To ask for suggestions for alternative Christmas lunch

[hopalongnowplease]

I'm currently bed bound with a badly broken ankle. I'm due to have a third op on it in the near future but it will be a while before I'm walking properly.

My husband has been an absolute star looking after me and the kids.

He's not known for his cooking but has tried his best. However, he feels that cooking a Christmas roast and all the trimmings will be a step too far for him.

Rather than a sit down lunch, we are thinking of buying party food that he can just pop in the oven throughout the day, ie baked Camembert etc.

Any suggestions for something Christmassy that would be relatively quick and easy please?

Cote at Home do lovely ready meals. They have a Christmas Box for 4-6 people where you just fling everything in the oven. Includes pigs in blankets! Hope you feel better soon OP.

coteathome.co.uk/festive-turkey-menu/

All day party food is the way to go then. I think they all cook at the same temperature now, so he can just lob in whatever the family vote is at that time. We've done this a few times and love it. Ds also has very happy memories of the year we got a load of different puddings and had a meal just of pudding. Zero effort, high impact, something you wouldn't do on any other day

We had a different type of "crisis" when our DC were young. We had pizzas from the freezer, they still look back on it fondly as a favourite meal.

@hopalongnowplease Your poor ankle, how miserable for you!

Marks and Spencer do a Brie en croute which serves 6, though it needs 55 minutes cooking. They also do a Camembert and brioche wreath with garlic butter with a much shorter cooking time, and also serves 6 people, both at around £15.
With that, you could do bought cold sliced ham, continental meats, a couple of ready made salads such as pasta or couscous or potato salad, and things like tomatoes & cucumber.

The party food idea is good, but still involves a lot of back and forth to the oven for your DH, while the above has only one cooked item and the rest is cold.

For Boxing Day, perhaps do ready made soup, then pâté & toast, or a selection of smoked fish, prawns, and breads.

Dont forget, Ocado deliver M&S food now, if that would help you.
I hope you make a good recovery, and enjoy Christmas!

We had a "Cook" Xmas meal one year. Just bung in oven. It was very nice.

Lidl have just got their party range in including a sausage roll wreath that looks impressive as a centre piece. That said if you want a roast you can get a full meal frozen that he can just follow the instructions on the back - assuming for up to 4, they have roast in the tray joints, Brussel sprout gratin, winter roasting veg, roast potatoes, cauliflower cheese, stuffing balls, pigs in blankets already in stock - just buy fresh gravy that week of use bisto. I did it in 2020 when we couldn't travel

My local carvery does a take away at Xmas, so you could have a roast if there is a carvery near by.

I quite like Iceland's party food.

Actually I quite like their roasts. It wouldn't be home made but you could get an Iceland delivery of a roast meat, frozen roasts, Yorkshire puddings, carrot and swede etc.

Check out your local take aways, lots deliver over Xmas.

M&S, sainsburys, other places do all the veg etc ready made you just literally put it in the oven.

if that’s too much how about a ready made en croute or wellington to put in oven with frozen roasties and say peas? That would super easy.

Some years when we have been pushed a bit at Xmas, eg in a holiday place without a proper kitchen or when I'd come home from hospital with a baby the day before, we have ordered an Indian takeaway Xmas Eve then heated it all up on Xmas day. Dh says they have been his favourite Xmas meals!

hellofresh and the like do Christmas boxes. Marks and Spencer’s are particularly good for Christmassy bits that are pre-prepared and easy. I’ve had a bag of frozen spiced red cabbage and apple from Lidl before which was lovely and literally just shove bag contents in pan and simmer. I would suggest chicken-in-a-bag if you want a roast bird as there’s literally no prep and they stay moist if left a bit long in the oven.

One year we had what I'd call a boxing day dinnner, on xmas day. And honestly everyone loved it and it was so relaxing as I wasn't spending half the day cooking.

Basically just cooked a ham and a chicken on xmas eve, then xmas day had those, plus some other bought cold meats, salads, mash potatoes, cheeses, pickles etc. And a posh frozen dessert.

Another year we had steak with chips and salad. Again went down well and so much less stress.

Although both were because we were having a roast turkey dinner on another day. So you could do that. Buy a turkey anyway if everyone loves it and then once you're back on your feet, say easter? do a full turkey roast then.

If you have a slow cooker, a turkey drumstick is super easy and Christmassy and sits there ready and waiting for hours, so it can be eaten whenever. Add some flour and it makes its own gravy too. Start it cooking the night before. Very cheap!

Do check it will fit in the slow cooker - some of the drumsticks I buy are just slightly too long and the bone needs to be broken with a cleaver to make it fit.

See if you can get one in advance and freeze it; I have heard that bird flu may cause turkey shortages this year.

I did this a couple of years ago. It was the easiest Christmas dinner. Pretty sure everything cooked at the same temperature, so it was a matter of timing.
Put longest thing in oven, at half hour to go add the half hour things, then serve, while serving put the 3 minute things in the microwave and your done.

Alternatively dont toby carvery do a take out? Or your favourite takeaway?
I've done all kinds of Christmas dinners, from the really fancy to bare minimum effort like takeaway.

She's probably not made of money.

@girlfriend44 It’s a suggestion..it’s a nice alternative to Xmas lunch at home if you can afford it.

DH works Xmas day and last year I did the traditional roast ready for him getting home but it was a faff between that and entertaining DC. So this year i'm trying to decide between doing the party food as others have mentioned or sticking a casserole in the slow cooker and some jacket potatoes in the oven with a posh dessert to make it feel more special and possibly that baked Camembert recipe as a starter!

I don’t find ‘bits’ very easy. I’d do

Slow cooker ham
Bought potatoes dauphinois
Tenderstem broccoli

On Xmas eve now I do a steam pie, lasagne and curry.
Then we have meals to pick at over the Xmas days and lots of cheese, party food etc.
Nobody starves. It's easy.
And we have our Xmas lunch on Nye

A small fully cooked ham from the supermarket only needs warming up in the oven. Supermarket rolls, roast potatoes, green vegetable, same. Add supermarket pie that only needs thawing like a chocolate cream and you’re done. Add any easy no-bake appetizer or dessert bits if he feels he can get the main lunch under control. Have kids set table.

I hope you get up and around soon. Last year in December I only sprained my ankle, though it was a very bad sprain, and it was a nightmare trying to get around on a wheelie chair and not being able to wash properly and not do all the Christmasy things I wanted to do. Speedy recovery to you.

I’d take the focus off the main meal and have it on breakfast, nibbles and dessert.
Something like smoked salmon with scrambled eggs and hash browns for brekkie. Spend on really luxurious ready made dessert or 2 that you know everyone likes and lots of cheese, nuts etc.

Then ham that just needs warming, warm bread, good quality butter and salad or simple green veges. He could make real hot chocolate and mocktails with the kids for something different but easy. .

Thanks for all your suggestions and for your get well soon wishes.

Really appreciated x