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AIBU?

To think Christmas dinner is actually a posh Sunday roast?

180 replies

wineoclockthanks · 14/12/2019 17:07

I was chatting to a friend who was stressing hugely about her Christmas dinner (for 6 people). She was saying she would have to be up at 5am at the latest to start preparing and would need to be in the kitchen for at least 5 hours etc

I know everyone does things differently but I'm not quite sure what the heck she'll be doing in there.

How much time will you (or your other half) be spending in the kitchen?

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Am I being unreasonable?

AIBU

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LionelRitchieStoleMyNotebook · 14/12/2019 17:39

I'm cooking for 13 including two vegans and won't be up that early! It's not even really a posh roast just a large one. I'm doing Turkey crown, gammon (cooked in cider then roasted with honey and mustard), roast potatoes, roast parsnips, mashed carrot and swede, sprouts with chestnuts, pigs in blankets (and their vegan equivalent) two types of stuffing one with sausage meat, cauliflower cheese (my family will revolt if I don't ) , a vegan main that I am buying prepared and gravy. All made from scratch, I'll prep some veg the day before and will cook the gammon Christmas Eve evening. I'll enlist preppers Christmas Day morning then just mosey in and out of the kitchen on and off until dinner time (about three). I'll also do scrambled eggs, smoked salmon and today with bucks fizz for breakfast. Oh I will make dessert on the Monday for the non Christmas pud folk, probably a Clementine cheesecake. It's not stressful if you're organised and a regular cook. If you usually just bung some Turkey drummers and waffles in the oven then suddenly try and do a roast and half a dozen side dishes I'd imagine it's a bit more of a challenge. Last time we hosted we just had a huge goose so it was even simpler.

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ToEarlyForDecorations · 14/12/2019 17:39

On another note, I’ve just managed to simmer a whole bottle of mulled wine away down to nothing

Good job no one was there to see it or it would have been really embarrassing.

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PrincessHoneysuckle · 14/12/2019 17:40

I do beef joint and lamb overnight in slow cookers,leave to cool then do veg,pigs in blankers etc at the time.Xero stress and delcious

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BlackSwanGreen · 14/12/2019 17:42

DH has a good way of cooking a big turkey that makes it a lot quicker - you cut off the legs and do them separately.

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TheFuckingDogs · 14/12/2019 17:43

So true. People get way too het up about it! I’m a kitchen geek though so the whole preparing of Christmas dinner is my ultimate pleasure!

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AmberEars · 14/12/2019 17:44

We are cooking for 16 (aged between 0 and 80) so that will be quite stressful!

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Sparklingbrook · 14/12/2019 17:44

We don't even have Christmas dinner. It is just a roast dinner and nobody is fussed. We have an all day help yourself buffet.
No deadlines, nobody in the kitchen for hours and the associated clearing up. Visitors can drop in whenever, have something to eat if they want, and it's all very mellow.

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Andysbestadventure · 14/12/2019 17:45

5am for a meal that feeds six? She needs to learn to cook more efficiently or rope others in to help. Bloody hell.

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Confusedbeetle · 14/12/2019 17:45

Its not posh, theres just a lot more of it. The stress is trying to pull it all together with a houseful of guests and a glass or two of wine. Turkey can be rather easily overcooked

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followthestardis · 14/12/2019 17:48

it is "just" a roast, but with added extras in terms of dishes and/or diners. (plus having to ooh and ahh over presents, make all the phone calls AND making time to get suitably drunkgrin])

"just" a roast is a lot of cooking for some people in itself. we don't have extra in terms of numbers, just limited working/storage space that makes "just" a roast a fair amount of juggling...

put me in a huge kitchen with a door that shuts, comfy table and a bottle of red at my elbow and the whole thing would be much less onerous. as always ymmv :)

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ChristmasSpiritsOnThRocksPleas · 14/12/2019 17:49

Is she cooking a very large animal or makings very elaborate dessert perhaps?

