'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.

We have canapés and crisps and nuts out otherwise people become hangry

Champagne and a couple of fags for me

Nay here, save room for dinner and crucially pudding

I should add that Thornton's continental are consumed around midday generally in lieu of canapés

@ILikeStrongTea

Prosecco is a starter, right?

This.

I love lentil soup, but for a Christmas starter? Really, too plain, too filling, won't help the post Brussel sprout gas situation for those not used to eating lentils surely.

[quote dappledsunshine]@Bluntness100

Thanks

Basically a fancy term for party food then [/quote]
Yup. That’s it exactly,,,😃

But honestly everyone always loves it, goes down way better than a starter, which is always just seems as a quick precursor to the main event. I think because it feels quite decadent.

We have pate with some sort of bread and cheese parcels. Yes you need a starter imo

@walkingintherainagain

We have pate with some sort of bread and cheese parcels. Yes you need a starter imo

Bread, pate and cheese parcels is quite a filling starter. That would be a weekday lunch for me.

When we have Christmas dinner at my in laws we have starters, main & dessert but the portions are very small (IMO) so it's easy to eat all 3 courses.
When we have Christmas dinner at home, I can barely finish my main so I clearly dish too generous a portion!

Same here ToDo. I would rather have a generous main than faff around with lots of courses.

I'm in charge of the starter for our dinner this year . I will be doing a choice of , tomato soup ( kids) , pate with toast and prawn cocktail as the 3rd choice . Daughter is in charge of the main meal and daughter in law is doing dessert. I think that this will work out great with nobody being too stressed

We do a light starter (melon or small bowl of soup type thing). I think it does make more of an occasion of it and adds to the sense of anticipation. It also stretches out the social element of the meal as that's one of the main highlights of the day, sitting around the table chatting and enjoying Christmas Dinner.

In my family we tend to have a chicken soup with very thin pasta before the main course. Much nicer than it sounds!

If I were hosting I wouldn’t do a starter. Canapé / nibble type things with drinks would work well.

We always do a fishy starter but have it a good hour or so before the roast

@ShirleyPhallus We deliberately go retro for lots of the Christmas food - it's a nice venture down memory lane! My parents used to be quite adaptable on what they cooked, and I dont often cook hugely traditionally (but do enjoy it) so it works for us.

I've only ever had a starter with DP though - prawn ring!
And Black Forest Gateau Trifle for dessert this year, very chic.

Choice of cauliflower and Stilton soup or smoked salmon here.

I'm sorry, did someone just describe cauliflower cheese as unnecessary carbs?

We had a few years of broccoli and Stilton soup but it was filling up too much for the main so going back to small canapés a bit earlier in the day

I'd rather eat more Christmas Dinner than habe a starter.

I serve the starter at 12pm with drinks and mains at 3/4pm. Enough time to digest & stopping people from binge eating/ drinking.

Even on Christmas day we prefer to have Christmas lunch at lunchtime not mid afternoon or later.

@Ribidibidibidoobahday

I'm sorry, did someone just describe cauliflower cheese as unnecessary carbs?

Yes me!

There is a time and a place for cauliflower cheese ( like last night on my plate, yum) . But IMO, though I accept that others might think differently, Christmas lunch is not the right time or place, especially if it means having to drop our starter of gravadlax from the menu.

Neither Christmas lunch nor cauliflower cheese are improved or enhanced by close proximity. It would be like holding a Stones concert in the Sistine Chapel.

I like cauliflower cheese, but I agree that it has no place on the same plate as a roast dinner.

It also has no carbs, which I think was prolly the OP's point.