nica - our Christmas changes very little year to year. We have a few chats about what we fancy eating and that's about it. We rarely watch live TV so don't see the adverts, and ignore most of it in store as well.

I think over the years we've just learnt to blank it out - Christmas, Easter, Valentines, Halloween, birthdays, anniversaries, Mother's Day, Father's Day, pink elephant day - and don't even notice most of it.

It's advertising for heaven's sake! No one has to buy this stuff or do what the actors are doing on them.

Buy food you want or like. Have the kind of Chrsitmas you like. Spend money or don't.

These choices are ours to make...

I'm a bit confused by it all on the TV adverts. Does anyone have a big table like that. There are only 4 of us for Christmas dinner. For the first time in living memory we are not having a whole turkey largely because last year I always dropped it coming out of the oven, so its a turkey without legs on. DH is not happy. Neve mind eh. DH has made the pudding as usual, I have made the cake also as usual. I dont know that I'll be buying too much else except - wine and cheeses.

My Christmas shopping list changes very little from year to year.

About 20 years ago when it was getting out of hand and we seemed to be eating Christmas left overs until Easter. I went through my shopping list and reduced it all to absolute basics. I now have it listed and filed online, so that i just need to get it out and review it November.

I have yet to see any Christmas ads, our television is in store with the rest of our effects, but all will return before Christmas, but in previous years I have found those tables spread with lots of brown food made me feel quite ill, not only does it all look revolting but one knows that most of the food on display will be flavourless, with the texture of wood pulp.

Sago. UPF ? I'm guessing, Ultra processed food? Is that an accepted TLA

I cook from scratch except for buying the odd pudding from Cook when I can't be bothered with the faff of making something. Their chocolate torte is delicious. I've bought a Christmas pudding this year as we're home for a change and I've got some friends coming. The family aren't keen on it so I've bought a smallish one. I've never made a Christmas pudding. I'm still dithering over whether I'm doing turkey or beef, it's one day we're out on boxing day then away for 4 days. Perhaps I should do a beef wellington? Who eats all the extra food that's bought for Christmas?