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???

Peas at Christmas dinner are for the picky eaters who wouldn't touch a sprout if their lives depended on it. Here that is my mother and my son. Rather than see them poke through the available veg with deep suspicion they get something that they know they like and I don't get an argument at the dinner table kicked off by DH who really does pick his moments to have a strop about being picky.

Not that this has ever happened here of course (not more than once anyway)

YABU. How could you leave cauliflower cheese and bread sauce off the menu??

agree with pp. its a staple.

Love reading what everyone is having for Christmas dinner!

OP ignore your husband - separate serving dishes so everyone can help themselves to what they want as previous posters have mentioned. And I've never heard anything so ridiculous as sausages wrapped in bacon being common

At my parents and we'll be having:

Breakfast - Crispy bacon rolls made with stotties

Starter - either prawn cocktail or a selection of melons

Roast turkey
Roast pork
Pork and chestnut stuffing
Bacon and leek stuffing
Sausagemeat balls in breadcrumbs
Homemade roast potatoes in goose fat
Mashed potatoes
Sprouts
Cauliflower cheese
Mashed swede
Carrots
Cranberry sauce
Mint sauce (for me - I love it on all my roasts not just lamb!)
Bread sauce
Apple sauce
Homemade gravy made with red wine
Yorkie puds for dad and son

Dessert - Christmas pud with white sauce, lemon cheescake, chocolate fudge cake.

burrrp

We don't do sprouts. Me and DH both loathe them. Apparently there's something genetic that means some people find them irredeemably bitter, and that's us. Growing up, they were the only vegetable my dad would eat, boiled to death, so we had them all winter.

As an adult, and a good cook, I have done bloody everything to see if I can bear them. Stir fried, chestnuts, bacon, creamed with nutmeg, in a soup, shredded - it all tastes vile to me. I'm basically an omnivore so it pains me to be defeated, but I am.

I have to have peas, sprouts and broccolli. I can't eat only beige food.

Steady on

Haven't had my tea yet

Your menu sounds spot on to me, OP. isn't odd how adults revert to childhood at such occasions, the way it seems your DH has on this occasions.

I'm guessing that you will server everything at the table, so that people can help themselves. Don't be surprised if your PIL don't eat very much. My DP's appetites reduced dramatically in their later years, it didn't mean that they didn't enjoy food, they just ate a lot less of it than formerly.

If they were served a plate with food piled up, they just found it all a bit overwhelming. If they can help themselves, I'm sure they will be fine. Have a lovely time.

I dont care as long as its honey roast parsnips and swimming in bread sauce.

Yanbu

OP your menu looks lovely.....but no bread sauce? . Brie your menu looks great too, not sure about the Yorkies though!
I will be doing all the turkey stuff but with smoked salmon canapés and starter choice homemade potato leek & celery soup or chicken noodle soup. (For fussy eaters!). Choice of sticky toffee pudding or mandarin cheesecake for dessert (guests have alergies). Getting excited now. What's everyone else having?

Four of us...(me, DP, DD and lovely DMIL).

DP working until 3pm (possibly 2pm, but not holding breath).

Breakfast - comedy presents (one for each, bought by one of us, so three presents). Followed by bacon and eggbutties (with brown sauce). About 7am. One main present for DD.

DP goes to the resedential home for severely autistic teens and young adults (16-24 I think). Team Leader, Autism Champion. At 7.30 am.

Me and DD get back in bed (mine usually, watch Christmas morning tv, chat (not sure how much longer this will happen ).

Get up about 9ish. Baths, showers. Prep lunch (put our overnighted marinated 8lb turkey in t'oven about noon or just before).

Leave house

Go to local public house. DMIL will be there, at 1pm. Chat, big old smelly dog, roaring fire, drink two glasses of wine (two cokes for DD 🤗), at least two dry sherries (schooners), for DMIL (who I adore), stagger back home.

Finish off veg and trimmings (me and DMIL), as DD does what she does. DP comes home at (hopefully 3ish).

Put music on, open more wine.

Open (medium) presents.

Get nibbly starters (usually blinis with prawn cocktail on top).

Open main presents about 4pm.

Dinner, wine, tv, can't face pudding. More wine. DMIL. goes to bed (in the tiny spare room), but never complains because I make it nice for her with flowers etc.

Cheese and biscuits, open the port.

