To think serving a starter with Christmas dinner is unnecessary. And weird.

[Kavalier]

Am hosting DH's family for Xmas dinner for the first time this year. MIL always does a prawn cocktail starter and they will miss a starter if I don't serve one, so I will. I think it's very odd though. AIBU?

I've never had a starter before Christmas dinner. I like to get to a point of hunger where I'm just about to chew my own arm off. Then I can devour the massive roast! (Yorkshire puddings are a must)

I wouldn't even know what to have for a starter. I hate prawns and I don't like smoked salmon. Terry's Chocolate Orange and a handful of Cheeselets?

YABVU
Smoked salmon, or scallops in cream, or fish soup, or stuffed mushrooms all fine starters in our households (or our mothers')
Can't wait...

We've always had a starter as children. Sometimes it was melon, sometimes pate on toast. And sometimes prawn cocktail. I think it depended how much money mum had that year.

I can't remember what she does as a starter now though

At dad's on boxing day we used to have prawn cocktail. But his wife now does a choice and we have to decide in the morning. Soup, smoked salmon or prawns. I can never decide!

All this talk of prawns is making me so hungry for prawns

Bagels are horrible. Boiled bread?

Bagels are horrible. Boiled bread?

Amen to that. The only bagel worth its salt is a cinnamon and raisin one, and I'm not sure you'd stick a bit of salmon on that.

I dunno about you lot, but I'm going to limitedperiodonly's for Christmas.

I have to stop in to mrshathaway's to determine what 'single malt trifle fluff' is first, though. Once I've been brought round from the chocolate/ trifle shock.

We have chicken liver pate as our traditional starter. A friend who used to spend every Christmas with us before she emigrated used to make it. Now that she has fecked off, it's the devil's job to persuade one of the kids it's their turn. And sometimes the sourcing of the said livers is the even harder, depending where we are in the world.

Parsnips are indeed the law. And so is the mother of all cheese boards. Complete with random goaty/ cranberry choice that is still lurking in March because you've run out of meal ideas to use it up and no one will eat it with crackers.

YABU.
Compulsory smoked salmon and brown bread chez Catsize.

I am not Jewish. There are many things I admire about Jews. Their cuisine is not one of them.

YANBU I'd do what you and your DH want, not what guests may want. You're cooking so get to choose the meal and all our guests should be very grateful!

My family have never had starter I'd never even heard of it until a few years ago but DH's family always have it. Don't think I'll include it when I host unless DH wants to do it!

we do breakfast bagels too.

I think the logic is that everyone would eat an entire loaf of posh bread, with the smoked salmon & scrambled eggs, but bagels are sufficiently chewy to be self-limiting.

I dunno about you lot, but I'm going to limitedperiodonly's for Christmas.

But what are you going to bring to the table madwomanbackintheattic?

Since my mum has gone there is a vacancy for a washer-upper

NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. A starter just takes up space. More Christmas dinner for me please.

STARTER-LESS WEIRDOS.

No way could I eat three courses on any occasion. How can the human stomach hold that quantity? As for suggesting soup before a great plateful of meat and vegetables then the all-important pudding, I've never heard of that. Soup is lunch on boring days.

Prawn cocktail/ homemade soup/ pate on toast and salad. Choice of 3 starters here and then dinner.its not unknown for some of the menfolk to eat all starters then dinner.

Aah Christmas dinner is the best

Bottle Opener?

I could get hold of a sword and dh could practice opening bottles with it once he'd finished the tarte tatin?

I can do washing up as long as you don't make me load any dishwashers....

Not only do we not have a starter, we don't even have a Christmas Dinner. We have a Christmas Buffet at some point during the afternoon, early evening. Last year we had a very simple buffet

20 odd years of Christmas Dinner at the exMils house was enough to put me and the kids off Christmas dinner for life.

I can do washing up as long as you don't make me load any dishwashers....

Shall I do that then? I am the World's Best Dishwasher Loader*

Most of my friends and family know better than to load my dishwasher - or to interfere once I've started loading theirs. It drives me batty how inefficiently so many people load them.

*This isn't an actual title. I have bestowed it upon myself and therefore fear that it may not actually be legally binding

Those of you who claim to have a 'starter' a few hours before dinner...

Errrr. You do you realise that isn't actually a starter any more? It's a light lunch, or mid-morning snack.

A starter means that you stay sat down between eating that and the main course. Unless you are clearing the table or serving the next course. So there.

Nope, we don't have one. We have champagne about 11 am when we open the presents. Lunch about 2pm. This is usually.

However, my mum died this year and I will be almost 39 weeks pregnant on Christmas Day. DH and I are having the day at home alone. PIL live 130 miles away. So no alcohol for me this year and no mum.

We are just going to relax. Christmas dinner and a lazy day. No starter but we will have pud.

You lazy cow op!

Personally me and dh are always pissed in the kitchen by dinner time so serve what we can see.

The cats have had lucky escapes.

We have trifle for a starter