Something 'extra' for Xmas lunch

[dontcallmethatyoucunt]

I'm hosting Christmas this year and will cook:

Turkey
Sausage/stuffing roll with cranberries
Spiced red cabbage
Parsnip and butternut squash dauphinois
Carrots
Sprouts
Goose fat spuds
Chipolatas (most probably wrapped in bacon)
Bread sauce

I make a variation on Xmas pud that's a bit like spiced ginger cake.

What else could I add that's a bit different or you do that you've not had elsewhere? We are 14 strong (12 adults) so do get through quite a bit of food and we're all greedy big eaters. DH wants Yorkshire puds, but I find they take last minute attention and oven space which I can do without. Any ideas?

[DandelionAndBedrock]

We do chestnuts and pancetta with the sprouts - tastes delicious and would bulk them out a bit.

I love Yorkshire puddings, but they have no place on a Christmas dinner plate - extra roast potatoes would be better imo.

[FATEdestiny]

We cook for 12 (inc children) every year. There wouldn't be enough veg for us in your selection. But I suppose it depends how much of each you do.

We do Yorkshire puddings too.
Cranberry sauce is missing.
Also brandy sauce if you need it for pudding.

[leaveittothediva]

I'd do glazed ham on the bone. I'd also have to have mashed potatoes. Yorkshire puddings are great. You could just get the frozen ones, they only take a few minutes in a hot oven. (just something to consider). If someone really wants them. It is Christmas after all.

[Spam88]

Another meat? Especially with there being so many of you. We always have turkey and gammon (gammon can be done in the slow cooker if space is an issue).

[OrlandaFuriosa]

Smoked salmon to start, plain or gravad lax or those salmon mousses

Or canapés with drinks before hand.

And where's the cranberry sauce? And gravy?

Mash is always a good one. So is cauliflower cheese. Can be made before hand and heated in microwave.

[BroomstickOfLove]

What veg do you do, FATE? Cabbage, parsnips, butternut squash, sprouts and carrots sounds like plenty to me.

[Nanasueathome]

You need cauliflower cheese
Leeks
Roast pork

[perditalost]

Do yorkshire puds the day before and just pop them in the over for 3 mins at the end. I just stick mine in a carrier bag on the side overnight. I do about 72 though!

[FATEdestiny]

What veg do you do, FATE? Cabbage, parsnips, butternut squash, sprouts and carrots sounds like plenty to me.

Our normal Sunday Dinner includes:

We have a bowl of assorted roasted veg (parsnips, sweet pot, onions, carrots)
Broccoli
Cauliflower (and cheeses sauce)
Green beans
Leek
Red Cabbage (fruity, cooked with rasins)
Carrots
Sweetcorn
Plus boiled/mashed pots and roasted pots

We cook Sunday roast for big numbers 52 weeks a year so Christmas dinner isn't all that different. We just add a few extras that make it special but the veg selection is pretty standard.

As I said though, it depends on quantities. One serving bowl of veg on the table would contain 3 veg usually. So we are not talking huge quantities of each. If it was 1 serving bowl per veg then we'd probably have 4 or 5 different veg only.

[mmgirish]

We have sage and onion stuffing in a sausage shape wrapped in bacon. It's so yummy!

[dontcallmethatyoucunt]

We do have gravy and cranberry sauce... to be accurate I should have added them!

Perhaps I'll concede on the yorkshires as they are def a crowd pleaser ... I won't be doing 72 perdita and tart up the sprouts a bit more than usual.. slow cooker ham also a good idea. It will save having a turkey the size of a small elephant. Any good recipes?!

I did used to do more veg, but to be honest with everything else going on I found it a bit of a pain and people seem happy with the usual suspects. I make cauliflower cheese normally, but as I do a (heavy on the cheese) dauphinois I'm happy we've got gloop.

Thanks all

[secondhoneymoon]

We had a gluten free guest one year, the adaptations I made went down so well I now add them as a matter of course : dried prunes and dried apricots wrapped in bacon (to replace the sausages); pears poached in red wine and rice pudding made with coconut milk - initially instead of the Christmas pud but actually worked well with

[GooseFriend]

Honey or maple glazed parsnips or carrots, chesnuts in with sprouts? We do two types of stuffing. Roast onions?

