to provide this food...

[Whathashappenedtomyboobs]

So, this Christmas I have 11 family members (including DH, DS and I) coming to my home for Christmas dinner.
I really don't want to spend ALL of my time in the kitchen sweating over a hot stove, so today I went out and brought frozen Roast potatoes, parsnips, mixed veg, yorkshire pudding and peas. Nothing fresh in this house apart from the turkey I'm picking up Christmas eve and the puddings my mum will be making.

[natalie12188]

tbh my mum cooks for over 20 people on christmas day with not one frozen thing in sight and has always done since she was 18 this includes 4 different meats homemade stuffing roasted carrots and parsnips homemade gravy and she starts prep on xmas eve aswell as having a little family get together with nibbles on christmas eve but this is my mum im talking about only certain people can do it there's nothing wrong with frozen food each to their own and all that whats wrong with it all these people complaining about it are talking as if their day is going to be perfect...leave this lass alone if she wants to do frozen then fine im pretty sure that she will still be loved after it!!!!......and one last thing m&s really? either you all have got no finance issues during christmas time or are just too snobby to go to asda!!!

[FellatioNelson]

Well to be fair I would never say they were horrible, if I was a guest in someone else's home - but I might think it.

It depends. You can get some very good goose fat or beef dripping roast potatoes but the Aunt Bessie sort are dry and hard, and taste processed.

[Bertrude]

I wonder where I am on the horrid and vile scale...

I have just placed my order at the local golf club for THEM to cook my turkey, ham, veg, bread sauce and gravy for the 10 of us on Christmas day. All I will be making is mash and rosaries (and maybe Yorkshire puds), the starter and the pud and most of that prep will be done on Christmas eve.

I won't even know if theyve used frozen veg or not shock horror, but it'll all be collected piping hot an hour before serving well, 30 mins before guests arrive so they don't know I've cheated

Now is that bad or is that genius? I'm thinking the latter, as it means I don't have to worry on Christmas eve about getting too drunk that I wake up late and forget I'm cooking.

[Bertrude]

Obviously I meant roasties in my last post, I will not be serving rosaries.

[RubyGates]

Bertrude! How marvellous!
What a genius idea!

[Moln]

The star anise was in Jamie Oliver's gravy.

I made his gravy once, it was very tasty, just like he said (well he said something stupid sounding bit like pukka). I made it a week before Christmas and froze it (are there any posters flapping theur arms about screaming 'vile'now? )

saying that I've never, ever seen star anise in the shops.

Also what I want to know is what the heck are people doing to frozen veg if it's soggy and vile? Overcooking it sounds like.

Vile really is a MN word isn't it. Best read in a very posh English accent whilst looking all aghast

[MsGee]

I will be doing Xmas lunch for three. Everything will be frozen or pre-pared (by a supermarket). It's how we do Sunday roast every week.

I'm not overly confident in the kitchen and want to spend Xmas day playing with DD and will be putting playmobil together all day

When my folks and in laws come for a pre Xmas roast they will get the same. It's really a non issue here. That said I do remember my mum hoisting her judgy pants because my auntie did frozen roast potatoes one year.

also if you get the posh frozen potatoes which are in dripping they're nicer

[KitCat26]

Brilliant Bertrude!

Personally I would stick with frozen Yorkshires and peas, the rest I would prep the night before. says she buying it all ready prepped from M&S

[Bunbaker]

"As for the Yorkshire pudding... I have yet to meet someone who baked them at home from scratch, even on Christmas day. What I have heard though is lots and lots of stories about how people have tried to make some and failed, ending up with 'something' that didn't remotely look like a yorkshire pudding. So unless you know you can bake them well, I would stay clear of them and just buy frozen."

I agree, or shock horror, forego them entirely.

"saying that I've never, ever seen star anise in the shops."

Any decent sized supermarket will have them in the spices section. Anyway Whathashappenedtomyboobs I hope you have a lovely Christmas.

[WelshMaenad]

I get my star anise from Induan grocers, big bags of them for a quid versus several quid for just a few in supermarkets.

I readily admit to being too snobby for Asda. Is this a problem?

[WelshMaenad]

Also, I make Yorkers from scratch all the time, I have never bought a frozen one. Ever. Does this make me some kind of mythical beast?

I don't really get why Christmas lunch is so hard to prepare. It's just a roast. I do a roast with at least five different veg, all fresh, all from scratch, every Sunday. Christmas just involves more bacon lardons.

