Is my Christmas dinner unreasonable?

[shivermytimbers]

I have just done a big chunk of the Xmas food shop today. I'll be cooking for 10 including PILs who haven't had Xmas lunch with us before. I luuurve Christmas dinner and all the leftovers so tend to make a bit of a feast. DH has happily tucked into said feast for many years. I'm doing...
Smoked salmon starter
Turkey
Pigs in blankets
Stuffing
Roasties
Parsnips
Sprouts with bacon
Red cabbage
Gravy
Christmas pudding with brandy butter and cream

Apparently, according to DH, PILs will not be happy because 1) pigs in blankets are a bit common 2) sprouts shouldn't have bacon anywhere near them 3) starters are unnecessary 4) it really is too much food to be able to enjoy it.

My response was that I've bought the food, I will cook the food and if they don't eat it I will happily consume the leftovers. Therefore - tough bloody luck if they don't like it!!!

I know I'm right... aren't I???

My opinion is quite simple tell them to eat what they want and leave anything they don't like or agree with. I think your dh is being a bit of an arse if he has been happy to snorfing down what sounds like a great Christmas dinner and then agree with his parents that sprouts shouldn't have bacon etc then tell him to eat up or shut up.

WHERE ARE THE YORKSHIRE PUDDINGS?!?!?!?

Totally with you OP, but I wonder whether your DH is generally 'judged' by his parents and hasn't yet perfected the art of not caring?

If he's concerned about their reaction to the menu, it's possible he's feeling a bit apprehensive and might need a cuddle.

There is nothing more common than obsessing about the class signalling of what you eat and what you do. And if people refuse to eat something yummy because they worry it's not classy enough, then they are knobs.

Your plans sound like a full-blown Christmas meal to me, and lovely. Your DH needs to stop with the nonsense.

We are having

Turkey
Gammon
Pigs in blankets
Stuffing
Roast potatoes
Roast parsnips
Roast carrots
Peas
Red cabbage
Cauli cheese
Yorkshires
Gravey
Bread sauce
Cranberry sauce

Xmas pudding
Chocolate Yule log
Strawberry trifle

It's not Christmas unless you are eating leftovers for a week!

Oh and carrot and swede mash thanks to this thread.

Well problem solved then, tell your dh to cook the Christmas dinner. Simples. The fucking arrogance of some people.

Isn't the whole point of Christmas (apart from the baby cheesus, obviously) to stuff oneself silly and have arguments with the ILs?

We're having:

Xmas Eve Dinner
A ham
Jacket potatoes
Green beans

Xmas Day dinner:
Starter of either a seafood platter, tomato soup or Parma ham and melon (There are only 9 of us and apparently that means we need three different starters to please everyone)

Then:
Goose
Turkey (or vegan alternative)
2x stuffings
Red cabbage
Sprouts with chestnuts and pancetta
Roasties
Roast parsnips
Carrot and swede mash
Cauliflower cheese
Many pigs in blankets
Devils on horseback

Followed by:
Christmas pud or cheesecake or tart au citron

And then a cheeseboard to mop up any spare room people might have. And pate.

And later we'll do cold meat sandwiches...

Oh god, and all the sauces,

Gravy x2 types
Red currant jelly

Custard (and vegan custard)
Brandy butter
Baileys cream
Vanilla ice cream

Etc etc etc...

I'm doing all you are doing (minus bacon in sprouts). Nothing naff in putting huge amounts of effort in and they should bloody well appreciate what you are doing!!

AND I'm being really, really naff and having prawn cocktail for starter. Asked all guests if that's ok, y'now with prawns, and all replies were yum! Or nom!

Best lost mine then:

Prawn cocktail
Pate
Baked Camembert
(Bit of each or whatever they want)

Turkey
Ham
Roasties
Yorkshires
Roast parsnip
Carrots
Peas
Stuffing
Pigs in blankets
Gravy
Cranberry sauce

Then

Christmas pud with double cream or brandy cream or custard
And/or homemade trifle

Later:
Cold meats, bread, crackers, pate, more prawns, cheeeese (loads) pickles, dips, Christmas cake, savouries, sausage rolls (homemade) mince pies and copious goodies such as chocolate, Turkish delight, etc.

Oh and as much alcohol as can be consumed

Forgot sprouts lol

YANBI Youre the cook therefore you get to choose what you cook and serve. If your in laws don't like this they know where their own kitchen is. If anything I thought your menu was not gluttonous enough.
I am cooking (for 8-10 people and possibly 4 more for desert) -
No starter
Turkey
Gammon
Pigs in blankets
Stuffing
Roasties
Roasted Parsnips
Sprouts with bacon
Red cabbage
Cauliflower cheese
Carrots
Swede mash (possibly)
Broccoli (possibly)
Gravy
Christmas pudding with cream (no one else likes xmas pudding apart from me )
Pavlova or other gf desert
Banoffe pie
Chocolate something

Later in the evening
Cheese and buscuits
Leftovers
Sarnies

Normally buffet with cold meats on Boxing Day and more leftovers

Yummy sounds delicious I tend to see cooking as a chore but love doing Christmas dinner!

Turkey
pigs in blankets
roast spuds
boiled baby spuds
sprouts
roasted leek in cheese sauce
roasted leek
roast parsnips
stuffing with sausage meat
ordinary stuffing
parsnip mash
peas
green beans
carrots
gravy x 2 (non meat juice 1)
yorkies
something quorn/y for DD
christmas pud
chocolate pud
custard and cream
sounds a shit load when written down but it all gets eaten at some point

Sounds lovely! I always have a small starter and would miss not being offered one. Pigs in blanket are one of my favourite parts of Christmas!

Well obviously YANBU because that is a perfect Christmas dinner.

But more importantly who doesn't eat pigs in blankets and consider them the best part of the meal and eat at least 5 while doing doing the finishing touches to everything else???

Sounds fine. But there doesn't appear to be any green veg, peas / broccolli?

Or Yorkshire puds.

Sprouts = green veg?

I think peas are a bit wrong on a Christmas dinner, for me peas go with fish fingers or sausage n mash for example.

Yorkies are served ONLY with roast beef here too.

But each to their own.

Sounds normal to me!

We are doing eggs benedict for breakfast them I'm aiming to have Xmas lunch on the table around the Queens speech and that will be:

• turkey
• stuffing
• roast potatoes
• roast honey and almond parsnips
• sprouts with bacon & shallots
• cabbage, carrots & peas
• gravy and bread sauce for DP
• cranberry sauce

I am so toying with yorkies as well!!!

Then followed by Xmas pud and brandy cream or cheese board.

Then in the evening it's turkey sandwiches and more cheese and Xmas pudding in the evening

nice

My PIL are vair posh - too posh to serve turkey (they have goose) - and I think they'd eat that without complaint. They probably wouldn't serve pigs in blankets but they might do some kind of chipolata - I can't remember as I'm veggie.

But more importantly who doesn't eat pigs in blankets and consider them the best part of the meal and eat at least 5 while doing doing the finishing touches to everything else??

Vegetarians.

We had a totally pork free Christmas, so no pigs in blankets obviously, last year due to the presence of a Jewish guest. I was happy to make the accommodation but I had to make some the next day to go with the leftovers .