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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To buy M&S Xmas main?

60 replies

DrMum83 · 09/12/2015 17:20

Is this lazy?

In laws coming for Xmas. They're real foodies and excellent cooks. I am not.
I want to impress but have an 11 month old and in between stopping her eating the Xmas tree and wrapping presents, I don't have the time nor skill to make something amazing.
I've seen on M&S site pre prepared mains, so goose or turkey or whatever already garnished and seasoned with lovely stuff and the accompaniments also look good.

The other option is to get the bird from local butcher but then I'd be stressing about timings and garnishing etc (M&S label on their birds is like an idiot's guide...)
Dya think I'd be wimping out doing this and dya think it would be as impressive?
( I realize in grand scheme of things that I'm lucky to have this as one of my main worries at mo)

OP posts:
LuisSuarezTeeth · 09/12/2015 17:54

What a great idea! I love cooking, but I find it stressful at Christmas.

Rinceoir · 09/12/2015 17:55

It would definitely be fine. Another option would be to get all your sides and stuffing from m+s, and do a turkey yourself, it's actually quite easy to cook. It's all the sides, stuffing, gravy etc that's harder (I have a serious lack of oven space!).

Boredofthinkingofnewnames · 09/12/2015 17:58

After doing it myself for 12 when I had 4 month old twins, I am this year waitrose / M&S - ing all the way. Beef Wellington for us. I am doing my own potatoes though as quite frankly, they're the best!

OnlyLovers · 09/12/2015 17:59

Course YANBU!

With a small child I think you're a bit saintly even having people over. Grin

Bollocks to trying to impress. Focus instead on how you have family gathered around you and enjoy the day. Anyone who comes along determined to be impressed/unimpressed can jog on.

Have a lovely and relatively peaceful Christmas!

hypercalifragilistic · 09/12/2015 17:59

Absolutely not! Christmas meal must obviously be made from your own hands!

I am ordering nearly everything from Cook and M&S, but no-one needs to know that, diner will be magically made in the kitchen during the 5mn I go there to make myself a cup of tea

Original poster
DrMum83 · 09/12/2015 17:59

Yes crabbit - it's my DD's first Xmas - I want to be able to play with her and not be stressing, good on you!

OP posts:
IAmAPaleontologist · 09/12/2015 18:01

Christmas is all about relaxing. We tend to do a joint that needs to be slow cooked so we whack it in and ignore it.

grannycake · 09/12/2015 18:11

I have done Christmas for the last 30+ years. I am a good cook, enjoy trying new recipes but this year I have ordered everything but the veg from M &S. I don't feel guilty and I'm looking forward to a stress free day

squoosh · 09/12/2015 18:12

Make life easy for yourself woman!

Those shadowy forces from the Ministry of Made From Scratch need never know. Ssshhhh.

Ackvavit · 09/12/2015 18:17

Oh god I've done this for years! Rest of the year I'm known for being quite evangelical about cooking from scratch. Christmas Day it's all about m and s and everyone is quite happy. It's a delicious treat and no waste at all, very little prep so no one is a martyr to having sweat getting ready. Only thing I do is roast potatoes.

BeStrongAndCourageous · 09/12/2015 18:47

I do it every year, and am a pretty good cook.

This is mainly because I don't like Christmas dinner, and don't see the point in all the effort for a meal I don't enjoy - but it seems to go down well with everyone else.

SevenOfNineTrue · 09/12/2015 18:49

I'd go for Waitrose. Buy it all ready done. Cook or heat up and ta da! Smile

BeStrongAndCourageous · 09/12/2015 18:49

Oh yeah, I do roast my own potatoes, because my roasties are awesome. But everything else is pre-made.

MrsJayy · 09/12/2015 18:53

Just do it i feel people get in such a tizz over a roast dinner honestly bung in the oven isnt cheating

AnyoneButSanta · 09/12/2015 19:38

I agree that I personally would buy all the sides and roast the turkey myself, but that's just because I love a proper roast Bronze, adore eating cold turkey sandwiches and am confident in my ability to shove it in the oven with some streaky bacon on it and then sit down and knock back the Bucks Fizz for four hours.

If you don't feel like that then who the hell cares.

BikeGeek · 09/12/2015 19:46

I think if your inlaws are real foodies then they might be disappointed, I personally wouldn't want to eat ready made stuff on Christmas day.

I'm quite happy to do all the cooking though, if someone else would prefer not to be doing it.

Crabbitface · 09/12/2015 19:57

But she's not going to be serving up fish fingers. It is still a proper roast turkey - M&S have just taken out the bones and added stuffing essentially.

LuisSuarezTeeth · 09/12/2015 20:03

Ministry of Made From Scratch

Ha ha ha Grin

girlguide123 · 09/12/2015 20:03

I get M&S every christmas now, I work within walking distance of a branch, order online, walk to pick up & avoid the massive queue of traffice e route to waitrose. the food is lovely and easy.

win win.

Gatehouse77 · 09/12/2015 20:05

YANBU I have recently bought our turkey from M&S...and their gravy...and their pigs-in-blankets/stuffing.

I have done the butchers, other supermarket fresh turkeys, made gravy in advance and frozen it, etc. and M&S is just as good. A lot less hassle, stress and washing up!

MrsJayy · 09/12/2015 20:09

But a turkey is a turkey doesnt matter if you reared it killed it cooked it or bought it from marks and spencers its still a turkey

howtorebuild · 09/12/2015 20:11

The turkey crown from M&S last year was so nice. We had the £100, I think it was, meal deal and very much enjoyed it all.

Original poster
DrMum83 · 09/12/2015 20:11

Thanks all - I feel better knowing M&S/Waitrose Xmas help is pretty mainstream....I think it's gonna be M&S goose and their pigs in blankets and maybe one of their veg sides and I'll do my own roasts pots and other veg.

OP posts:
Whatdoidohelp · 09/12/2015 20:12

If they are such foodies why aren't they cooking?

annandale · 09/12/2015 20:16

Your inlaws will love it, as will you. Best Christmas ever for me when we did it. In fact, can't remember why we're not doing it this year Sad

There are only 2 reasons NOT to go for an M&S dinner at Christmas - 1. you can't afford it (tbh I have spent more doing it from scratch at times) 2. you are secretly looking for a reason to be in the kitchen all day instead of listening to FIL's stories of the England cricket team circa 1962. [ love you really FIL]

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