What a What are your Christmas food traditions?

[AlwaysPrettyOnTheInside]

We have a ham that's cooked on Christmas eve, had for dinner that day and then here and there until its gone.

Christmas day isnt set, but is usually beef or lamb, and New year's day is beef.

Lamb at Easter too.

All followed on from my mum, and dh's family were the same too.

Often fish pie on Christmas Eve. Home made mince pies and mulled wine while watching Carols from King’s.

Smoked salmon/cream cheese/ bagels for late C Day breakfast (easy!) Probably Nutella pancakes for any small Gdcs staying.

A big piece of gammon, cooked with a spicy orange glaze on Chr. Eve, to be eaten whenever. Smells divine while cooking.

No C. Day lunch as such (except for any small children), but plenty of nice canapés (M&S) around 2-3 pm, gallons of Buck’s Fizz from breakfast onwards.

Dinner at around 5-6 pm - Free range turkey, homemade stuffing/pigs in blankets/Christmas pudding, flamed. Loads of roast potatoes and proper gravy, made with turkey giblet stock. Parsnips, carrots, sprouts. CBA with lots of different veg.

Boxing Day to NYE, basically eating up leftovers, with plenty of salad, baked potatoes, and a big macaroni pie thrown in. Turkey stew at some point, made with stock from the carcass and lots of assorted veg.

Last bits of leftover turkey in small meal-sized packets in the freezer, labelled Turk Bits.🙂. V good in a substantial Mulligatawny soup on a cold winter’s day.

Frozen bake at home croissants/pain au chocolate for breakfast.
Homemade mushroom and chestnut stuffing cooked separately as I am pescatarian.
Blinis with smoked salmon, lumpfish caviar, lobster and sour cream as a starter.
Eton mess rather than Christmas pud.

I make my own Christmas cake. Doing it this weekend actually. And my own mince pies once we are into December. I also make gingerbread men and get mulled wine in whilst we decorate the tree. I don't even like mulled wine much but it makes the room smell all festive.

Christmas Day is pretty standard - bacon butties and bucks fizz for breakfast, traditional Christmas dinner and too full for tea so picking at leftover turkey.

I always buy far too much cheese and snacky stuff.

Christmas Eve: roast dinner with all the trimmings. Usually chicken and lamb. With Yorkshire puddings, of course.

Christmas Day: husband and children make a full cooked breakfast. Then we have a buffet later in the afternoon/ evening.

I refuse to cook a roast in the kitchen while everyone else is having fun with presents.