To say the Turkey is the least important part of Christmas lunch?

[LastChristmas20]

There must be others like us around. I'm hoping some are MNers!

Really the Turkey is just a formality.

I may in fact do a roast chicken. Or buy Turkey slices.

Christmas dinner is about all off the other sides. The main Christmas meat is actually the pigs in blankets and stuffing.

I always cook extra pigs in blankets so we can eat them cold for the next couple of days. My favourite part of it is definitely the roast potatoes, because we don't often have them so they do come as something special.

The official order of Christmas Dinner

1.pigs in blankets

1. Stuffing
2. Yorkshires
3. Turkey
4. Gravy
5. Roast potatoes
6. Cranberry sauce
7. Roast parsnips
8. Sprouts

10. carrots

To say the Turkey is the least important part of Christmas lunch?

It is for those living there!

Turkey is pretty bland and with only 2 of us here even a small one we'll be stuck with it in the freezer for months. Throughout the year we usually get the cheap joints like pork or a chicken but at Christmas we treat ourselves to a pricer cut. This year we're having lamb shoulder.

We had a different meat each year. Duck, goose, beef etc.

The sides are essential, the main meat is free choice.

As we have lasagne I would have to agree

We’re veggie so I make different things as the main every year. This year it’s a creamy leek filo pastry wreath and also a vegan turkey crown.

We never had turkey when I was a child either, it was beef or salmon.

I reallly like the turkey. The bit I don’t care about is the roast potatoes - I often don’t have any to make room for everything else!

My favourite bit is the stuffing - my Mum’s stuffing though!

Christmas dinner is nothing without the sprouts. I love sprouts and eat them whenever I can get them (and spinach, but that's not a Christmas thing)
So I would potentially be very happy with all the trimmings including sprouts and steak or lamb or chicken or pork at a push, but Turkey only I like. It would be a waste of food if I cooked it for the dinner.
I did curried lamb one year. Was lovely and cos they went in slow cooker all day, I had the rest of the oven free for more pigs.

@Ted27

As we have lasagne I would have to agree

We had lasagne one year! I was heavily pregnant and could not be bothered with the roast.

And lasagne is my DHs favourite.

YANBU. I like beef or pork with Christmas dinner. My dad is the best cook! This year I’m having chicken wrapped in prosciutto, I think shop bought, because my parents are doing a much more chilled Xmas as it’s just me and them. Also they’re both vegetarian now so harsh to expect my dad to slave away over meat!

But yes, the sides are where it’s at.

You are being very unreasonable in my opinion. I would not eat pigs in blankets - yuk and definitely no sausage meat in stuffing.

we have turkey and baked ham for Christmas and we love both. We all love turkey here.

I also bloody hate Turkey. We usually rotate what we have and after having DC we abandoned turkey forever. We're having gammon this year.

My kids would be happy with a plate of pigs and blankets and mash. I point blank refuse to eat mash potatoes with my Christmas dinner.

I love turkey, can't understand how people say it tastes of nothing, they must be crap turkeys!

@katienana

The official order of Christmas Dinner

1.pigs in blankets

1. Stuffing
2. Yorkshires
3. Turkey
4. Gravy
5. Roast potatoes
6. Cranberry sauce
7. Roast parsnips
8. Sprouts

10. carrots

Nooooo! Its.

1. Stuffing
2. Roast Potatoes
3. Turkey
4. Red Cabbage
5. Cranberry Sauce
6. Peas
7. Gravy
8. Sprouts
9. Carrots

I really don't understand the attraction of pigs in blankets.

When I was younger my Granny used to do three types of potato for Roast dinners - roast, boiled and mashed. Was amazing!

I do agree though OP, for me I’m not wedded to the idea of Turkey at Christmas. DP’s family always do it, but mine never have, so while I’ll happily eat turkey when provided it’s also meant following the sudden change of plans at the weekend we’re not really stressed about what meat we get so can be flexible around what’s available.

The pigs in blankets are mandatory though and I will not hear a bad word against them.

Agree. Although we're having curry goat

I’m already excited for Boxing Day turkey sarnies 😁

I think the only advantage of turkey is that it produces a large amount of meat for a large gathering. Lamb would do the same, but wouldn't be special. Because we actually like it, we have it relatively often!

We have duck, cooked so it isn't fatty, if fulfils the requirement of being different and special, and manages to taste nice as well, a big improvement on bland turkey.

I suggested goose once, which would probably be nice cooked a similar way to our duck, and is probably an older tradition than turkey, but DW said no allegedly, on religious grounds. Then denied she'd said that the next time I asked, so I suppose she just didn't like the idea.

Duck produces relatively little meat, especially once most of the fat has melted away, so it's suitable for a small family's meal.

I just don't get pigs in blankets. Now surreptitiously eating the bacon (cook's perks) that you've larded the blessed bird with after it is crispy and you are on your second glass of fizz...now that is yum. Cold cuts are the best.

I don't think any of the elements of Christmas dinner are important on their own, it's about when they are combined that the meal is special.

^This.

I love turkey, can't understand how people say it tastes of nothing, they must be crap turkeys!

And/or crap cooks.

1. Roast potatoes
2. Stuffing
3. Cranberry sauce
4. Gravy
5. The rest

All you people rating Christmas dinners are over looking the number one essential. Bread sauce. I’m not fussed about pigs in blankets, roast potatoes or meat based stuffing but the bread sauce is totally vital.