AIBU to not do a starter with Christmas dinner?

[bibbitybobbitybloodyaxe]

This is slightly troubling me.

On 25th December I will be serving up a huge roast dinner, followed by pudding (an actual pudding rather than just my usual fruit, yogurt or icecream) and before that dinner we will have had all sorts of nibbles like nuts, olives, mini cheddars, twigletts (cos we are well classy ).

So, I never ever do three courses unless am having a proper dinner party.

Aibu not to faff around with a starter when its just us 4 and my mum (aged 80 and small appetite) on Christmas day?

I'm beginning to doubt myself having exposed myself to the Mumsnet xmas beserkers .

We never have a starter and we never have a pudding! Too full.

Heavens, no! After a morning troughing down all the nibbles that haven't been literally nailed down, nobody in our extended family wants a starter!

So no, YANBU.

No starters. They take up valuable roastie space in the tummy.

I prefer to have a starter, as we have a family tradition of a rather random starter, which I'm too embarrassed to admit here, but it wouldn't be Christmas without it, but if none of you are bothered then don't. Who's going to complain?

Having the same starter issue here Bibbity. There's been prawn cocktails for starters in our family since 1970 and this is the year it is going to stop We rarely have roasts, so it's all a bit of a timing nightmare for me, without the added stress of sorting out a starter too.

This could be bigger than the year I decided we would only be having roasties and not mash and new potatoes as well

We have nibbles, main course and pudding, and even that is a lot to fit in! I really wouldn't bother with a starter. Nibbles are easier less formal and allow people to pick at what they want.

In fact I very very rarely do a starter even for a dinner party - I just think it's unnecessary and I'd be gutted not to have enough room for dessert, which is the highlight for me!

trixymalixy - what is random starter? Please tell me. Dairy Lea on toast, pork pies, greggs sausage rolls?

YANBU. No starter means more room for pudding.

I found it bizarre the first time I went to DH's family's house for christmas that they had a starter. At my mum's we have snacks/nibbles with champagne from 10am or so then sit down at 1.30 to turkey about 7 veg, roasties, pigs in blankets, sausages, gravy, bread sauce etc etc. The christmas pudding and then nuts and fruit and occasionally cheese but cheese usually started christmas eve and eaten again with cold bits on christmas day evening

You're not far off Eggrules...

Heinz tomato soup albeit with a very generous slug of sherry in it.

Ive no idea why, but it has always been so.

My aunt did one year replace it with roasted tomato and red pepper soup which caused uproar and it was back to Heinz the next year.

No starters here either.

My DH insists that we have a starter. I would really rather not. We always have nibbles as well and I never have room for pudding (or the separate christmas pud he makes us eat after :o)

I don't think there's any need :)

I think you only need a starter when you're catering for lots of adults and you need them to "sit the fuck down and get out of my kitchen" then last minute gravy and vegetables can be sorted while you are clearing the starter.

No starter here.

I prefer to spend the time cooking (what seems like) 67 different vegetables and bits and bobs to eat with the turkey, as opposed to farting around with a starter.

Plus I have no desire to eat a starter. We normally spend the day mainlining mince pies and clotted cream.

One day I am going to go onto food focus and tot up the calorie content of the day and then kill myself

Well we have a traditional ham and hard boiled eggs breakfast, then once we get to the house where Christmas dinner is there's bowls of nibbles out whilst everyone gathers together, unwraps presents from other extended family members etc. Then somehow we squeeze 12+ around a table designed for 6.

So no, we don't have a sit-down starter (as opposed to pre-dinner nibbles). It would just be too much. And anyway you need loads of space for roasties and then Christmas pudding.

trixymalixy - tis fine. In fact my DS loves it and I will give it to him for lunch on Christmas day. Traditions are great - especially food ones.

mine is a crostini with pate with a little salad garnish, then 2 hours after dinner, then after a few more hours a dessert.

it long drawn out meal

Growing up we never had a starter and I still don't.

First time dsis made xmas lunch for her dp (now dh), his mum and dad, my mum, aunt, me and my dp (plus couple of assorted grannies and aunts) she just assumed she was doing traditional (to us!) Xmas dinner of turkey and trimmings followed by Xmas pud and trimmings.

She laid the table the night before at which point her dh saw it and started to berate her for not laying it properly. It was laid beautifully - but obviously missing cutlery for the starter. And the extra joints of meat (beef and trimmings including yorkshires plus a gammon), the bread sauce, the apple pie, the trifle with alcohol, the trifle without alcohol, the fruit salad and other pudding (I can't remember what) - all of which were traditional to him and hadn't occurred to him that she would do anything else. So - as she is too nice for her own good and her dp was really passive-aggressively and meanly whining about how she couldnt be a very good cook if she didnt lnow how to do a proper Christmas lunch (ie his) and how it wouldn't be Christmas without all the proper stuff - instead of having a nice relaxing evening she ended up having to set to and sort out loads of extra stuff, most of which ended up uneaten even several days later with lots of house guests, there was just too much food and pressure from her dp . At least now when she does it she can be a bit more prepared and has finally managed to make him see that they don't need all of it especially when he's not around to help (farmer so stays out doing jobs until everythings done in the kitchen )

bacon sarnies @8am

mince pies and rum coffees @ 10.30, while opening pressies

soup or melon starter
turkey and all trimmings
trifle or christmas pud or icecream pudding @ 12.30
coffee and mints

buffet tea @ 5.30pm

sweets, fruit, tea/coffee juices and mince pies available throughout the day

not at my house though, this is what we provide at work (residential care) so staff privide in shifts, and go home knackered

and it ALL gets eaten!!

I'm confused by all this talk of no room for pudding...........don't you all have a separate pudding stomach? I do

Surely you can do whatever you like? Seems like there is a diversity of Christmas traditions, so surely none of them are 'right' except to the families involved?

My mother does the roast for 1pm lunch (no starter, and mince pies & brandy butter for pud). Then there will be cake at tea time and then a late dinner party buffet type meal (ham, salad, Christmas pudding , lots of deserts and stilton). We do a fry up for breakfast and then a roast at around 4ish. We'll have Christmas pudding but no starter (I really don't its necessary with a roast)

We used to have melon as a starter, which I like as it sets the tone for a 'special' meal (piles of chopped stem ginger or swigs of port to add to it) without being filling. I have cooked the whole five-course Christmas dinner including veggie option in the past (including the one in college with only two hobs and a microwave and the oven was 200 yards across college and required 50p in the slot every 15 minutes!), but now it's nibbles to keep the kids/everyone else happy, the roast course, walk to the park and back, and Christmas pud.

Have warned everyone staying this year that I will organise the roast course, there are puds to be microwaved, but everything else for the 4 days will be readymade by someone else, probably Mr Lidl. I'll be 8 months pregnant with 6 houseguests so what I say goes. :)

Christmas dinner at MIL's on Christmas Day at 3ish - no starter.

"Christmas" dinner at my parents' on 27th/28th begins with nibbles around 4pm, sit down at table for starter around 6, main course about 6.45. Then pudding (usually 3 choices) at about 8. Cheese course will come out around 8.45, followed by coffee and chocs at about 9.30. The cheese, coffee and chocs will stay out for the next couple of hours, during which port, brandy and various liquers picked up by my brothers on their travels will also be consumed. Most of us will still be at the table at 2/3am. Pretty much my favourite meal of the year!!

We don't have starters, I wouldn't be able to eat my xmas dinner otherwise Don't have pudding either, we cant eat it as there is no room too :)

We do have brekkie and nibbles during the day, xmas dinner then normally a turkey sandwich when we get back from MIL's