Can you please critique my Christmas day buffet

[ProssecoSparkle]

Can you lovely lot please cast an eye over my Christmas day buffet. This is for 4 adults, 1 tween, 1 three year old and a 11 month old.

Is there anything you would take out? Different combinations?

Chocolate cake
Sticky toffee pudding
Cream
Ice cream
Dips and breadsticks
A few different crisps
Crudets
Cheese and pickle on sticks
Hummus
Cheeseboard
Mini chedders
Tangerines
Hero's
Cranberry sauce
Pate
Colslaw
Vol e vans
Lentil soup
Brusheta
Steak slices
Salad
Mozzarella and tomatoes
Mustard and honey dip
Italian meats
Turkey
Pigs in blankets
Carrots
Parsnips
Brussels sprouts
Stuffing
Sausage rolls
Dauphin potatoes
Yorkshire puddings

This will all be homemade

Yeah I think that's a terrible idea. Honestly everything else sounds way nicer also so I would leave that off.

It sounds amazing to me! A proper festive banquet.

The soup and shot glasses you could do by having the pot of soup constantly on a low heat on the hob, and empty full your own shot glasses by the side.
Probably not for the 1 yr old.

@arethereanyleftatall the only thing I am not making is the pastry because I've never made that before. But everything else is made by me.

@OriginalUsername2 that's a good point. I would have to serve it and then get them to have that first. I could just keep it in the pot on low and people can help themselves.

This all sounds amazing! I’d say you don’t need as much dessert, but I realise now that you are just like me and you need to ensure there is something there that everybody would like.
Nothing worse than thinking people are either hungry or don’t have something they can eat!

thanks for sharing as I’m stealing some for my NYE buffet now 😂

I haven’t read all comments but I think fruit would be good to cut through all the heavy

Oh or you could do gazpacho instead of soup??

This is a massive amount of food!

I wouldn't bother with the lentil soup

I couldn't cope without roast potatoes on Christmas Day personally.

I'd also add custard as a hot option for the desserts.

The desserts don't scream Christmas to me so I'd throw in something traditional there unless everyone hates them. Roll out some premade pastry and stick some mincemeat in or something.

You know what your guests like. Just a bit confused about what will be served hot and at what point? Like carrots and sprouts.

Do you have to serve your Christmas roast buffet style? How are you keeping it warm and fresh all day long without it drying out or giving everyone food poisoning?

Personally, I'd serve warm and freshly cooked)
Starter: Soup
Main:Turkey, Gammon roast pots, pigs in blankets, vegetables etc
Pudding: STP/Xmas pud with cream, ice cream, etc

Cheeseboard

Mince pie and tea/coffee.

The above preferably all as a sit down meal. If it's not possible to sit everyone down, at least bring out each course hot and fresh and then clear away / fridge as appropriate before bringing out the next course.

I'd then have crisps/sweets/nibbles etc out for people to help themselves to, along with leftovers later in the day.

I'd really disappointed with roast dinner served buffet style going cold and congealed sitting out on a table all day growing bacteria.

Honestly, although the individual items on your list sound perfectly lovely, the idea of that odd mixture of foods just being dumped on the table together buffet style doesn't appeal one bit.

All of this!!

Will take off the soup because that's the majority vote on here. Will make it for dinner one night in-between Christmas and New year as a light dinner. @AmusedBouched half like chocolate cake and half like sticky toffee pudding so I was stuck with the two of them. Got plenty of different fruits to go out also. Glad I could help I spent weeks going through old threads on here and ticktock to get my list. Then facetime/group chat with the troops to make sure everyone had things they liked. Then I braved Tesco today which was utter madness. It was so busy.

If your kitchens cold then all the stuff that should be hot will go cold. Cold sprouts and carrots are no ones idea of a nice Christmas buffet. Sorry I think it sounds disorganised with not much thought about what and how it will all taste together. I'd have all the starter type food out together, then a good break, then get out the warm food. Then a few hours later add the puds and chocolates.

Two things spring to mind.

Firstly, you will not have enough pigs in blankets. Double the quantity you are planning on, and then double it again.

Secondly - Twiglets. T.W.I.G.L.E.T.S.

I rest my case.

@devilspawn I have mince pies and sadly I am the only one that likes custard. I do have some in my cupboard though. I did think about roast potatoes maybe float that idea to them.

@CheeseTime everything will go out hot at the same time. When the buffet opens.

The turkey will be slices not a whole turkey.

It'll be cold and congealed within 10 minutes. Expect to be scraping most of it in the bin.

Why not seve one course at a time, hot and fresh. And save the buffet for the evening (or boxing day).

Will there be gravy with the Yorkshire puds?

I'm not used to a Xmas buffet but I think it sounds fun and there's lots of super yummy stuff to keep you going for a long time on your list.

So you find this more relaxed than a sit down meal?

@slightlydistrac I have 30 pigs in blankets surely that will be enough 😉 and I stopped buying twigglets when they done away with the worstershire (sp?) Ones.

If need be I can keep bits hot in the warming drawers.

Don’t forget the twiglets! Christmas isn’t complete without them!

edif- glad I’m not the only one calling twiglets 🤣

@Princessfluffy yeah there will be gravy. I find a buffet works for us much easier than a sit down meal. We usually always have buffets this is our first Christmas day one though.

Lots of good advice for me to ponder. Thank you all.

Sounds like an AI buffet in an up market hotel.
I'm totally down 😁

I would actually love a buffet and not a sit down meal
Enjoy , op !

Just let me know what time? 😉

gazpacho in December ?