would this be a shit Christmas dinner?

[Lullabyebye]

DP and I are hosting this year - first time ever. It’s my parents, his parents and his brother. My mum is a retired chef (a very good one) but with age and arthritis, she gets super stressed with Xmas and so we are completely taking over.

As a family we hate Turkey so usually have beef. We have preordered fore rib and a gammon joint. We will have all the normal trimmings. We like Yorkshire puddings and MIL has demanded them (I know there’s some strong opinions on this!) so I bought nice ones that I’ve put in the freezer.

My plan is to just not stress. It should be a nice meal but it’s just a fancy roast eh?
So for starters, my mum was going to make coquille st Jacque. But I tried some frozen ones from Aldi and they were delicious. No one else (in laws) needs know... that would be starters.

Dessert - we asked MIL to contribute and she said she’d make Sticky Toffee Pud, we have also got some Christmas puddings.

We are cooking everyone a big fry up first. We have some smoked salmon which I will probably do vol au vent style with cream cheese as a snack.

Is this lazy? I just don’t see the point in not enjoying the day because we are stressed. I’m usually quite efficient in the kitchen and I’ve smashed out a few roasts, but I’m not a regular cook.

Opinions?

YABU - just bloody cook it properly
YANBU - it’s not just about the food and it sounds fine

YABU for frozen Yorkshires alone, crispy cardboard!

I couldn’t fit all that in and I’m a fat twat. I would go for a lighter breakfast or ditch the starter.

Make M&S your friend, OP!!
For many many years, I have been ‘cheating’ with ready made or prepped veg, bought and frozen in the weeks up to Xmas..(spreading the cost)
Just defrost them all on Xmas Eve, they tend to cook at same temperature and you can add your own touches.
With their best quality mash, I decant it into a Pyrex, with plenty of pepper and butter, same with their ready prepped veg, decant, season and butter ... both lovely and no-one comments if you use your own serving dishes!
M&S Yorkie S are also very good, I’ve always used them all year round.
I do my own roast potatoes in with the beef, but again, there are good quality ones to buy.
It makes the actual day sooooo much easier on the cook, and tbh, after the excitement of pressies and a few drinks, nobody neither knows or cares!!😁
If you are catering, you do whatever makes life easier for you... if your FIL wants bloody lobster, give him a wetsuit and wish him well....🦞
Enjoy your day x

** yorkies - not Yorkie S

Also, if you don’t have a M&S near you, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda etc all do lovely stuff too x

[quote Lullabyebye]@Changedmynameagain1 I really loved them - it was the ones in champagne. My mum didn’t try them but takes my word for it. The issue we have is that everyone has weird food quirks.

I have also been asked specifically for the fry up [/quote]
Gosh if they are insisting on a fry up they need to come earlier than 11!

Sounds lovely OP although there's no way I could manage a fry up before Christmas dinner / nibbles and pudding.

This is probably just me, but when I have a fry up that tends to be me done for the day in terms of hot food and I'll just have a light tea later on.

DP is trying to win his mum’s love and we’ve just agreed to make all the Christmas crackers as a surprise. So now we have to go shopping to buy special gifts for inside

Seriously, why do this? No one's love for their child is increased by home made crackers. Or if it is, it isn't worth having. It'll be hard enough work already.

Can I also suggest that at the end of the meal, one of you says cheerily, 'I guess it's your turn to host next year, ILs! Do you want to cook or would it be easier for you to treat us to dinner at that nice restaurant you go to?'

Sounds good to me! I'd skip the fry up too unless you're having your roast quite late.

Hi Op
I like the sound of your menu
a fry up for starters I think maybe a bit much including gamman and beef in same day.
I think better to have either meats you prefer on separate days..

Enjoy Christmas day
Better to enjoy yourself to be stuck at the kitchen most of the day stressed out,frazzled not much fun that it.
Good luck

When I did host in the past, us two had poached eggs and crispy bacon with croissants for breakfast.