[Moln]

Not my decent sized supermarkers there's not! I'm starting to suspect they are illegal here. Might head over to WelshMaenad's Indian grogery and start a black market trade here (Ireland that is)!

Though I might have a look in the Asian Market in town first...

[Bunbaker]

I live in an area with one of the lowest ethnic populations in the UK and I can buy star anise from Tesco. In fact they stock two brands.

[Bunbaker]

Sorry. Didn't see that you were in Ireland (note to self - must read posts properly before replying)

[fuzzpig]

I only did a proper turkey thing once and it was like having another guest with all the basting, prodding and god knows what.

I'm worried about how you treat your human guests, yellow :o

[yellowsubmarine53]

Ha! It honestly was like having another toddler, in terms of how often I had to attend to its bodily fluids or dress. Everytime things went quiet, I had a 'omg, what's it up to?' moment.

What I learnt was make sure you take EVERYTHING out of the dratted thing. It was a relief to discover that they now put giblets in melt-proof wrapping for idiots like me, but not an ideal 'aha' moment on Xmas Day.

And cook the bastard thing into oblivion. It was in the oven for AGES (meaning that we had Xmas dinner with out the turkey and turkey sandwiches in the evening) and there was still red meat (meaning that we slung the bloody thing out on Boxing Day).

I offer this cautionary tale for vegetarians who might think that a whole turkey on Xmas day is a sensible starting point into cooking meat and in solidarity for those who wish to do no more on Xmas day than rip over a few packets.

[fuzzpig]

I am lucky DH was a chef for a long time, so even though I like cooking and participating in the creation of Xmas dinner (whether turkey or not), I can rely on him to know all the timings!

Ha! It honestly was like having another toddler

That's what I feel about my parents when they visit

[toomuchmonthatendofthemoney]

natalie we do have to be very careful with our money, but we will M&S for Xmas day as it is a treat for us, and the quality of the food is superb and appreciated, and we can taste the difference. I shop at Lidl and Asda the rest of the year round, but if I want to make it special for me, DH and my family for one special day, I bloody well will, so take your "snobby" comment and swivel, dearie.

[theoriginalandbestrookie]

YANBU apart from maybe the frozen veg, frozen brussel sprouts are rank but I guess with lots of gravy on them you won't notice and I happen to like frozen roasties. I can't see stuffing and pigs in blankets on your list though, which can also be bought frozen and tbh any shop bought stuffing is a million times better than my mums disgusting apricot stuffing that I was subjected to as a child.

I have bought a "bundle" from M&S with everything I need for Christmas day. As long as the turkey is big and the gravy hot I'm not sure if people notice much else.

DH will trough his way through a big portion, DS will stick his nose up at it all apart from the roasties probably, BIL who lives alone will be delighted and grateful to have a free meal and DM & DF are old and don't eat that much anyway so will have more than enough to pick at.

You know your family so I'm sure it will be absolutely fine.

[fuzzpig]

I don't really see the problem with some frozen veg. If you cook it properly it doesn't go mushy! We regularly use peas (obviously), broccoli, cauliflower and sliced runner beans. We even use mixed veg sometimes as it's super quick, as well as cheap.

I don't use frozen Yorkers though - they are ok, but DH is coeliac so he makes his from scratch, they are AMAZING. And I really don't give a flying figgy pudding that they aren't traditional!

[fuzzpig]

I use paxo (or mrs crimbles gluten free) stuffing, but add chopped up hazelnuts and chopped dried apricots, it's lovely, and much better than I could make from scratch (I do intend to try my own again one day though)

[BluelightsAndSirens]

I like Jamie's gravy and buy the star anise from Asdaaaaaaaaa.

There are a lot of lonely people in the world that would love a Christmas dinner made with frozen veg AND roasties AND yorkies, Christmas is a time for family and friends and for remembering how lucky you are to have a choice.

Happy Christmas.

[giraffe213]

"frozen brussel sprouts are rank" - yes but so are fresh ones, so what's the difference?

[RubyGates]

Good point giraffe! What's the point in preparing piles of Satan's little green farts, if no-one's going to eat them?

[ThereISaidIt]

I'd write a menu, the divide it out by those who will eat it.
That's what we do. Someone brings wine, someone brings cheese, someone brings nibbles and crisps etc.
makes it more manageable money wise too. Of course if all the guests are kids, that blows this suggestion out of the water!