Non traditional Christmas Dinner

[PollyPocketLucyLocket]

I know it's only September, so apologies.

This year it looks as though we may be home. We haven't had Christmas day at home for a few years, however I remember the faffing of prepping the meal and taking up precious time in the morning.

This year I think we'd all like to do something a bit different. None of us overly care about turkey anyway.
Has anyone done this?
We've thought of ordering in, or eating out, or even just having a completely different meal on the day.
Suggestions would be great

If we don't escape elsewhere, it is poached salmon with buttery sauce usually Bearnaise bought or tarragon sauce bought, together with roasties (bought frozen), and a roasted veg prepared night before. I do make my own mash though on the day, that's easy enough and is always scoffed.

Who gives a mighty fk, it suits us, and we are not huge eaters either. Each to their own!

The fuss of Christmas Dinner has made us reject it really.

EileenAlanna I'm loving your idea of being permanently pissed for 24 hours, sounds like a winner!

We got a Chinese take away last year. I was off on Christmas Eve so made turkey roast then. We had turkey sandwiches later on Christmas night.

Mil claims not to like Chinese but was happy to polish off the dinner I made her plus some of the take away whilst exclaiming ‘oh I barely eat, I have such a small appetite....’ hmm so a dinner of chicken, roast potatoes and peas (she’s very picky), some Chinese including most of the chips, a full tube of Pringles, box of chocolates and you want toast too?

Fair play to everyone having a Chinese or whatever ... but I actually like a traditional Christmas dinner and don't mind the extra work (which isn't that much, actually) because it's once a year.

If I was a guest at someone's house for Christmas and they announced we were having a takeaway or egg and chips I'd be well put out.

One year, we had a BBQ, in the rain. It was the best crimbo dinner I've ever had!

We had Mexican Christmas dinner last year, having Greek this year!

Loving the love for our afternoon tea! It's transformed our Christmases! We still get the roast and crackers and posh linen and champers but not while we're trying to play with the kids new toys.

And it's a definite nod to Christmas too.

Sandwiches are my favourite food

We had M&S £10 Sirloin steaks, last year. The only real cooking that i did was proper triple cooked chips and mushrooms/tomatoes.

We had a full English breakfast.

Then hotel chocolate chocolates, pringles etc and homemade cocktails.

This year we are going to have a go at making our own nutella and baileys truffles.

I couldn’t not have a proper Christmas dinner but I do usually buy most of it from M&S so it’s really easy. Last year we went out and I think we will again this year but we are able to walk to a couple of very nice restaurants so no worries about having a drink. It was lovely.

We tried it one year and had a Chinese banquet
It just wasn’t the same and have never repeated it
However we never have turkey
Last year we had lamb and chicken
Year before venison and a multi bird roast
I do all the traditional veg but not much more faff than an everyday roast dinner
We are always too full for dessert and stick to simple starters like smoked salmon n prawn salad

We normally have duck. One year I made confit duck legs basically you poach the duck legs in goose fat and then store them in the fat. Once you want to cook them you scrap them and roast potatoes in the fat. It is not at all greasy and as you store the duck legs you make it up in advance.

Have what you want

I've never eaten turkey for Xmas lunch, we don't like it so why eat it? Never had it growing up either, always beef.

I can't afford beef so DD2 and me just have roast chicken, and it's lovely.

I do love Xmas Pudding though!

One year we did mexican: refried beans, tacos, nachos and fajitas with mojitos on the side. I do like Christmas dinner though.

Brilliant thread! I misread a pp who flung M&S Percy Pigs in with her roast 😂

We've been out for dinner a couple of times and while it was very nice it just wasn't the same not having the lovely Christmas Dinner smells wafting through the house and no leftovers the next day

We always have a roast but not always turkey. We use M&S

Beef stew and home made chips for us, my mum makes the best beef stew ever, followed by cheese and biscuits and loads of laughs !

A few years ago we had a full house for Christmas, but I was ill and spent the day in bed. The family had beer and frozen pizza and loved it.
Last year we had steak and chips for a change.
Everyone loves a roast, but no-one likes turkey. We usually have a goose and it's delicious 😋

We are having sirloin steak and chips with a fancy sauce. Salad on the side for me.

Mil comes at Christmas (long divorced, other ds 8000 miles away, lives a ferry trip/flight away so comes for a few days).

As long as you don't let her near the gravy and hide the salt, she makes a cracking Christmas dinner. I help, do Christmas Eve (steak etc) and Boxing Day (leftovers).

I'm disabled so cooking a huge roast dinner in one go is impossible. Dh can do the basic stuff. Mil keeps on top of the timings. Dc are getting good in their teens. So we do traditional but in a pretty untraditional way - 6 adult sized people doing their own thing in one kitchen.

Plus we just get ice cream for dessert. Mil makes a pavlova on Boxing Day.

Just watched the Cook video on how to cook your preprepared food. If I was in the UK I think I would do this or M&S.

I love cooking and enjoy making dinners but I find Thanksgiving (traditional turkey dinner) and Christmas (usually do beef) are just so all-consuming that by the time I sit down to eat, I am no longer interested in the food. Might try to see if there are any high-end preprepared food companies in the US.

After last Christmas I said I'm not doing a roast this year. Fed up of all the prep, being stuck in the kitchen and missing out on time with my DS. My DS isn't bothered about roast dinner and the in laws want to spend all afternoon boozing at the dinner table (1970s dinner party style!) I'm fed up of having to cook Christmas the way others expect it, so things are changing this year!

This year we're going to have an all day buffet, lots of cheese, pickles, bread, pork pie etc. I'll buy some M&S treats and make homemade sausage rolls in advance (see Delias recipe).

We'll likely have a slow cooked ham and veg on Xmas eve, and chicken curry on Boxing day. Can self leftover ham on the buffet too.

Thanks for all the replies.

I'd like to hear a bit more about that afternoon tea please, @DonPablo.

Really liking the sound of ordering in on Christmas Eve, to heat up the next day too.

We have fillet beef wrapped in porcini mushrooms and prosciutto plus all the usual trimmings - I hate turkey.

I do steaks, tomato, onion, mushrooms, with sweet potato fries in the oven
Choc cookies and cheesecake for pud