Are you having a Delia, a Nigella or a Mary Christmas?

Actually it might be a Sarah Brown vegetarian Christmas Turkey. I can't remember but I know what I am cooking.

I'm not hosting Christmas Day either this year - DD is doing the honours, and last time it was lovely because she follows the KISS philosophy (or as simple as Christmas will allow). We have DS et al on Boxing Day, and what we will have remains to be seen at the moment!

I'm doing my Mum's Christmas. Asked for every year by the family. Home made pudding, cake and mince pies . Big trifle and lots of fun games with the DGs

I've tried googling vegetarian turkey and only come up with a tofu version. Would like to do something special for veggie future DiL. Can anyone recommend something?

My Christmas essentials include James Martin's roast potatoes, a cranberry sauce recipe from Good Food magazine years ago, Nigella's panetonne stuffing squares and Jamie's Spicy Christmas Picallily. Everything else just depends how I feel.

Sounds good Deeds.

My Uncle was a Turkey Farmer, I don't remember any vegetarian Turkeys
Ok off to bed, only opened this up to check some emails.

We are having 'our' Christmas. Mainly homemade to recipies we have used for years.

Delia's Christmas has been my bible for many years and so has my old school cook-book.

I stick with recipes I trust and have tweaked to suit our tastes but I also love trying new recipes. It's mix and match really.

Sod the food but I do want to look like Nigella by Christmas

I've done a James Martin Christmas cake I've tried Nigella's mont blanc pudding and it's nice if not a little rich but I just love chestnut puree and roast rib of beef and down to my favourite farm/deli shop Christmas eve for some treats so as I'm not cooking all the time

Definitely Delia! She never lets me down.

We're actually away this Christmas for the first time ever, but we usually have a "Good Housekeeping" Alternative Feast Christmas from a very old magazine - smoked salmon soup, roast beef, red cabbage & potato & celeriac galette. I do make Mary Berry"s delicious marzipan- topped mince pies though.

I have to eat gluten-free so most recipes have to be adjusted. I use this recipe,
www.artofglutenfreebaking.com/2009/12/country-christmas-cake-aka-fruitcake-gluten-free/
for the cake though I use a mixture of corn and rice flours with some xanthan gum instead of the writer's mix, and add more peel and lots of nuts. It's the best cake I've ever made - I think the apple sauce keeps it beautifully moist.

For the pudding - which is cooking as I type - it's Delia's recipe using g/f bread and flour. I've found that the packs of beef dripping are an adequate substitute for suet (Atora is dusted with wheat flour, and the g/f so-called vegetarian suits are horribly greasy and disgusting.) As I'm lazy I can't be bothered to freeze and grate the fat; instead I melt it and then pour it very slowly into the rest of the ingredients, stirring like mad. Seems to work.

I do the same thing for mincemeat also using Delia's recipe but with added nuts and extra goodies. I also halve the amount of fat, and don't bother to melt the mixture before potting, but instead keep everything in the fridge. If there's any left over after New Year that I want to keep, I do the melting with some extra fat and dumping into sterilised pots then.

This year, it will be rather sad because DH died in May (after a long illness, and not a surprise, but still...) He loved Christmas, it will be very flat without him. DD, DS, my dear old dad and I will be spending Christmas with one of my stepdaughters. Luckily there are two small grandchildren to keep us from too much depression. I'm taking the pudding, cake and mince pies so that I can eat them without worry.

You lot put me to shame! I'll probably make soup as a starter along with whatever m&s are offering an alternative. Main course will be like a Sunday roast but with turkey and always Yorkshire puds (aunt Bessie's since you ask!). Home made apple sauce, cranberry sauce from a jar and stuffing balls in a tray along with pigs in blankets from m&s. I will buy a Christmas pudding but it will not be eaten on the day as only DH and I like it. So home made trifle or a marks offering for afters. In all a typical manc girl Christmas dinner. But the best part is having the family and our first grandson for his first Christmas to enjoy (?) it!

It's my Christmas Cake ' always recipe ' is a Delia . My mince pies which are an almond pastry recipe is my mum's who is no longer here. The rest is here there and everywhere !

I don't know anything about so called "celebrities" so I don't expect I will be doing anything that matches their marketing. I live alone so all questions about how I entertain my household are irrelevant.

On Christmas Day itself I plan to go directly from my church to a Christmas Lunch organised by the food bank for people who have nowhere else to go. In previous years I have met some very interesting people at such events.

I swear by Delia - never lets me down! That is for cake and pudding. My mothers resipe for chestnut stuffing. Make everything else upeg turkey - - just do what ive done for years. Nothing fancy. Buy ready made mince and pasty for mince pies, ready made custard (getting lazy !) actually going to S and DiL on christmas day this year and last time she got everything from M&S and it was very good!

I have been making roasts since I was twelve as my mum had two jobs then and often wasn't in so my Christmas dinner is my own version honed from long practice.

However, I swear by Mary Berry who was the author of the first cookbook I ever had, an engagement present in 1977. The Vichy carrots will be her recipe and so will many of her other tips I have incorporated in my lunch.

I have to confess I only do a turkey crown now and follow the weight/timing instructions on the bird and I could do the rest of it with my eyes closed. The Christmas pud is microwaved for five minutes rather than steamed for five hours and it will be the Sainbury's 'Taste the Difference' which is packed with whole fruits and nuts.

Amusingly, my 27 year old son, who has become a bit of a whizz in the kitchen, said to me that his latest fancy concoction was from the internet: - a Mary Berry recipe which worked perfectly.

What goes around comes around.

Thanks shysal for the link to Phil Vickery's page. That looks great! I'm going to try that method this year

I will be cooking the traditional dinner for several family and friends like my mum and grandma did in the past - both passed on now - no recipes involved just copying them. This is important to me to carry on the traditions for the next generations. I use a solid fuel Rayburn just like them too.

I will be doing much as I have done for years. Cook a roast (turkey) dinner on Christmas Day, no recipes required, use lots of turkey and ham recipes for the rest of the Christmas season, recipes, when required, from my card index, source of recipes unknown.

I try not too over cater at Christmas. If you have a really good quality turkey and piece of gammon, no further catering, apart from veg, is needed.

Some of these recipes for Christmas must cost a fortune for all the ingredients!!!!

Probably mostly Delia, though the head chef (DH) may peruse several different books for ideas. He made mincemeat last week (from Delia's Christmas book) and it's delicious.

I'm having a DS/Jamie Oliver Christmas.We are going to them and he usually cooks whilst I sous-chef for him and DDiL prepares a beautiful table. It works well for us.