What about a starter? Homemade pate goes down well.

[FeckinCrutches]

Hells bells you forgot the MASH!!!!

[TheImprobableGirl]

Does nobody have peas anymore!!?

We have
Broccoli cheese
Sprouts with bacon
Pigs in blankets
Parsnips
Peas
Roast potatoes
Yorkshire pudding
Carrots
Roasted onion
Sometimes mashed potato
Gravy

But we have it with fillet steak instead of turkey as our meat of choice.... which I admit is unusual- and we are only 2

[handsfree]

dontcallme what is the recipes for the parsnip and butternut squash dauphinois? That sounds amazing!

[MrsDilligaf]

Improbable we have peas . We also have:

Turkey
Beef
Stuffing
Pigs in blankets
Carrots
Cauliflower (or broccoli, depends on my mood)
Roast onions
Parsnips
Red cabbage
Roast Potatoes
Sprouts
Yorkshire Pudding
Bread sauce
Cranberry sauce

...AND...

Gravy

It's no wonder we roll from the table to the sofa after dinner!

[EchidnasPhone]

Baked cauliflower is an easy addition tossed in some olive oil with garlic & pepper. I sometimes add chorizo & a sprinkle of Parmesan just before it's ready to come out the oven.

[Rumtopf]

This year on Christmas Day I'll do a big bone in Rib of Beef and a smaller joint of pork (no-one coming is really keen on turkey), as well as:
Yorkshire puddings
Roast potatoes and mash
Roast parsnips
Honey roast carrots
Brussel sprouts with pancetta and chestnuts
Brocolli and Cauliflower cheese
Red cabbage with Apple
Lots of red wine gravy, creamed horseradish and apple sauce

Starter will be king prawns and mini salmon mouse with a little salad.
Pudding is to be decided.
Will have a huge cheese board with chutneys and nice bread for supper.

[Rumtopf]

Ooh I might do some prunes wrapped in bacon too as they're really yummy.

[thescarftwins]

Parsnip roulade (an old BBC recipe if I remember rightly) it's DELICIOUS. More so than it sounds! And my friend does pigs in blanket with an actual full sized sausage. Been a bit of a game changer in our Sunday roasts since they introduced us. #sausagegate

[soundsystem]

Our sides/veg vary slightly depending on who is present (guests get to nominate an it-wouldn't-be-Christmas-without veg), but last year we had:

Goose fat roast potatoes
Stuffing balls
Chipolatas wrapped in bacon
Honey and orange roasted carrots and parsnips
Sprouts with chestnuts and pancetta
Steamed green beans
Carrot mash with garlic and parsley butter
Yorkshire puddings (supermarket finest just heat them up ones, no way am I faffing with Yorkshires at that late stage with everything else!)

[Makemineacabsauv]

You forgot the pickles!! I love pickled onions with my turkey and dad always gets the jar with the mixed pickles (onions, cauliflower etc). And if he's lucky he'll get the pickled beetroot too! And red cabbage! Sprouts with chestnuts and bacon always go down well. Yes yes to yorkies. (Or roast puddings as dd insisted on calling them when she was 3). Make them the day before and reheat when you are serving up everything else.
A slow cooker is your friend if you want to do 2 meats!
We do a huge seafood platter for starter - prawns, lobster, smoked trout, smoked salmon, M&s hot smoked salmon, mussels etc. everyone digs in and it's fab!

[WhisperingLoudly]

I'd definitely do a side of ham, plus Yorkshires.

Veg would be:
Goose fat roasties
Pots dauphinois
Peas and pancetta
Maple roasted parsnips
Green beans
Sesame carrots
Cabbage (with more pancetta)

Loads of chipolattas.

Pudding I do a small Christmas pud, a chic Yule log and a pavlova. Ice cream, custard, cream and brandy butter. Mmmmmmm