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)?

I'm taking the lazy iron and have ordered everything pre-prepared from morrisons and ready to go in the oven. Three bird roast and all the usual sides (including prepared gravy!)

Have also ordered buffet food for Christmas eve!

We always have turkey and ham however many of us there are. Even when we go to other people's houses I still buy a turkey for us or I'd miss the sandwiches.

We're doing our second "dry run" Christmas lunch in 2 days time (Sunday), this time with Aldi's £18.00 frozen stuffed crown with bacon (great Good Housekeeping rating). My biggest issue is defrosting, which all the experts say takes 24 hours in the fridge, but not in our fridge! She's coming out of the freezer into the fridge this morning, and I'll bet my meat thermometer shows no more than 1.0 C in 48 hours time.

Jealous of the people having duck! Maybe next year. We are still having a full turkey roast, only three of us all together.

We'll have roast but what will depend on numbers. It's tricky!

It’s normal for us to have immediate family only on Christmas day itself.

Nevertheless, I’ve ordered my entire Christmas dinner from Cook food this year as part of my efforts to take the work out of Christmas this year. It should last two days and it looks fabulous. It even comes with a jolly little timings sheet for people (DH) to follow.

(It comes in one big package. Completely fuss free. I didn’t explain that very well.)

Hi Op
I am having Christmas day dinner take away meals cooked by a local hotel /Resturant.

I often go to a health spa there, that's how I found out about their Christmas day take always,

Like quite many places they this hotel/Resturant offers Resturant meals on Christmas day at their Resturant/hotel.

There's only the three of us and my mum so I've said I'm not doing the traditional this year, I've cooked for bloody years and hate doing a roast at the best of times. Nobody enjoys it that much anyway.

So for me it's a toss up between Indian take away (if I can find anywhere open) or party food buffet with hot chicken and stuffing sandwiches

I don't think in medieval times people had turkey for Christmas. To avoid days of leftovers we have never had turkey, just have what you would prefer. Likely to be lamb this year.

Two veggies living with one meat eater as we are still doing a turkey crown as part of the crimbo meal.

It’s just me and DP we aren’t doing turkey, I have to admit I don’t even really like it.

Just us four, most years. I abandoned a large roast dinner last year and it was brilliant. Instead of sitting down hot, sweaty, tired, I got to have more time playing and being around.

We did steak and homemade chips last year and it was fab! We like a hearty starter, then an hour off, dinner, an hour off or so, then pud- stretching it out.

This year we're having roast chicken at 2 on Christmas Eve, so plenty of time to clear up and have the after/evening. Christmas Day will be steak for us, hunters chicken for the kids. Can't wait!

I think people are much less bound by tradition these days. Do what makes you happy. I have quite a lot of memories of mum being red and sweaty in the kitchen, stressed out. I've no wish to replicate this.

Im going to cover our coffee table in a variety of plates including
Sliced turkey
Pigs in blankets
Homemade sausage rolls
Crisps
Mince pies
Christmas desserts
Pickled onions
Pork pies
Nuts
Etc etc

And then we are going to spend the day on the sofa eating and watching Christmas films.

Thats our plan

Last year I bailed on doing the turkey and instead on Christmas Eve I went to Waitrose where all the fresh stuff was being sold off cheap. I got two amazing pieces of very high quality organic lamb which cooked really easily, and we had a starter and Xmas pudding.

I wouldn't usually buy lamb as it is too expensive, so it was a very rare treat and doubly delicious because got it for less than half price!

Not sure about Waitrose on Xmas Eve this year, I imagine the queues will be insane to avoid overcrowding inside.

That sounds great Doodle

I think our cats would love it too if we did that

We will have Turkey and ham. I don't find cooking a roast a faff. I find lots of cooking a faff but a roast is easy.

A relative of mine used to have Christmas Day at another relatives house when she really didn't want to because the idea of cooking a roast filled her with horror. This year she is staying at home with immediate family so at the grand old age of 40 she cooked her first roast last weekend as a practise and admitted that it was easy.

We have duck breasts for DH and I ....it's our favourite. Will be served with the usual Christmas extras

It's only dh, dd and myself for Christmas this year however I will do the whole shebang. I don't find it any more work that a Sunday roast really, it's mostly just the sides are different and I cook 3 meats instead of one, but the timing is the same. I enjoy cooking roasts anyway, so maybe I'm a bit weird haha.

Though I will add one of my family members did Christmas style pizzas last year, and that went down really well in her household.

We did lamb last year with gammon on Christmas Eve so that was available for my fussy kids. Like others say it's the trimmings that matter.

Oh I realised I never answered the question in the OP title!

Yes, we always do a full roast (though we switch between turkey, goose, pork & whatever else might take our fancy, plus we always do a Christmas ham as well), and there’s only ever 4 of us!

Forgot the duck in that list!

We are having roast turkey baps + sausage rolls around a fire pit in PILs garden in the late afternoon/ evening of Christmas Day.

Earlier on in the day I’ll probably sling some fancy nibbles in the oven for us to snack on.

I’ve got a braised shin of beef + all the trimmings preordered from M&S to eat at some point during the few days we have off. It can just sit in the fridge waiting until we fancy it.

The relief I feel from escaping the tyranny of consuming a full Christmas dinner on Christmas Day is wonderful.

We are only 2 for Christmas every year. Neither of us like turkey so we have duck. Smaller, tastier and v nice leftovers.