To ask relative to bring something else instead?

[MyFirstName]

We are hosting Christmas. Had offers of help/family bringing stuff. Asked one part of the family to bring dessert to offer an alternative to Christmas Pudding. Another to bring cheese (mainly for evening buffet, but to offer any who could fit it in after lunch).

A and B decided to how to split the jobs A would bring cheese and B would bring dessert. No skin off my nose. However B is a little flaky/suffers from last-minute-itis so i discussed with DH and have got in some cheep/cheerful frozen profiteroles as a back up. We like them, can eat them another time, but they are there as backup if B fails to deliver. Which is entirely possible.

Just heard from B re dessert. They have decided, as the alternative-to-Christmas-pudding dessert, that they are bringing............Christmas Pudding Ice-cream. Am I the only one the think FFS!!!

Their reason for making it is that is lovely to eat, easy to make and will travel well. Valid reasons. But I do not think it in anyway offers an alternative to Christmas Pudding!

Would I be unreasonable to phone B and to say, please do not bring that. Or if you do could you do something else as well? Or should I just suck it up. Accept the ice cream gratefully and plan for something else myself (I have an easy lemon cheesecake recipe I could whip up the day before). Or get the profiteroles out. I have a bit of an up/down relationship with this person. I think it would be almost impossible for me to say something without them getting the hump and taking it in very bad grace.

Should I be brave and say something? Or just accept the icecream and defrost the profiteroles?

Blimey, this all seems a bit of a fuss over nothing. Your house will be rammed with food, if anybody needs a sweet fix but hates Christmas pudding and also hates Christmas pudding ice cream, they can have at the Quality Street tsunami. Really, do people complain in other peoples houses when the menu choices don't exactly fit their tastes?

Why not say, "Icecream - what a wonderful idea - could you bring a couple of different flavours - I love strawberry/chocolate/coffee/whatever - you can never have too much icecream, can you??!"

Definitely ask them to bring something else.
Many people do not like Christmas pudding in any shape or form.

If you don't ask them, then you're going to have to provide a third choice of pudding for guests that s a bit better than cheap and cheerful profiteroles, which will probably come across as such.

Otherwise, change your pudding to something without dried fruit, eg serve trifle instead of Christmas pudding.

I can't imagine many people would want to eat Christmas pudding ice cream. It sounds horrid.

Christmas pudding ice cream - bleurgjhhh! Tell her you haven't room in your freezer to store it!

Ask them to bring an Iceland ice cream bottle instead.

My mother in law makes Christmas pudding ice cream. It isn't really Christmas pudding at all - have you guys tried it? It is a big hit with young and old in a house where almost 20 people have Christmas together.

How about just giving her a chance and trying it?

And as I said upthread. The thing that makes a great Christmas atmosphere isn't how many puddings there are, or exactly what they are, but people being pleased to see each other and the host creating a welcoming mood, both before the event and during it.

As far as I can see, the things that upset people at Christmas are people, not food. Don't be the host who creates the unpleasant atmosphere before or during the event over a pudding!

just call & ask if she hasn't already bought it, if not maybe she could buy something simple "for the kids" as they don't like xmas pud... if its too late, just say well thats a shame, maybe some clementines/other then......ho hum....

I haven't tried Christmas pudding ice cream as the taste and texture of dried fruit makes me vomit. Quite a few people heartily dislike dried fruit, which is probably why OP asked for an alternative pudding.

If I was offered a choice of two puddings, each containing dried fruit at a family meal where my hatred of the same was known, I'd think it very strange, to say the least. If One pudding was chocolate gateau and someone was asked to bring an alternative, would they really trot up with chocolate mousse?

OK, so general consensus is that IANBU to think (as quiet put it) "Daft bint". Seriously, seriously B knew that the reason for the alternative is that several in our family do not like Christmas Pudding/similar type dried fruit desserts. We are only having the Christmas Pudding (which if it is just "us" we never get) to please other relatives who think Christmas is not the same without it.

Oh and I have had Christmas Pudding Ice cream before - it is quite nice better than just regular Christmas pudding imho. And the reason I have had it?- it is my recipe - B had it at my house one year. When I didn't do Christmas Pudding for dessert - just the ice cream and a chocolate based alternative.

But also general consensus is IWBU to say something. Am no, no, no way going to do the Nomama suggestion. God,huge shudders just thinking about the fall out if I did that!! Passive Aggressive is not the way to create a harmonious day!

I shall big up the ice cream. And B is a good cook - it will be lovely. Serve it with/without the Christmas Pudding and have a non dried fruit alternative "leftover" from Christmas Eve.

And I shall remain the gracious host. Am glad I have not been berated for not "man-ing up" and saying something.

And for all those who have commented "it is only a pudding why the fuss", I shall remember to only post in AIBU about proper problems in future. Like cleaning toilets. Or parking.

Yabu I hate Xmas pud and I hate ice cream. Talk about a nightmare dessert. Although I love cheese and would happily have that instead.

YANBU sorry YANBU definitely not.

Good plan to make sure there are leftovers. I'd secretly hope that nobody touches the ice cream though and deliberately not have it myself.

Oh OP - my dh and I are in hysterics thinking about your relatives. I wish you a lovely Xmas day. Karma will swing your way for being a very patient and thoughtful host I'm sure.

And for the record I agree trifle is vile

I'm not a big fan of Christmas Pudding and I haven't tried it, but I would expect that I would be unlikely to enjoy Christmas Pudding ice cream.

However I love chocolate profiteroles, and certainly wouldn't consider them a poor relation of the other desserts. I have bought in industrial sized quantities of profiteroles for our visiting hoards and decided to go for the Tesco frozen cheapy ones rather than the M&S pyramid, becase to be honest, I'm not sure they would notice the difference.

Dish up everything including the cheese and have the left overs on Boxing day.

Iam you need to get your post deleted, it's very offensive.

What, to those who like Christmas pudding

Get a grip

Well you used the words Iceland Icecream Bottle in yours, and let me tell you that's offensive as well

Anyway off to do real life stuff so you can argue with yourself

It's a pudding thread

Right.

So an Iceland dessert is as offensive as the word 'retard'. Well I never.

Look on the bright side - we can apparently all say whatever we like without fear of rebuke as long as it's on pudding threads.

Is B your sister in law, per chance?