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AIBU?

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Original poster

to think starters with Christmas dinner are superfluous?

244 replies

thatsgotit · 15/12/2025 17:14

Just what the thread title says, really. How does anyone manage to do full justice to a turkey dinner if they've had their appetite blunted by a starter beforehand? (I do realise not everyone has turkey or even a roast, obviously, but I'm mainly talking here about those who do.)

This might be partly a generational thing, but personally I'd much rather leave myself more room to enjoy the main (and some Christmas pudding afterwards, which again I realise not everyone has) and it wouldn't even occur to me to plan a starter for Christmas Day. It just feels entirely superfluous. Surely I'm not the only one?

OP posts:
Icanthinkformyselfthanks · 16/12/2025 12:18

Over the years we’ve realised that no one has the appetite for either a starter or a pudding. The meat eaters get turkey/ ham roast while the rest of us have a nut roast, that’s more than enough for us.

FollowSpot · 16/12/2025 12:17

I don't see any evidence of it being 'generational'

In 4 generations of my family no one has done actual at-table starters for Christmas Dinner.

Amongst friends and family over several decades with dinner prepared by so-called Boomers to 20 year olds I have known many have a formal starter.

Not everything you do or don't do is 'generational'.

Bit ranty. But all too often on MN 'generational' is a precursor to glaring ageism.

Shoxfordian · 16/12/2025 12:10

I like a light smoked salmon starter then a pause for more wine before the mains

MrTiddlesTheCat · 16/12/2025 12:10

No starters! Next you'll be saying you don't have a cheese and crackers course or a coffee, mints and mince pies course. The horror!

CasperGutman · 16/12/2025 12:10

We do canapés after church with a glass or three of fizz, then the main dinner at about 4-5pm without starters.

That said, surely if you're too full up after a starter to eat your main course then the starter and/or main is too big. Planning a meal needs to take account of the total amount of food in the meal.

purplecorkheart · 16/12/2025 12:03

We do starters. Normally just some smoked fish and salad. We do beef as a main and tend to just do one kind of potatoes and a few different types of veg. None of us are big dessert people though, some do have cheese though.

Anotherdayanotherpound · 16/12/2025 12:00

ChocolateCinderToffee · 15/12/2025 17:28

Dunno what the non-starters on here would think of the six courses I’m aiming for!

Ooh, what are you making?? It’s just me, DH and 2 young children this year so I have to live vicariously through. DH isn’t English so not that interested in English Christmas food and the children don’t eat much, so it can feel a bit Spartan….

Original poster
thatsgotit · 16/12/2025 11:47

IAmKerplunk · 16/12/2025 11:34

My brother always had a plate of Yorkshire puddings before every Sunday roast - I thought it was just him. Is it a regional thing?

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I don't think so. I had an early Christmas lunch with friends a few weeks ago, restaurant in the south-east, and the plates were dominated by the most gigantic Yorkshire puddings you ever saw. Unmanageably gigantic, in fact. And we often get roast dinners served with Yorkshires where I live now (Midlands).

I know serving Yorkshire puddings before or with a meal originally used to be a ruse to eke out the meat, but happily the restaurant didn't stint on the meat either or I wouldn't have been happy. 😄

OP posts:
IAmKerplunk · 16/12/2025 11:34

firstofallimadelight · 16/12/2025 11:15

Dh likes a starter but the rest of us feel it’s too much so we do pancakes for breakfast around 9ish Christmas dinner at 2 pudding after. Then cheese/nibbles around 7pm

when I was a kid we had yorkie pudding as a starter, the grown ups had gravy and the kids a spoonful of sugar!

My brother always had a plate of Yorkshire puddings before every Sunday roast - I thought it was just him. Is it a regional thing?

IAmKerplunk · 16/12/2025 11:32

OopOop · 16/12/2025 10:57

There’s always an undercurrent on MN of ‘how can people possibly eat ALL THAT FOOD’, implying that anyone who eats more than they do is gluttonous and greedy. The OP may not have meant that, but it happens so often on MN that sadly many people jump to that conclusion.

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Yes there is often threads like that but I genuinely didn’t read this one like it. Have a slice of pork pie and happy Christmas 🎄

Ultravox · 16/12/2025 11:23

We have ditched starters in the past few years in favour of canapés. Everyone arrives about 2. We have a few rounds of delicious snacky things e.g. smoked salmon blinis, prawn cocktail lettuce cups, melon & Parma ham skewers, caprese skewers, pate on mini oatcakes then Xmas dinner about 5.

Apart from anything else it’s easier to time dinner if you’re not faffing around with a starter.

thenightsky · 16/12/2025 11:21

EuroTour · 15/12/2025 17:17

We have starters for lunch. Loads of room for a roast at around 6.

That's how we do it too. Starter for lunch, main course around 5pm and pudding at approx 8pm.

Original poster
thatsgotit · 16/12/2025 11:17

OopOop · 16/12/2025 11:04

Well enormous apologies for ruining your lovely, lighthearted thread ❤️

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Oh good grief. No one's forcing you to reply or even read. What exactly is your beef with this thread?

OP posts:
Original poster
thatsgotit · 16/12/2025 11:16

OopOop · 16/12/2025 10:57

There’s always an undercurrent on MN of ‘how can people possibly eat ALL THAT FOOD’, implying that anyone who eats more than they do is gluttonous and greedy. The OP may not have meant that, but it happens so often on MN that sadly many people jump to that conclusion.

