What are you planning for Christmas Dinner this year?

[thelegohooverer]

Anyone fancy some dinner chat?

We have always been hosting or hosted until this year and Christmas dinner has always been turkey and gammon and loads of trimmings. But this year it will just be our own little family.

I’m guessing that turkeys might be in short supply this year if families like ours that would have come together and eaten one big one between them are eating 3 or 4 separately. And while it’s usefully big for feeding a crowd, it’s telling that we rarely eat it (and never cook it) any other time of the year.

So we’re trying to decide what to have instead.

I fancy a nice roast beef but I’m not keen on cold beef and the left over sandwiches are nearly as important as the main meal in our house. I’ve never been particularly keen on gammon either, just cooked that for everyone else. I’d quite like goose, but dh finds it too gamey. We both love lamb but it’s the wrong time of year, I think. It will probably have to be pork. I’m not sure I’ve ever had a cold pork sandwich.

I’m used to thinking in such big quantities for Christmas that i have to make an effort to pare it back. 3 types of potato is probably over doing it?

I’ve always longed for a quieter Christmas with just ourselves but now I’m fretting that it might not feel festive without a crowd of big eaters!

I’d love to hear what everyone else is thinking/ planning

[WhatAreWordsWorth]

We’re in a similar situation but we’ve always been lucky enough to be hosted! DH and I have never had Christmas in our own home, we’ve always visited parents.

I have no idea what will happen this year, so I’ve placed an Ocado order for 20th Dec (as we’ll still need food in whether we’re visiting relatives or not) and I’ve also done an M&S collection for 22nd Dec.

I’ve ordered a fillet of beef, and I’m planning to have a go at making a beef Wellington if it’s just me and DH this year. (Not sure how that’ll go, but I’ll give it a try) Will just get a few nice sides to go alongside it, maybe some roasties, veg and a nice red wine sauce. I’ve also ordered some pigs in blankets and stuffing balls, which I imagine we’ll snack on over Christmas.

I really hope we’re able to visit family, but if not I’m going to embrace a smaller, more relaxed Christmas and make sure we have lots of nice snacks and drinks in.

[TheCrow]

I've always had Christmas dinner at family's houses and this is the first year cooking a proper one by myself. It's looking like being me, dd8 and DP who is a pretty picky eater. I'm thinking of doing pork too as the alternative would be chicken but I always make roast chicken so it'll be nice to make something different as a special treat. Plus lots of scope for leftovers. Trimmings- pigs in blankets, sausagemeat stuffing, Yorkshire puddings, roasties, mash, parsnips, honey roasted carrots. Dessert will be probably something chocolatey or fruity as we don't like Christmas cake/pudding.

[dolphinpose]

Starters - choice of:
Jerusalem artichoke soup with cream and chives
or smoked salmon and cream cheese blinis

I'm planning a turkey if possible, or, if there's a shortage, a duck, roasted with loads of fresh herbs under the skin.
2 kinds of home made stuffing balls with walnuts, apricots, shallots, fresh rosemary and sage - one with pork mince and the other vegetarian.
Pigs in blankets for meat eaters, veggie Linconshire chipolatas for veggies
Roast potatoes with garlic and herbs
Roast parsnips with cumin and caraway seed
Roast baby carrots with honey butter
Baked red cabbage with aromatic spices, butter, apple and onion
Sprouts. DH insists they are plain steamed. Peas and broccoli for non-sprout-eaters.
Home made bread sauce (just for DH - none of us touch it)
Home made red wine gravy.
Redcurrant sauce.

Puddings choice of:
Trad Christmas pudding flamed with brandy, served with brandy butter, custard or greek yoghurt
Home made sticky toffee pudding with custard or vanilla ice cream
Home made chocolate roulade yule log.

[Ninkanink]

A cold pork sandwich is very tasty!

[BiddyPop]

We have done it ourselves a few times and were actually due to do the big extended family, 2 turkeys in 1 day, Christmas this year. But that plan has been abandoned, even if travel is resumed. So it will be back to dinner for 3. Which is normally still a full turkey and all the trimmings that we like, but not the extras that others want but we don't like.

I'm normally gung ho to still do a full turkey, while DH talks about a breast being enough....you need the dark meat! But we did a roast breast last week as a small joint from the butcher and I was very pleasantly surprised (except at the lack of leftovers).

But we will almost certainly do a roast of some sort. A special one. But we'll see what's available in the few days before Christmas - turkey, duck, (might persuade DH into trying a goose?), rib of beef, nothing would be ruled out just how special can we make it?

And stuffing. Adapted to suit the meat, but ya gotta have stuffin'.

And proper goose fat roasties. DD (14) has already said she wants proper mash (no lumps, creamy without using actual cream or extra butter....) and that my mash is not good, but M&S ordinary mash is ok (not the luxury one cos that has cream!). But that is as well as roasties, not instead.

Some nice veggies - probably roasted roots. Possibly some others (a max of 4 veggies dishes) and tailored depending on the joint and what would suit it. Almost certainly some brussels sprouts. Sufficient for us all to enjoy, and allow some leftovers, but not mountains that will have us finding leftover ideas for days.

