To ask if there are people on here who've never cooked a Christmas dinner before?

[FortunesFave]

And how old are you? I was really surprised when someone I know on FB posted that they were so sad not to be travelling to their parents with their family this year and that she's never cooked a Christmas dinner in her life.

She's 50!

Her parents are in their late 70s and early 80s!

Do these people not feel guilty or weird about going home like this every year?

I mean...going home is lovely...but surely you could muck in with the cooking if your parents are that elderly?

50ish - never wanted to or needed to

I could if i had to, its all about timing

41, first time this year, never been allowed to help the PILs. This year it's my house, my rules, and no crappy turkey

I'm also amazed at the amount of people that have never cooked a Christmas dinner or even a roast. I've been cooking them since I was 21 when I got married, over 50 years ago.
DH has also been cooking them ever since he was married, which is why I've never needed to

My second comment didn't make it... added to say it's only a roast with twiddly bits on the side, which isn't technically difficult and I've done that plenty of times before. I don't have the drama about doing Christmas dinner, but I have 2 ovens and a decent hob.

Luckily my DH is a great cook so we generally share the load.

I’d be much less likely to be enthusiastic about cooking if I was married to someone who didn’t do his fair share of it and other household duties.

Yes me! Nearly 50 and have never cooked a Christmas dinner!

Up till about 15 years ago it was my granny. Then my mum picked up the baton ( in her 50's) and this is the first time ever it'll be just the 4 of us. I'm not worried as I cook roasts all the time but feeling a bit sad as there's usually around 12 of us.

In her heyday at my granny's I think we got up to 19?

I am a vegetarian. I have never cooked a meat Christmas lunch as we have that with family (only one meat-eater in our household). So I found myself buying stuffing mix and chi Pilates yesterday, which was odd.

Me! I’m 32 and I can’t really cook.

I can simple meals like cottage pie, Currys (premade jar), fajitas (premade mix) and stuff like that, but roast dinners?

Not a chance

Me. I'm 52. Never felt the need.

31 and I've done a joint one with my boyfriend a few years back, at my mum's, and helped out most years at home. Never done one solo!

This year it's just the two of us and other than peeling veg, I have been banned from the kitchen, so I'm going to get drunk and eat chocolate.

I could do one though. Just a big roast, innit?

Grown woman here but mum won’t let me near her turkey dinners. I’m a good cook so we’ll see as this week is my first attempt!

42 and I've never done one. I've never actually had Christmas at home since I got a house of my own - I've always stayed with my parents or sister. Not cooking this year either - although we're at home my OH is veggie and I'm not so rather than cooking 2 things we're getting a reheat at home meal from a local restaurant.

It would be a mistake to think that people aren’t cooking a roast because they find it too difficult

Agreed. I am not a fan of them, so choose not to. I could, and have, if I wanted to, but it's not a badge of honour.

I'm 26 and never done it. My boyfriend and I just cooked our first full chicken last week!

43. Mum doesn't want to give it up yet and doesn't want help.

I have no desire to try. When it's my turn - whenever that will be - I'm ordering in.

The first time I cooked a full Xmas lunch was the Xmas my DM was too poorly to do it. It was also our last Xmas together - I was 30.

If she hadn't died, I have no doubt she would still be cooking the full lunch, from scratch, without any help from anyone (until it came to the dishes!)

A Christmas Dinner is just a roast dinner with a few additions. Really not difficult to do - just make a timetable to plan it

However DS2 is now vegetarian and wants me to make him a quiche for his Christmas dinner. That will probably be more effort than the rest of the meal put together .

I've cooked plenty of roast dinners, including the same ingredients as Christmas, but as it's never been eaten on Christmas Day I suppose I've never cooked Christmas dinner. I'm 30.

I am often shocked by people who can't cook a roast dinner, I mean - it's a staple meal in this country?!

I was thrown in the deep end. 14 years old and my step dad had been in hospital and only came it Xmas Eve. My mum can't boil water so I had to run out and get the dinner. I had experience working pt in a kitchen and looked in some recipe books ( thank you Delia!) and so I made my 1st ever roast/Christmas dinner in 1994. I've made one every year since and it just wouldn't feel like Christmas without it.

If you have never made a roast dinner, do you do any other cooking? Or is it because you go to family?

I haven't (mid 40s). I'm a good, confident cook, but because I live on my own I don't cook a lot of roasts, including large birds.

I cooked my first proper Christmas dinner about 5 years ago when I was 28ish. I'm not counting the year that I and my partner had just got over a nasty virus and got one of those easy, throw it in the oven on a foil tray, turkey and roast potatoes. If that one counts then I cooked my first Christmas dinner at 22.

I haven't, I'm late 20s. However, we have cooked many roasts and of course helped when visiting family. My contribution is usually desserts and tea bits.

@FraggleShingleBellRock we don't have a roast every weekend just because it's what our parents did. I think curry is more of a modern British staple than a roast we have one maybe once a month in the winter. We can both cook perfectly well, it's just not in our top 10.

I'm 47 and have never cooked a Christmas dinner. We moved away so it makes sense for us to 'go home' at Christmas to see everyone. We have barely got room in our house for our family let alone put anyone up.
I'm slightly panicking about making the trifle to my Mum's standard.....

I do cook roast every Sunday but it isn't something that I enjoy doing

i am often shocked by people who can't cook a roast dinner, I mean - it's a staple meal in this country?

There is a world of difference between those that CAN’T cook a roast dinner and those that don’t want to or have no need to