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You're right, I don't mean that, and I think it's a pity my thread's been conflated with those threads by a few on here when all I was trying to do was get a feel for how other people do Christmas dinner. There's a difference between people saying they can't always manage three courses in one sitting, and the sort of performative 'Ooh, really, three grapes and a lettuce leaf?' threads that pop up on MN with depressing frequency. And tbh I enjoy my food rather too much sometimes, and am the last person who'd have standing to call anyone gluttonous or greedy.

OP posts:
EuroTour · 16/12/2025 11:15

DrivingMrDaisy · 16/12/2025 02:11

That seems completely nuts to me.
Have a two course lunch a few hours before the biggest meal of the year which will be followed by multiple desserts 🤪

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Why nuts? Choice of starters at lunch - prawn cocktail, smoked salmon blini, calamari, salad etc. then big roast at supper. We normally eat our biggest meal in the evening with a lighter lunch so continue this on Christmas Day.

firstofallimadelight · 16/12/2025 11:15

Dh likes a starter but the rest of us feel it’s too much so we do pancakes for breakfast around 9ish Christmas dinner at 2 pudding after. Then cheese/nibbles around 7pm

when I was a kid we had yorkie pudding as a starter, the grown ups had gravy and the kids a spoonful of sugar!

OopOop · 16/12/2025 11:04

thatsgotit · 16/12/2025 11:00

I was about to reply in pretty much the same vein.

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Well enormous apologies for ruining your lovely, lighthearted thread ❤️

Original poster
thatsgotit · 16/12/2025 11:00

IAmKerplunk · 16/12/2025 10:50

Bloody hell - it’s just a nice Christmas thread about starters 🤣

I for one like reading about other people’s food choices and traditions

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I was about to reply in pretty much the same vein.

OP posts:
OopOop · 16/12/2025 10:57

IAmKerplunk · 16/12/2025 10:50

Bloody hell - it’s just a nice Christmas thread about starters 🤣

I for one like reading about other people’s food choices and traditions

Show quote history

There’s always an undercurrent on MN of ‘how can people possibly eat ALL THAT FOOD’, implying that anyone who eats more than they do is gluttonous and greedy. The OP may not have meant that, but it happens so often on MN that sadly many people jump to that conclusion.

IAmKerplunk · 16/12/2025 10:50

OopOop · 16/12/2025 10:46

But yes, I was curious as to how people manage a starter on Christmas Day

Surely you could have managed to come up with the answer to that yourself 😂. They either eat less at other meals/courses than you do, or they have bigger appetites. It’s not rocket science!

Bloody hell - it’s just a nice Christmas thread about starters 🤣

I for one like reading about other people’s food choices and traditions

LBOCS2 · 16/12/2025 10:49

DBD1975 · 16/12/2025 01:43

Starters, no way.
Just myself and DH for Christmas lunch. Got him to agree to a 'normal' roast turkey dinner (to keep the calories and stress down) which he was happy with, however, over the past few days the following additional requests have been made:

Special turkey gravy
Chestnut stuffing
Red cabbage
Pigs in blankets
Cauliflower cheese
Parsnips

No doubt there are further additions to come!

I would consider cauliflower cheese, stuffing (although probably not fancy stuffing) and parsnips to be part of a normal roast tbh. The differences for us tend to be the pigs in blankets and red cabbage :)

OopOop · 16/12/2025 10:46

But yes, I was curious as to how people manage a starter on Christmas Day

Surely you could have managed to come up with the answer to that yourself 😂. They either eat less at other meals/courses than you do, or they have bigger appetites. It’s not rocket science!

Original poster
thatsgotit · 16/12/2025 10:44

BauhausOfEliott · 16/12/2025 00:06

YANBU to do Christmas dinner however you happen to like it. YABU to think it’s superfluous for everyone and to profess to be baffled that anyone can manage it.

Personally, I don’t bother with breakfast on Christmas Day; never have. I’m not a breakfast person, I hate getting up early and I’m likely to be eating a lot later in the day. But I don’t think it’s ’superfluous’ for other people if they want a fancy Christmas Day breakfast. People can and should just do what they want.

Sometimes I do a starter, sometimes not. If I don’t, I usually put out some salmon pâté and crackers or a plate of blini for people to graze on with a glass of something while they’re opening presents or whatever. When I do make a starter it’s always something really light and fresh, probably something like ceviche or a citrus winter salad.

Well, obviously people should do what they want, and I haven't said any different. And I never said they were superfluous for 'everyone' - that would have been very prescriptive, not to mention arrogant. I asked the question simply because a starter feels superfluous for me personally, and I was interested to know what others thought about that.

But yes, I was curious as to how people manage a starter on Christmas Day/why people like doing them, because personally it wouldn't work for me, and the responses to that question have helped me get a feel for what people who do starters enjoy about doing them, and the kinds of things that are served.

OP posts:
Lostsadandconfused · 16/12/2025 02:58

We do canapés.

We split the cooking between several people so it’s no trouble to do several types of hot/cold canapé. Something like blinis with smoked salmon, mini puff pastries with Brie and cranberry, mini Yorkshire puds with rare roast beef.

The canapé cook is also in charge of getting wine ready and serving drinks to the guests and cooks.

However if we have leftover prawns from the night before seafood feast, we’ve been known to serve a sit down starter of prawn cocktails.

PeloMom · 16/12/2025 02:21

I come from a culture where special meals such as Christmas lunch/ dinner last for most of the day; so you start around 1pm with starters with the meal concluding by 8-9pm so multiple courses are normal