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TheFuckingDogs · 14/12/2019 17:51

Omg Lionel I have such a crush on your kitchen superiority right now! My DH just read this and agrees that you’re me 😂

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ShowOfHands · 14/12/2019 17:52

Last year I catered for 13 and was busy from 8am until I served at 1pm BUT was happy about it. I made three different types of stuffing and 8 veg, each one quite complicated in its own right such as braised spicy red cabbage for example. I also did turkey, topside of beef AND a ham as well as a vegan haggis and vegan versions of relevant sides such as pigs in blankets. Plus baking stuff for the evening buffet, making bread, simmering mulled drinks, steaming puddings and so on.

We have a large kitchen/diner so the children were in the room and helping or playing with toys and it was very jolly. It was a very posh roast!

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NameChangeNugget · 14/12/2019 17:54

I’m staggered by the martyrdom on here over Christmas dinner prepping & cooking.

YANBU at all, it’s a piece of piss

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ClaraThePigeon · 14/12/2019 17:55

Last year I catered for 13 and was busy from 8am until I served at 1pm BUT was happy about it. I made three different types of stuffing and 8 veg, each one quite complicated in its own right such as braised spicy red cabbage for example. I also did turkey, topside of beef AND a ham as well as a vegan haggis and vegan versions of relevant sides such as pigs in blankets. Plus baking stuff for the evening buffet, making bread, simmering mulled drinks, steaming puddings and so on.

Why?

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81Byerley · 14/12/2019 18:00

@ShowOfHands Really? 8 vegetables??

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YouveDoneItToYourself · 14/12/2019 18:00

Always takes me ages cos we're all drunk by about 9am

It is a glorified Sunday roast. I usually make it simpler with aunt Bessie roasts and pre made Yorkshire's. I can imagine that if you make everything from scratch and have a large amount of people coming then it will take a while. My dad goes mad when he does it. He LOVES it! We end up with all sorts of random stuff like quails eggs and 4 different kinds of homemade stuffings. He spends hours making his experimental dishes. I wouldn't have him any other way though and he likes to do it so it's a win

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Whattodoabout · 14/12/2019 18:01

Definitely. My DH is outraged I don’t include Yorkshire puds with my Christmas dinner, they’re Sunday dinner material but somehow don’t make the cut for Christmas dinner .

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Celebelly · 14/12/2019 18:01

For six people I wouldn't be in the kitchen for more than an hour/hour and a half. Bung turkey in, baste occasionally, stick pre-prepared veg in, heat up gravy etc. voila. If you do everything from scratch I guess it will take ages, but Mr Marks and Spencers does that so I don't have to! Frick spending that much time away from the fun and family on Christmas Day!

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Celebelly · 14/12/2019 18:04

And actually I wouldn't be the only one in the kitchen anyway!

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RhymingRabbit3 · 14/12/2019 18:05

Of course its just a big roast dinner. But if you get up at 5am tomake it your family will be oh so impressed. And if you tell all your friends about it in advance they will be oh so impressed. She is probably exaggerating to make herself seem like some amazing wife and mum when any normal person could do it in a few hours.

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evilharpyinapeartree · 14/12/2019 18:05

My mum used to start the turkey at about 5am on Christmas morning. That's how long to make sure it was properly cremated and as close to cardboard as possible by 3pm when we sat down to eat.

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ShowOfHands · 14/12/2019 18:06

Because it was my Grandma's last Christmas after 94 years of making Christmas perfect for her family and I made a decision to ask everybody what their favourite Christmas dish was and I did the lot. I enjoyed it too. No martyrdom and no complaining, it was perfect.

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ClaraThePigeon · 14/12/2019 18:06

But if you get up at 5am tomake it your family will be oh so impressed

I wouldn't willingly get up at 5am if my house was on fire.

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Lovelydovey · 14/12/2019 18:09

Prep in advance and freeze - my cauli cheese and homemade stuffing are already in the freezer. The Christmas cake has already been started!

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