DP washes up.

I think your dinner sounds wonderful and the guests should be very grateful to you for providing and preparing it!!

Christmas dinner chez Holly

Starter- smoked salmon 'cones' stuffed with philly
Melon Boat

Main course:

Nut loaf (I dont eat meat) cooked the day before and reheated. Better this way
Mini Yorkshires- make 'em in a mini muffin tin
Honey glazed ham studded with cloves
Roasties in goose fat
Honeyed parsnips (plain for ds who doesnt like honey)
Rainbow carrot batons
Sprouts, mine de-baconed
Mashed swede
Red cabbage
Pigs in blankets
Stuffing balls

Gravy, bread sauce, cranberry sauce, apple sauce, mint sauce

Dessert
Xmas pudding and whipped cream. And a side order of Gaviscon

Coffee/juice and mints.

Most of it is pre-made. I made the pigs in blankets today and have frozen them.

Veg is prepared the evening before and put in the fridge in ziplock bags.
Roasties were parboiled today, greased up and then frozen in a foil tray

Xmas is the only day of the year when I use all foil trays to cook the dinner. Its my Christmas as well

I'm getting really envious ....

I'll be having a Christmas lunch of sorts but not until 27th. On 25th I'll be serving lunch to the local homeless or generally elderly and lonely, so it's kind of a case of what we are given as to what's available. I am only a volunteer - I haven't organised any of it! The gratitude at the soup kitchen is always immense, which makes it worthwhile.

Wow... your menus are amazing!!! What an bunch of chefs
Just thought I'd post a little update. DP has apologised and admitted that he's being a bit of a dick. He says he got unreasonably paranoid about them looking down their noses at him but has decided to start giving much less of a shit.
Thanks for all the supportive comments and suggestions. Due to this thread I have now decided to add cauli cheese and a chocolate log
Happy cooking and feasting everyone xxx

and Lobster - absolutely take my hat off to you. Have a wonderful Christmas!

Great update shiver
Your DH sounds alright. Possibly a keeper?!

And you'll never look back with the cauli cheese addition - certainly essential now to our veggie feast, where the roasties are really the star of the show

Tell him that sneering at your host's menu is common!

Looks like a perfectly lovely, standard Christmas menu!

We are having beef for our meat, so Yorkshire puds will be on our menu too. I no longer do a starter as I found everyone was just too full to really enjoy the main course.

You cook what you want. They don't have to eat it or bless you with their presence. Your food sounds like a traditional Christmas dinner.

1) pigs in blankets are a bit common
Bollocks. They're lovely. Tell them the Queen has them. And if she doesn't she should, I would if I were queen. If they still don't want them, they don't have to eat them - all the more for you.

2) sprouts shouldn't have bacon anywhere near them
Why? I just watched an old Jamie Oliver Christmas show and he did them this way and they looked lovely, and I don't like sprouts. Again, they don't have to eat them - I'm sure no one would say the sprouts are their favourite part of the meal anyway.

3) starters are unnecessary
True. But Christmas Day is hardly a day for just eating 'necessary' food is it?

4) it really is too much food to be able to enjoy it.
I've never understood this? Just don't eat it all!! You can always have leftovers. In fact Christmas is renowned for them. I've had meals spoilt because there's not been enough, but never because there's too much.

Turkey
Parsnips
Roast tatties
Sweet potato mash
Stuffing
Carrots
Peas
Pigs in blankets
Yorkshire puddings (who doesn't a have these?!)

Brownies with chocolate sauce and ice cream

Your menu sounds perfect. I'm spending my first Xmas in England so maybe I should add pigs in blankets to the menu! We are having a small group for Xmas dinner this year.
Menu:
Smoked salmon with soda bread
Goose
Potatoes roasted in goose fat
Carrots and parsnips roasted in goose fat
Potato stuffing
Sausage stuffing
Buttered leeks, sprouts and pancetta
Red cabbage
Followed by pannetone bread and butter pudding

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.

Your PiLs are dicks.

1. Pigs in blankets are a required item and 100% the best biy
2. Technically correct. Do chestnuts and lardons with sprouts.
3. Wrong. Prawn cocktail or smoked salmon is a must for starter.
4. Isn't that kinda the point? You have leftovers for turkey sandwiches for dinner.

Some of you can eat an awful lot of food!