Christmas dinner for people who don’t like roasts?

There was a Pot Noel last year.
(Guess how I know )

I'd do something a bit different if they aren't fussed by a roast/veg. These are also the type of meal where you can have a bit, take a break, and come back for more.

-Raclette. Various cheeses, new potatoes, meats, sauces etc
-Fondue. You can pick up fondue sets from charity shops and have 2 on the table. 1 for a traditional cheese and another for a heated broth to cook very thin meat slices in
-Chinese or Japanese style hot pot. Similar to the above broth where you cook thin slices of meat in it, but with noodles and a Sth East Asian flavour.

We’ve done twice baked soufflés, whole roasted tandoori chicken with spiced potatoes and Brussels sprouts thorns, tomato pasta(kids favourite food that year) roast rib of beef with daiphinoises and Brussels. Gnocchi with a sage sausage and red wine sauce. We’ve only done turkey once - we all agreed it wasn’t for us. Last year was pork and crackling. I hate processed party food - so a spread would have to get elevated to curried meat, maybe a ham, with a selection of cheese, pickles, fruit but it feels too much like Boxing Day

Last Christmas day, and the 3 before it, we had king prawns, pot of olives, Ritz crackers, baked camembert with homemade bread, chicken dippers, hummus, chocolate, duck pancakes, pringles, pigs in blankets

Basically anything snacky that any of us fancied was purchased in the Christmas shop. Not a roast in sight.

Pizza, sausage rolls, whatever salad or veg youike, ready meal, cheese selection and crackers.

I hope you can have your lovely roast at a pub before Christmas or at another family!s house! Sounds as though the kids have picked up DH's attitudes. It's so crap when that happens. I sympathise

I love the years where we don’t host the big family Christmas which is always a roast. Where we do what we love as a family. We have had toad in the hole, steak and chips, pizzas. Then we have played with the kiddos. Amazing. I’m doing the big hosting Christmas this year to my disappointment.

This! And as the very first reply said, it's their turn to sort Christmas day food this year. Though I would say get in either your own favourite posh ready meal (for one, obvs) or whatever Christmassy thing you like eg pate, cheese board, pigs in blankets and make sure that's tucked away as your back up for when they're all heatedly denying that it wasn't their job to go shopping...

I think it is very interesting that so many people are turning away from the traditional turkey and all the trimmings, or even any roast for Christmas Day. It takes the pressure off so much. Last year we had cottage pie - not sure what it will be this year, but certainly no hard effort.

How about roast chicken with sausages garlic bread and salad and then you could buy a tray of roasties and a microwave pot of mixed veg from M&S to chuck in the oven for you. You get roast and they get meat, garlic bread and salad. They make the salad.....

M&S do an amazing sourdough garlic bread loaf.

If they want a spread ask them all to suggest 3 things they would like to see on said spread. It’s not all your responsibility to come up with the menu when they’re dictating the change.

Ham and chips with pigs
Steak and chips
Egg and chips?

do you like chips?

personally I prefer to sit down properly at the table on Christmas Day or it all gets a bit of a drag but I’m not welded to a complicated meal. If they don’t want vegetables then you are a bit limited.

My only must haves for Xmas dinner are sprouts with chestnuts and pigs in blankets. On the rare occasion we have Xmas day at home we do steaks and dauphinois potatoes with the above, and a nice pudding. All easily pre-preppable.I will never slave over a full Xmas dinner (happy to go and eat it at someone else’s house though!)

I knew it was a mistake clicking on this thread, im fucking starving now 🤣🤣🤣

'Vegetables' is a very broad category to just dismiss as "I don't like that" - unless maybe you're 3 and you haven't learned to be brave and to enjoy a proper balanced diet yet.

I agree with PP: isn't it lovely how he's full of ideas of what YOU could cook that HE would like? You're left doing all the work but you still don't get the lovely roast that you *and most people) would look forward to at Christmas.

Are you equally as thrilled at the prospect of the things that he's suggesting, or does it not matter when it's 'only' you having to compromise?

So let them eat what they want, and get yourself some nice pre-roasted turkey from a good deli or Waitrose or wherever (or roast yourself a little bird; you'll have tons of lovely left-overs!).

I love the assumption, often seen on mumsnet, that everyone’s lives are exactly the same. Lots of people will have Xmas eve off work for numerous reasons 😆

You have DH and teens. Get them involved in choosing the menu, buying and preparing it. Many hands make light work. Have a great Christmas.

Ask them what they want. Do that. If it's chocolate for the day it's not going to kill them.

We do the roast and trimmings and my autistic DD has chicken nuggets and some stuffing and a dessert of her choice. I did try for a couple of years but I’ve given up now. It’s her Christmas too so nuggets it is! Yeah it still (to me looks weird her sat chomping down on nuggets) but she’s HAPPY! Maybe have a sitdown and see what everyone fancies and see what you can ALL put together from that, you like a roast maybe get yourself one or thos small roast dinners they do in the supermarkets DH wants a picky dinner ask him what he wants in that picky dinner and the kids. Will probably actually be LESS work. Accommodating everyone without anyone feeling like they HAVE to eat something cos mums made it cos it’s Christmas. Trust me… it will make your life easier 😉

I’m always a bit baffled by the idea roasted is such hard work. It’s literally designed to be the easy meal to feed a crowd that you can shove in the oven before church and eat fairly soon after.

leave them to eat crap all day if that's what they're happy doing and get yourself a small portion of something nice you can stick in the oven with a few frozen roasties and steam some veg!
There's also some takeaways open but you normally need to pre-order.

They may not like vegetables but they must eat them occasionally? What is their favourite meal?

I've done a solo roast once, I work odd shifts so I had my Christmas dinner at 4am - it doesn't actually take that long when you're cooking just for you, definitely not slaving away in the kitchen for hours, I think mine was done in less than an hour.

I'd tell my husband and teens to order themselves a buffet or takeaway of some description if that's what they want and I'd have a mini roast to myself 😁

Beef wellington?

And go out with a friend to have a Christmas dinner in the pub before the big day.