What Time Did You Eat Xmas Lunch?

[londonscalling]

I was criticised (subtly) by an elderly relative for serving Christmas lunch so late yesterday.

By the time the teenagers got up, we opened presents, ate breakfast, had visitors in the morning and then cooked lunch, we didn't eat until 3pm.

Is that ridiculously late?

5:30pm - oldest child with ASD can't manage if we don't have our main meal then, Christmas Day or not!

2ish. We didnt manage pudding though so hsd that at 6 after a dog walk and bath.

4:30 pm

Dh wanted later but we compromised.

Nobody would be hungry enough for a main meal earlier than this.

I asked if they wanted me to record the Queen's speech so they could watch it later, but they said no. If the timing is mentioned again I sill now make a point of saying that most people don't eat until later. Next year they can take it or leave it!

Christmas lunch was swerved at 1.20pm.

*served!

7pm. No reason to get up at the crack of dawn or eat early for us.

What on earth are people cooking, that it would require getting up at the crack of dawn to eat at lunch time? It's only ever going to be the meat that takes a long time to roast, and unless you are expecting more than 14 people to lunch You'd never need to shove the turkey in before 8am to eat at 1pm...

Everyone should eat when they want, but I cook Christmas dinner every year and don't really understand how it takes so long that it has to be served at a random mid afternoon time unless that's a choice. If it's a choice, great, but it's just a big roast with a few extra vegetables and sides, it doesn't take all day to prepare and most of the time it doesn't need supervision...

You could warn them in advance next year that they may wish to grab a sandwich for lunch themselves, or you could offer soup or something easy, they may have health issues that needs tablets with food at certain times.

Starter at 1pm, main course at 2pm here. I was 7 minutes late with the main course.

At lunchtime. 1pm.

Aimed for 2pm but thanks to shit oven didn't eat main until 4.30. We had starters at 3pm to tide us over! Now I have a fridge full of snacky stuff which were planned for tea but because we ate so late weren't wanted.

We ate at about 1pm, however, it isn't important what time others ate.
What is important, if you struggle with blood sugar levels, to eat at the time you are expecting. That isn't just for people who are diabetic - a lot of people struggle if they don't eat at the time they normally do.

Is that ridiculously late?
Well, no, if that is what you are used to / what you are anticipating. But 'yes' - it is if your body was expecting a meal at 1pm.
They wouldn't wanted to have seemed rude - or indeed to fill themselves up with a sandwich at 1pm but it would have been helpful if you'd let them know the expected timetable for the day in advance and they could have sorted out how they wanted to play it.

It's like going to weddings. Totally up to the Bride and Groom how they sort out timings on the day, but really helpful if you know in advance if you are likely to be eating a big meal at 2.30 or not until 6.30 - you plan your breakfast / brunch / light lunch around it.

1pm. Buffet tea at 6pm. Had to get relative back to hospital for 8pm so worked well for us. Meant he got his pickled eggs and cocktail sausages as requested!

5pm.

About to eat it at 1pm today!
Same here ( ie 26th) - we looked at the weather forecast and went for a nice walk with a picnic on the 25th.
We never have a starter, and today didn't want dessert either - or anything other than a bit of cheese and biscuits this evening.

We had ours at 6.30pm (as we intended)

We always aim for somwhere between 2 and 3 and it's almost always served by 3 to 3-30. Then dessert in the evening when we have room. We never really have an evening meal as too full.

This year I had 2 croissants and prosecco at about 9:30 am we had our Christmas dinner at 3:05 then had dessert at about 7:30

It's normally around 5pm for us which is perfect for our family. However, DS1 was working this year so by the time he'd got home, we'd opened presents and finished cooking it was after 8pm by the time we sat down to eat. It was far too late, really. I wouldn't want to do that again.

Just after 5.30 p.m. and dessert (triflle) sometime during "Gavin and Stacey".

I'm flexible with Christmas dinner timings. Any time between 2.30 and 6 p.m.

Big meal at lunchtime, 1pm.
We go out for big walk at 2.30 while it's still light. Tea and cake at 4pm, Leftovers for tea at 7pm

12
Dh did it and got abit carried away. Luckily everyone up early due to excitement and I had done a light eggs Benedict breakfast so we were just hungry enough. Missed ou on pre lunch nibbles though. Was good as made day seem longer but 1.30 optimum imo

We ate at 2pm, usually aim for 2pm but it's often nearer 3 but this year needed to try and coincide with baby grandson's afternoon nap. Everything went like clockwork including the baby this year.

Lunchtime, so 13:00

We aimed for 5:30 but the meat was a disaster and we ended up not eating till 6:30 by which stage everyone was hungry and I was grumpy because the food was consumed with as much ceremony as a sandwich...apparently no one knew it mattered.