'Starter' at Christmas Dinner - yay or nay

[Bearlyawake]

Lighthearted household debate...

We are hosting Christmas this year. Will be dinner with all the trimmings. Earlier, DH asked if we will be having a starter, his family usually do one. I said I couldn't really be bothered, I can't really see the point of having a starter before eating a big old Christmas dinner and hopefully some Christmas pudding afterwards.

He maintains that having a starter makes it more of an occasion rather than just another roast dinner.

So...

YABU - Where's your sense of occasion? Of course you need a starter!

YANBU - we will already trough enough food on Christmas day, we don't need a starter!

Side observation - if you say the word starter too much it starts to sound like a fake word, if you know what I mean.

No. I enjoy CD much more without a starter

We haven't done for the last couple of years as my kids have been young and it's already such a long time at the table for them.

This year they could manage, but I don't think it's necessary. I'd rather do, as we have previous years, canapes circulating about midday, and then dinner about 3pm. Nothing complicated - I've done shop bought blinis with cream cheese and salmon on which is a favourite of mine!

I couldn't have Christmas diner after eating all day!

Nor could I. No food’s consumed here between breakfast and Christmas dinner at about 3pm. Usually no chocolate is opened until about 6pm when everyone groans and it gets left until Boxing Day!

@ILikeStrongTea

Prosecco is a starter, right?

Yes that's fine. No extra cutlery and plates to deal with.

No starter here but do have a few canapés (smoked salmon) before lunch. We have the main course around 2pm and then pudding much later. I can't manage anything else at all on Christmas Day but there is cheese/fruit/Turkey sandwiches for anyone who's greedy hungry. I look forward to the leftovers' buffet' on Boxing Day

Doe half a tube of Pringles count as canapés?

Seriously where's the canapé obsession come from, what even constitutes a canapé 🧐 (and how many more times can I use the word canapé)......

Oh gosh and my bad spelling 🤣

I would love canapes - but we always have tortellini and it's non-negotiable!

Canapés here. I LOVE starters but it's just too much on Xmas day. Soup would be my worst nightmare, how on earth do you fit anything else in?!

@dappledsunshine

Doe half a tube of Pringles count as canapés?

Seriously where's the canapé obsession come from, what even constitutes a canapé 🧐 (and how many more times can I use the word canapé)......

Not sure if this link works, these are the m&s ones

www.ocado.com/search?entry=m%26s%20canapes

@ILikeStrongTea

Prosecco is a starter, right?

My kind of Christmas!

@Bluntness100

We do canapés a couple of hours before hand. I find a starter makes it just too much food all at once.

That's what I do on Boxing Day, it means we're not all sitting at the table for ages, especially the young chilldren. Don't make them too filling though or appetites for the main event will be dulled!

@helloxhristmas

Canapés here. I LOVE starters but it's just too much on Xmas day. Soup would be my worst nightmare, how on earth do you fit anything else in?!

Soups very filling it's definitely not a light starter.

Glass of champagne. Or two.

Yes I find soup very filling too, but it’s very popular I think, my mil used to do it, it was a lentil and ham home made thing, I always found it so heavy to eat just before a Xmas dinner, soup always really fills me up. They’d have bread with it too.

@2bazookas

Glass of champagne. Or two.

Now, that sounds more like my kind of starter

I said YABU, but I would do something small and easy, like olives, pitta and hummus in bowls, or canapés before sitting up at the table rather then a full on starter.

@dappledsunshine

Doe half a tube of Pringles count as canapés?

Seriously where's the canapé obsession come from, what even constitutes a canapé 🧐 (and how many more times can I use the word canapé)......

I expect when most people here say canapés they mean party food from Waitrose or M&S....

@Bluntness100

Thanks

Basically a fancy term for party food then

When I say canapé I mean selection box.

We don't have a starter, we go straight into the main event, purely because it's our favourite meal of the year so we'd rather have a slightly bigger Christmas dinner! And then usually have a few options for dessert.....that we have bits of all 😂 and we are 'dessert people' whenever we eat out usually anyway, so starters aren't really our thing!

Ooooh! I’ve never seen 50/50 with so many votes!!

We had a starter once and all got too full for the £100 beef joint.

No starter in the Goat household.

You could maybe do a tricolore salad? Will look festive as it’s red and green but quite light and easy to do.

I'm in the big dinner and pudding camp.

Canapes, usually from this book

www.amazon.co.uk/Canap%C3%A9s-Eric-Treuille/dp/0241318254?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

As kids we would always have melon balls or prawn cocktail but now I can't stomach one as well as the main meal. Might have to reintroduce when DC get older