To ask if there are other WOMEN who can't produce a Xmas dinner

[JudyShakes]

Every year on MN there are threads started by women saying that are fed up of doing Christmas dinner, or they don't feel well enough this year etc. And posters will pipe up "get DH/DP to do it!"

DH does the Christmas and most other cooking here. Am I the only FEMALE who would really struggle to produce a Xmas meal that was special enough to deserve the name?

Nah, you're the only one in the whole world.

You aren't, I can't produce a Christmas dinner either. DH does all the cooking and is very good, my cooking wouldn't be good enough for him.

But them I am also Jewish and don't celebrate christmas.

I've never tried! Zero interest in cooking very little, never mind the whole xmas shebang! I peel the sprouts, stir the gravy, set the table and clean up.
If it were left to me I wouldnt bother or I'd buy pre-made and just shove in oven.
Every year I beg DH to make a bit less so he can spend more time w kids (and I have less pot washing) but he never does.

I can cook most things but Christmas dinner requires an attention to detail which I don't have. 5 minutes here or there matters. I'm more a throw it together, see what happens cook.

I can do a Christmas dinner. It’s easy cooking just requires organisation.

That said DH cooks it as he enjoys it. I cook most of the rest of the time because he works crazy hours. I like cooking complex dishes and Christmas food isn’t very interesting for me.

It’s a glorified Sunday roast. I didn’t really know how anyone couldn’t do it tbh.

Just wait for the Mumsnet Bingo of "it's only a roast dinner" and how every year they cook for 322 people with only a turkey breast and open fire.

I CAN do it. But not very well and I don't enjoy it particularly. DH does it much better but like a PP we prefer to keep it simple so there is less cooking time and more family time. M&S is your friend here for prepped meat, veg and sides. We do our own roasties though....need them extra crispy

Me. My cooking is shit, and everyone says you just need to learn, but I’m over 40 now and been single so responsible for the cooking for years and it’s still shit. Kids get excited when something isn’t burnt.

I’m very worried about Christmas as my family always does it...

I can make a roast dinner if I have to, but I don’t particularly enjoy it.

How does that differ to a Christmas dinner?

@YippeeKayakOtherBuckets you beat me to it while I was typing

I dont cook - even though christmas dinner is really just roast with lots of bits, hardly difficult if you break it down

Oh and before the “roast dinnerers”come on as PP says. I fuck those up too. Meat is dry, Yorkshire’s are flat veg is soggy.

I try I really try I’ve tried for years! I have magic fucking food up fingers.

DH does Christmas dinner and most cooking in our house. He cooks whatever he wants generally, but on Christmas Day I turn into a giant baby and demand that he rustles up turkey and stuffing exactly as my Mum used to make it even though he always wants to try some sort of Ottolenghi nonsense. He is a good egg.

I can make any dessert you want but if it was left up to me Christmas dinner would be v disappointing.

Well, I could produce a Christmas meal that my family would enjoy, but I wouldn't be able to do a traditional roast. I don't eat meat and have never cooked it in my life.

I hate cooking. DP does most of it.
I technically could make xmas dinner though, maybe.

I didn't cook for years, dh did the whole lot. Then one day I worked out what I enjoyed cooking (slow cook one pot stuff/pies) and now I love it.

Loathe Xmas turkey though - this year we are having a racketeering cheese fondue with roast ham, new potatoes and pickles. Previous years I've had curries cooked by fil.

Too late here they come

I've never done it but have assisted. I wouldn't like to do it really.

Christmas dinner is easy...it's a glorified roast dinner.

The hard parts are usually oven space, timings and keeping things hot.

I think if you want to do it you can, but you can't go from not cooking to doing Christmas successfully without practice in between.

It's really more about organisation and talking any short cuts you are comfortable with.

I cook my turkey the day before so I have the bits to make the gravy and I can carve it up. Christmas day I put enough into the slow cooker with a bit of stock and I then have my oven free for roast potatoes and veg and pigs in blankets and stuffing.

DH and I do the veg prep etc together and it takes next to no time. A bottle of wine might be supped as we go along.

Christmas lunch is so easy I can do it a bit pissed on auto pilot. Just do everything ahead.

I've done it twice in my life (I'm 46). I have very poor executive functions, struggle with multitasking and timekeeping. I found it incredibly stressful and exhausting. I prepared a lot in the days ahead, got up at 6.30 and still struggled.

My H is happy to do it (he also does a roast each Sunday) but I wanted tomorrow to myself I'm a proper grown up and could do it if I have to! I do assist him and I do a lot of other things: Christmas morning breakfast, cocktails, starter, pudding, supper, home made mince pies and I buy and wrap all the children's presents. Not lazy! Just uncoordinated!

I have never done it. Dh does the vast major of the cooking in our house. I’ve never enjoyed it and am just not interested.

I couldn’t for a long time. I’m not a naturally good cook at all, but the Nigella Christmas book really helped me. She taught me how to make really good roast potatoes. That, and I take loads of shortcuts - for example I’m abysmal at making gravy so I buy ready made potted gravy in a pot, I buy pre-wrapped pigs in blankets cos I’m not sitting there wrapping sausages in bacon, and the biggest cheat of all - I don’t buy a full turkey, I buy a large turkey joint from the butcher because I find whole birds really hard to cook nicely.

Anyway, you definitely aren’t the only one!

I don’t understand ‘can’t’ in this context, not unless anyone has SEN or can’t read well enough to follow recipes.

IMO the reason so many people find what is just a glorified roast so hard, is that they so rarely - or never - make a roast anyway.

So of course they find the timing and organisation an almost insurmountable effort.

The way to go is to work out timings, working backwards from when you plan to sit down to eat, including everything, right down to when to turn the oven on to heat up.
And then write it all out in time order, and stick it on the front of the fridge or anywhere else it won’t get lost or covered with splashes of anything.

Plus of course, keep it fairly simple - not 2 or 3 different roasts, umpteen different sides and veggies.
And do whatever prep you can in advance - or raid M&S for ready-made.