To make or buy

I have made a Christmas cake for the last 50 years but am not doing it this year. We are the only ones that eat it and we love it but are always fighting the bulge so combining that with t he energy/financial crisis I thought I'll have a change. I have bought a small M and S Dundee cake (we both throw the icing away). Not looking forward to it.

DH always enjoyed making our Christmas cake; he used a James Martin recipe and it was lovely, but we were the only ones that ate it. With him gone now I haven’t wanted to put my mind to it, so it will be a Yule log, and a bought one at that. I am having my hip replaced at the end of this month so I have no idea what I will be able to do in the run up to Christmas. Not a lot I suspect! The timing is not wonderful!

I make everything. I really do not care whether it would be cheaper to buy. Cheaper means a reduction in quality and a factory cake never tastes as good as home made.

Our cake has usually disappeared by the end of January. The Christmas food doesn't have to be eaten by the 6th of January, and I am more than happy to be having a chicken casserole with the chicken replaced by cooked turkey in March or even April.

I still make most things I can including Xmas cakes, puddings and pies. ( Also make own bread, cakes, jams, marmalades , chutneys, pickles & most meals from scratch )
We think they are generally far superior to bought. Usually cheaper to make too. I do fill the oven when on, and the slow cooker will cook Xmas pudding easily:economically.
Do enjoy cooking & eating obviously!

I make a Christmas cake and chocolate log and mince pies. I know what goes into them and it is much better than shop bought. No one can convince me shop bought is better because it isn’t. Home baked doesn’t include random E numbers and added fillers just pure ingredients.
Christmas is once a year so it’s worth the expense. Here home cooking is my life I make everything I can even when I was working. At our time of life a little luxury is deserved I would continue to make Christmas cake.

Mince pies yes but although I usually make one or two I’m not bothering this year as I end up eating lots.

I meant Christmas cakes 🤣

Seriously, if anyone who is able to enjoys baking and cooking they should definitely make their own.
I bet there are other more wasteful “spends” that could be cut back on at Christmas any year.
Food is Christmas (to me) the sights the aromas the anticipation, and it doesn’t all have to be gobbled on just two days. If a large slab of Cake remains into the gloomy new year then all to the good.
Another “treat” for me is bubble & squeak on the “nothing days “ betwixt Christmas Day itself and New Years Day.. served with any cold sliced meat left over or just tinned ham and chutneys and Delia Smiths recipe for rissoles (in the left over section at the back of the big black book)
These are absolutely gorgeous served with creamy mash and a smigeon of gravy
Or if your really all Christmased out; good old freshly made chips deep fried and golden with perfectly poached eggs, bread and butter will hit the spot, followed by the remainder of the Quality Street or similar, YUM!

We keep our Christmas cake for ages. After the main festivities, I cut a chunk and wrap tightly in paper & foil so it will keep for months.
We eat it as a 'treat' lunch or snack with cheese, usually finishing it off in February.

The other reason I make all my own Christmas food, is that DGD and DDiL have nut allergies, quite evere in DDiL's case, so if I make everything myself I know it is all nut free and as we do not eat nuts or use them much in cooking, they are prepared in anut free kitchen.

Iam certain that los of people are getting far too concerned about the costs of cooking a rich fruit cake, at home.

Also the ingredients, surelyj many of them are already in our kitchen cupboards. Even in purchasing the lot from new, etc surely it is going to cost a lot less than purchasing one of any reasonble quality.

I used to love it when Ih ad a family at home making both a large Christmas cake as well as a Dundee cake. Sadly, only the adults ate any of those, the children all turning up their noses, although they did love the choc logs that I made with double cream (one each day for 25th and 26th December). However, I loved rich fruit, marzipaned, royal iced cake, and it would keep for several weeks.

Sadly, only me would eat such a cake these days, and I would happily, but do not think I would be able to keep off the weight, etc it would put on - However, the daughter to whom I go for Xmas still follows my recipe for those Choc Logs.

My fruit is currently soaking in dark rum...

Yes, it is more expensive, but so much better!

For most things, I either make, or just don't have at all.

At Christmas we will have mince pies, and my special Black Forest trifle. No need for anything else sweet.

And beef rib, with all the trimmings, NO turkey.

CanadianGran, Has your Thanksgiving day passed already? What food is served - maybe just like a second Christmas but in October?

Three years ago we had the first Christmas since DH died and I thought I would make a fresh start and I changed the Christmas cake recipe! I had been using MiL's recipe for nearly 50 years and I changed to one that used lots of different fruit. It was a perfectly nice cake but it didn't go down well. S0o back to MiL's original! This weekend I mentioned to DD that I have just made this year's cake. Her instant reply was "Have you used the proper recipe?" I am going to change the decoration a bit, but I think I'll get away with that.

I hate anything with dried fruit, so I wouldn’t thank you for a Christmas cake, but (after his DM - cake maker died) I started to buy a small M&S cake when DH was alive. He loved it and I always put a slice with a chunk of Wensleydale cheese in his fishing or dog outing lunchbox.

Mary's fruit mince cake is great, not too heavy. I'm about to make one!

Georgesgran My DD is the same as you, in not liking dried fruit. So as well as the fruit cake, I also make a Yule log and spicy biscuits, and often buy a pack of Christmassy cupcakes.

Since we have seven people with us for a week over christmas, they soon get eaten. The Yule log is used as a Christmas pudding replacement. The biscuits are an alternative to mince pies.

I make Mince pie cake any time of year with the addition of a few drops of Sarsons gravy browning. You can’t taste it and it gives the cake a nice rich colour I finish it off with a sprinkling of coarse sugar.

Granmarderby10

karmalady I’m picturing the scene now and it’s made me want a home made, whisky soaked, deeply marzipan(ed) Christmas cake with slightly- crunchy- yet -squidgy icing with a robin on top

spot on that is exactly the scene and all the better if there is snow on the ground

It was always eaten after christmas, in the depths of winter

I’ve told this tale before, but DH’s Mum insisted on making us a large Christmas cake - (I don’t like it). Although DH did, unless I served him a slice he was totally oblivious to it even being in the cupboard - so when it got towards Autumn, I would throw out what was left for the birds.
Then, one year, in all innocence, DD1 told her GMother that I always threw the cake in the garden! I was mortified and it took some explaining that it was only what was left and 9 months later.

I could eat Christmas cake all year round. Just not the white icing.