Can anyone else not be bothered to do a turkey roast just for immediate family?

[HTH1]

We’re probably not seeing anyone else on Xmas day and I’m guessing we’re not the only ones. What is everyone doing for lunch as not sure if it will be depressing not to do the traditional thing (or maybe someone has more fun, better ideas)?

We only have turkey every few years, anyway. My favourite is goose.

We live by the coast so a lot of people have a fruit de mer on Christmas Day instead of a roast. I don't really care what we have, so long as there are pigs in blankets at some point.

We have a M&S bung in the oven turkey crown ordered so it will be that with their garnish pack. Not much more hassle than a usual Sunday roast and it comes in a foil tray so less washing up too.

We tend to alternative beef and turkey each year, prefer beef but thought we would have mum over this year and she prefers turkey.

It will just be me and my boys this year (and maybe their dad if he gets over his covid paranoia). We normally have 12people at my mum's and my brother cooks an amazing dinner. But the boys hate roast dinner, and I'm mot a huge fan either. So we are having tapas. I'm rather looking forward to it!

I'll do a turkey crown as a pp said, just for the leftovers. Sides will be supermarket ready prepped apart from my roasties.

We usually have a big spread of everyone’s favourite party food on Christmas Day and then I cook roast chicken (never turkey) and all the trimmings for extended family on Boxing Day.

This year I’m buying in traditional Christmas Dinner, ready prepared, from a local restaurant. I’ll still have to cook it, but at least I won’t have to prepare it.

Some inspired ideas here. Maybe a buffet and slobbing out are the way to go.

Has anyone had goose? Was it good? How many did it serve? Easy to cook?

We only have the immediate family, 4 of us, for Christmas lunch. We do a Turkey crown, so just the breast meat, and no dealing with a messy carcass. And there is always plenty to go round.

One year when it was just us we decided to do a buffet instead. Was lovely and full of our favourite yummy things but we all agreed it just wasn’t quite ‘right’ and that Christmas dinner with DH trying his obligatory once a year sprout is part of Christmas for us.

I do roast a lot so don’t find it any stressors than a normal Sunday anyway. Only do a crown and yes ALL the sides instead of a couple but it’s fine.

It's no different to a normal roast dinner, really. I'm quite looking forward to not having to prepare mountains of veg.

Just eat whatever you want, it will still be Christmas day. I think we're having lasagne, salad and garlic bread. My husband is vegetarian and hates Christmas dinners, so when we get one to our own we eat untraditionally, usually a homemade asian style banquet

Pomegranate, trifle is always reasonable.

Instead of turkey for thanksgiving I am doing a Cornish game hen for each of the four people coming. Everyone gets their own "mini-turkey" with their choice of stuffing. And instead of cakes, I am doing cupcakes with some frozen to be used at Christmas. I freeze them plain and then thaw them out and ice them when needed.

Goose is delicious. Easy to cook, almost impossible to dry out if you’re not too confident with cooking. It usually serves 4 in our household, plus some for sandwiches. There’s not a whole lot of meat on a goose but what’s there is really lovely and flavourful. You also get lots of goose fat from it.👍

Def, do the full works, love turkey, prob do mashed carrots and swede, roast parsnips, roasties, stuffing and of course pigs in blankets .
Hate Xmas pud

We have four young kids so full Christmas lunch is a faff and little is eaten. We do love turkey though so cook on Christmas Eve and have cold now on the day with pigs in blankets, they are all Dc1 eats . We also have homemade coleslaw and other buffet bits followed by chocolate trifle late afternoon. Anything homemade is done on Christmas Eve. Kids love it and we get to play with them rather than busy in the kitchen. Boxing Day with have more of a traditional dinner.

@StrippedFridge

Has anyone had goose? Was it good? How many did it serve? Easy to cook?

I did goose one year, along with a turkey. It was really expensive and had very little meat on it so was disappointing. If I was only serving 4 I would have one but any more and it's getting a bit stingy!

Last year and this year we had a steak dinner with pigs in blankets , sprouts ( I love them) and roast potatoes and parsnips and yorkshire pudding.
Pudding is usually shop bought profiteroles.

StrippedFridge.
Huge rib cage and cavity. Looong arms and legs. Delicious crispy skin if you like that sort of thing. Thin layer of muscle/meat between the bones and the skin. Fabulous roasties if you do them in the same tin. Yes easy to cook.
Queen Mary said a goose is such an unsatisfactory bird: too big for one and not enough for two.
Pretty much agree.
Worth it though, for a change.

We're having party food: tempura prawns, sausage rolls, mini pizzas, samosas etc. All pre-made and just need bunging in the oven. Only bit of Christmas dinner we're having is pigs in blankets. It's the only bit I actually like

Turkey crown then sandwiches from left overs.

I never do turkey. Beef Wellington every year 😋

Chicken and gammon for us this year with all the usual sides. Mainly so I can have leftovers in sandwiches on Boxing Day- my favourite bit!
Last year we did a buffet picky dinner but my 3 year old and my husbands favourite meal is a roast dinner so they requested we have one this year!

Thanks for the goose advice. There will be six of us. Four are men/teenagers with large appetites. They'd probably want a goose each by the sounds of it and the budget does not stretch to that.