Small glass of prawn cocktail and shredded lettuce as starter.

Then after a half hour or so, the main dish. We all have our own version of what we serve.

Dessert is served a couple of hours later for anyone who wants it. Nothing fancy, just a cheesecake, and Christmas pud.

Plenty of booze helps, if you and guests partake!

Your menu sounds absolutely fine and hope you have a lovely day. Go with frozen, prepare ahead as much as you can!

Making Christmas crackers is just insanity.
Unless one has oodles of time and money..

😂

We're having a cold buffet style dinner on Christmas Day, then the same with hot pizza on offer for tea. 3yo and 9yo will mostly eat chocolate all day and I don't ea

Well you're making more of an effort than I've ever done. Yet my family is always happy with our Christmas dinner .

I can't see what it is you think you haven't done properly?

Assume BTW you will be eating in the evening, given a fry up for breakfast and a 3 course dinner .

It sounds a huge amount of food to me.

I think the secret is that if Christmas is at yours, then you deliver it your style. People either enjoy or appreciate or they don't. It's the love and hospitality that should count.

I'd do some good quality croissants with nice preserves or cheese and ham, or smoked salmon and cream cheese. Serve with something bubbly. Then do the lunch and a pudding. Get some rolls in for the evening and do leftover meat with pre cooked caramelised onions and leaves.

Seriously don't make it into such a huge issue and that's the voice of experience talking.

Demands, hints, expectations....be careful here that you are in control of this and only offer what you're happy to do and don't wear yourself out dancing to their tune.

Big brekkie + starter +two meats + heavy pud + drinks, chocs etc = TOO MUCH but it's only once a year. It's the amount of work and waste that would bother me.

Sounds good. The less stressful the better. Although I agree with previous posts that angry up on the same day as Christmas Dinner would be too much for me.

What Yorkshires did you get? I get the Aunt Bessie’s bake at home ones which come as a little frozen disc of batter in a foil tin. I never make my own now as these taste homemade and are so easy - although they don’t take anywhere near 20 minutes.

What time should I arrive? 😀

Sounds really lovely!

Notyourmummy we had a buffet on Christmas Day a few years ago after having Christmas dinner on Christmas eve - a make-your-own-festive-baguette and chips with extra picky things in our case - and it was so nice to just concentrate on enjoying the day.

YABU to do a fry up
YABU to do a starter whatever the flip a coquille is
YABU to do two meats and two puddings
YANBU to cut some corners

We have porridge on Christmas morning. An hour later a lovely selection of pastries with coffee.
Starter is chopped melon which is super light.
Main is anything but turkey.
A do a nice pavlova and trifle.
I buy in red cabbage as I'm the only one who likes it...
I think it's about enjoying the day and relaxing.
Absolutely no stress is key.
Do as much or as little as you like.
It is not a competition.

Op I made a fry up for DPs birthday recently and we cancelled the takeaway we were meant to have for tea as we were too stuffed - dp is a skinny big eater and I'm a greedy fatty.

No way would we have wanted Xmas Dinner

I'm baffled by this thread. A two meat roast, starter, pudding, smoked salmon and a big fry up. In what possible way could this be a 'shit Christmas dinner'?

Shit compared to... what? I'm almost frightened to ask.

Bacon rolls, rather than fry up

Cold salmon canapes, rather than hot starters

Roast beef, no need for ham / Hammond

If FIL says he's looming forward to lobster thermidor, just say you're not planning to make that, and if he wants it over the christmas season, maybe he'd like to do it at home another time

Sounds banging to me! Mr Cardigan hates turkey and has asked for lamb this year, so that's what we're having. Christmas dinner is nowt but a glorified Sunday roast anyway (not that there's anything wrong with a Sunday roast ).

Enjoy your nosh!

I’m hungry now.

Ditch the fry up, tell them to come later and serve your starter early with a glass of fizz before the main meal. Do not act like staff - take control. Honestly everyone will respect you more and be more appreciative. Act like a doormat and nothing will be good enough.