To ask about your alternative Christmas dinners

[FourteenSixteenTwentyTwo]

Every year I do the turkey roast, make too much food, spend most of the day in and out of the kitchen (drinking far too much champagne to keep up the enthusiasm), only to be left with a kitchen full of washing up and more leftovers than will fit in the fridge.

So not this year. I want to do something different. I'm somewhere between picky food and just ordering a curry. What do you do that's different?

Only two of us last year so we had a lobster starter and then surf and turf for our main. Nice, simple and more of a treat than a roast for us. Will likely do something similar this year

@FourteenSixteenTwentyTwo if you’re considering goose then do be aware that many people find it akin to a more delicious, more flavourful turkey (I feel that’s very unfair. I think it’s much more than that!). If you’re tired of turkey you may find it too close to that. Just thought I’d mention it in case you’re really in the mood for something completely different.

Frozen confit duck.

Buffet 😁🎉

@MintyGreenDream

M&S veg and meat

Yep. Just done my order.

Really takes the hassle out of it and is delicious.

I'm due baby 2 this Christmas so instead of the big roast we'll have roast meats (thinking beef and turkey but maybe a ham) in rolls with some picky bits throughout the day

This year we are having nut roast and sirloin of beef for the meat eaters which doesn’t take anywhere near as long to cook as turkey. And I don’t faff too much with sides - roast potatoes and carrots, sprouts, peas with a bit of mint, pre-done red cabbage otherwise there is too much, stuffing and gravy both from a packet (nut roast usually comes with a sachet of gravy).

Another vote for M&S ready-prepared veg etc.

'Picky Lunch' is always popular here when there are multi-generations, as you can just lay out the food on a sideboard or breakfast bar and people grab what they want to sit at the table. We do a mic of hot & cold, but it's all pre-prepared or bought in from M&S/Waitrose.

We had goose once years ago, but it wasn’t popular with the kids and DH. For a small group I would say duck is better. The meat has a milder taste and it is easier to deal with than goose. You won’t get many leftovers, but be sure to boil (gently and for a long time) the carcass with aromatic vegetables. Strain when dark and rich. You will get a fabulous broth for the base of your next duck sauce. Always stay one duck ahead! (For the first one, to make the broth get chicken bones from the butcher or buy a pack of chicken wings - which are pretty cheap - to simmer and strain etc.). You can do this a day or two before and keep in the fridge until you are ready to make sauce/gravy, or even longer ahead if you put it in the freezer. (Can’t beat port wine in the duck sauce and if you stir in a tablespoon of butter at the very end it will give it a lovely shine.)

Yes duck also makes a fantastic Christmas dinner.

Sigh. I’m hungry.

we order a curry

For the third year running, we will be having truffle mac’n’cheese, with lots of greens on the side. Low effort, comfort food that pleases everyone.

We try to make the day as low stress as possible, with an early morning swim, massive breakfast, long walk and then carbs and cheese to round off the day. I know it doesn’t suit everyone, but the last two years it was just the two of us. This year, DPs children will be with us, and they’re all in for making it easy.

Pizza. Throw a pizza in the oven and just play board games with a few drinks.
No arguments, no waste. No 4 + hours making a meal.

We started this tradition in 2019 when we were in Florida for Christmas. 2020 we were a smaller group. Were going to have a roast about a week before at the local Toby carvery or push the boat out and go to a nice independent pub with fantastic food but I'm not cooking a proper Christmas dinner

Christmas Eve we will have roast beef buns and Christmas Day

Well be having meat platter, & cheese board complimented with pigs in blankets & roasties.
Dc's aren't big on starters and myself, DH & Dc3 aren't fans of desserts so not much point doing them.

Last year we had our traditional turkey roast on Christmas Eve, albeit a fully prepped version from Tesco. I don't eat turkey and the 2 DC aren't too interested either. Then, we had an Indian takeaway on Christmas day.

It's always just the 4 of us and even pre-prepped food involves one adult being in the kitchen away from the fun, and for a meal that only one of us really loves! Last year was wonderful in comparison and I never want to go back to the big meal on Christmas Day.

We have a homemade “high tea” style meal in the early afternoon with whatever me and my sister feel like making/baking that year. And in the evening we order a curry. I hate cooking except for baking and no one here likes traditional Christmas food much so it’s a lot more fun for everyone this way.

Also why are you washing up after cooking ? The cook never cleans
They do in our house.
We alternate so if you cook, you clean up and the other person does nothing next time the person who cooked previously has complete down time.
It wont work for everyone but weve been doing it for 30 years!

I make a fabulous nut roast for our Christmas dinner. I made one for tea the other week but it felt wrong having one in September!!

Chinese, ordered on xmas eve and bunged in the over/microwave on xmas day whenever we're all hungry. We may even use paper plates ;)

This year we are getting a Festive Menu from a local pub, again, takeaway on xmas eve and reheated as and when. Ive picked up some 'fancy' paper plates this year

I'm considering a takeaway this year. I used to love the traditional meal when all the extended family was involved but now we do visiting in the morning instead.
Went out for a meal two years ago but it felt really rushed, like they wanted us out ASAP - and who can blame them on Christmas Day?
Last year, we had beef and dauphinoise and a pavlova afterwards but still felt like too much cooking and cleaning.
We already do party food on Christmas Eve and steak pie with all the trimmings on New Year's Day.

Haven't read the whole thread but we have a similar problem with left overs and fridge space. For a few years we have been using an electric camping fridge, it's handy for veg/potatoes/drinks that need to be cooled but not necessarily a proper cold fridge temperature.

Some of my all-time best Christmas wheezes;

1)Order all food online, click and collect from Marks and Spencer.

2. (with advance warning) all adult presents to be either home made or sourced from charity shop. That was a LOT of fun.

3. gave up on Xmas trees (real and fake).

We have a large bay window; DH painted three broom handles and suspended them from bay window ceiling. Our lifetime accumulation of Christmas tree ornaments were suspended from the broomhandles at various heights on invisible plastic fishing line.

We loved it so much we never took them down so are all ready for Xmas right now.

We've had steak and chips before.

The kids choose here.
It's either pastries and fresh juice or bacon rolls for breakfast.
Lunch usually has a theme so Mexican, Indian and Italian last three years.
Tea is help yourself salads, dips, crisps, cold meat, pigs in blankets, bahjis, samosas etc.
I decided many years ago that Christmas was to spend with my children not in the kitchen. Everything we have is prepared beforehand and just popped in the oven on the day.

This year it's just the 4 of us so we're doing chilled cooked prawns, sushi and champagne. It's hot here though. Washing up limited to 4 plates, 2 platters and 6 glasses. Perfect

@HollyandIvyandAllThingsYule could I have the recipe if you find it? Very interested in trying it!