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 very rarely have a starter. I just couldn't eat that much in one go. I usually only have room for a main or if the portions are small a main and one other course. I prefer desert.

I've eaten a 3 course meal perhaps twice in my life ? And they were tiny portions and I still left some.

Starters are for meals out or friends round to dinner, we never have them at home normally. I want to be starving for my Christmas dinner, not have the edge off my appetite.

That was to starlight by the way.

Yes you absolutely must have a prawn cocktail starter. If not, there will be a thump at the door and Santa's elves will burst in, bundle you outside and pelt you with snowballs.
It's only once a year, and the dinner should take hours and hours, so everyone can digest the courses at their leisure. I'm so common that I love the pink sauce on the prawns. By the time The Queen is on, we're comatose, so the Pudding is eaten later, followed by a late supper of seafood and crisps.
Go on, stuff yourselves, don't stint. It's Christmas after all!

WTAF with all these prawn cocktail starters??

I have never heard of this before!

It pains me greatly I don't have room for starter or desert after a nice meal out but there's not a lot I can do about it.

I don't bother with a starter (unless you count chucking a bit of bread at a child who is wondering why lunch is half an hour later than usual and smelling like it should be eaten NOWWWWW a starter) but I wouldn't say it's weird.

I'm all about the stuffings. Even just for the 4 of us, I serve 2 different ones. And lots of veg.

Isn't that what selection boxes are for?

i don't think i've actually eaten prawn cocktail more than once in my life. it's not that i don't like it, it was very nice iirc, but the opportunity has never arisen again

YANBU I never heard of a starter before Christmas dinner!!!!!

Definitely not! Smoked salmon for breakfast, doubtless some chocolate..then The Big Lunch.

Yes I LOVE the veg and the pickings and bread sauce omg I could eat bread sauce butties

It's never occurred to me to serve a starter with Christmas dinner. We've never had one. The dinner itself is usually massive enough, and then there's Christmas pudding.

My starter is the chocolates I will inevitably consume on Christmas morning, or maybe a mid-morning mince pie.

Smoked salmon with herb cheese starter here.

DCs insist on it now

Huge 3 course meal mid day means no catering in the evening, apart from passing round chocs and nuts, because we are all stuffed! Happy days.

It's just the three of it's for Christmas lunch so we have what we want but don't eat tons at one go.

We have a smallish breakfast - maybe croissants or muffins.

We call at a friends house late morning and have nibbles and canapés there... I treat that as a starter.

Then main course will be a couple of hours later.

And dessert probably another couple of hours after that.

We never eat another meal later on bar maybe some toast for supper.

I absolutely agree - traditional Christmas dinner does not include a starter and does not require the addition of a starter.

Champagne beforehand and during is a must, however.

Don't get me wrong, I love starters and agree they're the best part of most meals. I also utterly love prawn cocktail. But I agree with everyone who says they need to save space for the main event.

Now, Xmas starters eaters, how long are you sitting at the table after your starter waiting for the rest of the meal whilst the cook farts about draining the sprouts etc?

We eat the lovely pink prawn cocktail about half an hour before the main event.

And are you eating at 2pm or in the evening?

YY to smoked salmon and champagne for breakfast though.

Haha I was laughing at the quail egg problem. I am not posh either, but i am guessing it doesn't just balance on top like a cherry.
I dont do a starter here, but it would be easy if you wanted to, as most starters can be got ready in advance and the dinner can be kept warm for a short while without spoiling while you eat the starter.

prawn cocktail starter in my house - we stretch christmas dinner over 3 hours eg starter at 2, main at 3 then dessert at 4

Never had Christmas dinner without a starter - usually asparagus and smoked salmon. Christmas dinner lasts a good two and a half. No tree presents until afterwards - including children. The food and time together is a big deal for us, love it all.

hours

I am undecided on whether to unreasonable you or not depending when these starters are occuring.

We have Christmas dinner in the early evening, and I don't do a starter for that, for the primary reason that there is simply not enough space in my stomach for and then the traditional roast and all the shizzle that goes with it, and then Christmas pudding yadda yadda , maybe a walnut and some port, maybe a little bit of cheese...
In fact even thinking about trying to commence all of that eating with some prawns is making me feel a bit sweaty. I believe I would become dangerously ill if I attempted such a thing. And so would my husband.

However if you do your starter a good three or four hours before the main event well that's OK. As you will have created space. Even better if you take the dog for a walk. That definitely hastens things along.

I vote nay and therefore YANBU to saying hell no to the pre-bird starter.