Proper gravy, but we're not great on other sauces (cranberry, mint, apple, horseradish, bread, etc) that traditionally go with various meats. (Leftover turkey gravy gets frozen, for my annual Thanksgiving turkey dinner after work on the 4th Thursday in November - when I throw a breast into the oven and its all a bit rushed so some shortcuts are needed).

Maybe proper pudding (I managed to make a cake for the 1st time in over 20 years of marriage this year, maybe I can add a pudding to those efforts!!).
Probably a bowl of fresh fruit salad and cream.
Or something involving chocolate.

We usually open a bottle of bubbles while turkey cooks and we open presents, nibbling on some M&S party food (our starter).
I usually have a nice bottle of wine to match the bird for dinner, and a 2nd to open if we are enjoying it and relaxing - although we rarely do open it on the day. Some years, we have a small glass of port with chese - but often we just finish the wine we've been drinking.


I definitely want to have a curry feast another day - at least 3 different curries (including Turkey surprise if we have leftovers!), but things like Chicken Vadagam, Lamb Rogan Josh, Mixed Veg Bhuna etc all in the middle. Proper pilau rice (which is very straightforward if you have the handful of spices to fry in the pot before adding the rice and then the water). HM Naan breads and a pile of mixed puppodums. And some proper tomato salsa.

And most of the rest of the season should be generally grazing on leftovers and snacks and cheese rather than proper cooking.

[Fivemoreminutes1]

I’m keeping it really simple with a traybake www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/all-trimmings-traybake

[GoneFishingAgain]

5 bird roast from Aldi

[lazylinguist]

Turkey, as long as we can get one. If we can't, then beef. Tbh I really like cold beef and pork. Lamb is better hot.

[augustusglupe]

Same as usual,
Smoked Trout to start then
M&S Organic Turkey & Goose and All the trimmings & Nigellas Bread Sauce

[dolphinpose]

@Fivemoreminutes1 - that traybake looks very tempting. I might try that rather than prep everything separately.

[AuntieMarys]

We are going out as usual for something non-festive. But if restaurants are shut it will be a big cheese/charcuterie board.
And tiramisu trifle

[EmmaGrundyForPM]

Ds2 and his gf are students in a Tier 2 area. If that doesn't get lifted before Christmas then there will just be me, dh, ds1 and my mum.
I've ordered a large capon, boned and rolled. I'll do it with all the usual trimmings.
If there are only 4 of us it will last several meals.

[pollywollydoodler]

Just the 3 of us at home, chicken dinner + Xmas pud like usual..

[Squirrelblanket]

We'll be having the usual:

Turkey, butter basted and covered in bacon
Pigs in blankets
Goose fat roasties
Stuffing balls
Sprouts with bacon
Roast parsnips and carrots
Loads of gravy

[Gurufloof]

Been pondering this for a few days now. Only I like Turkey, so not Turkey. Adult child doesn't like salmon, so I guess that better not be the centrepiece. Lamb is a definite possibility, we do all like it, but cold leftover lamb isn't all that for sandwiches. We rarely eat pork so its possible but what if on the day we all go ugh not pork.
I did steaks last year and they went down really well, but dont want to repeat it. I'm learning towards lamb shanks in slow cooker all day with red wine and herbs.
Love that traybake linked to.
Oh I also have a mother who may or may not show up on the day, who is fussy as fuck.

[Willowkins]

My DH always cooked Christmas dinner and generally loved cooking roasts and made a big deal of it. He died in May last year so I took the kids off for a Christmas mini-break at a hotel and all meals were provided. This year I just don't know. The thought of cooking on Christmas day is a bit depressing really. I would love to go to the Canary Islands for Christmas if they're still open but who can plan anything?

[TheCrow]

@Gurufloof how about a glazed gammon? Excellent for sandwiches and slightly special to solve the 'ugh not pork' issue

[gamerchick]

I'm just ordering curries this year the night before. Heat up and you're off.

Relaxing year this year I think.

[Tanfastic]

I've cooked Xmas dinner for the last umpteen years, really cannot be arsed this year. I'd do a take away if I thought they'd be open

[notacooldad]

I'm having what ever we have at work!

[TheFormerPorpentinaScamander]

DS1 will probably have a Linda McCartney pulled pork burger, or quorn roast.
DS2 loves turkey, I'm not keen so maybe a small turkey joint and gammon or maybe duck.
Roast potatoes. Stuffing. Broccoli. Carrots. Sprouts. Mashed swede. Roast parsnips. Pigs in blankets and quorn pigs in blankets. Gravy.
Plus whatever condiments they choose. Mustard/cranberry whatever. No rules here about what goes with what

We'll probably make a shortbread 'tree' for pudding.

[Aroundtheworldin80moves]

The traditional (for us) BBQ.

[3GIANTSTRAWBERRIES]

We usually have lamb anyway as nobody here really likes turkey and lamb makes a great curry the next day. Pork would be yummy, but less of a special occasion dinner for us as we have it lots throughout the year. Cold pork sandwiches are lovely with either mustard or pickle (although DH prefers just plain because he likes his sandwiches boring).

[Gurufloof]

Thecrow, I've never done more than a couple gammon steaks, is it easy? Can I shove in oven or preferably slow cooker for the day. I like easy food, plus in the slow cooker it's out of my way and leaves the oven free for the squillion pigs in blankets etc.

[Gurufloof]

@Tanfastic have you actually asked your local takeaways if they are open? A few near me usually are.