To ask what you think of this xmas dinner

[Shereturnsforonemore]

Ok here goes
microwave pulled pork
frozen Brussels
frozen roast potatoes
frozen yorkshire pudding
ah bisto

Christmas pudding ( ready made) with tin custard.

drinks were a selection of beer vodka rose wine cider and soft drinks and fruit shoots

What would your reaction be ?

yanbu sounds nice
yabu yuk

Surely the vegetables weren't still frozen? Sounds like someone doesn't enjoy cooking. It's still dinner, just maybe I would offer to host and cook next time if you didn't enjoy it?

Depends on the context. If someone invited me round and that was the best they were able to do then I'd be very grateful. It's nice to be asked and I appreciate other people's generosity even if the food isn't what I like.

And that's why the microwave is your friend. I'm not bothered about sweetcorn but DD loves it so I do a bowl along with the other vegetables to make her happy. Hosting - in real life at least - isn't a dictatorship.

As you’re buying it in - why not fresh custard as it’s not 1952?

M&S does the best Christmas pudding of all the supermarkets. Lidl deluxe is good too.

I agree with a pp. Cooking doesn’t come naturally to some people, and I’d be more than happy to sit down to what seems like a well planned menu within the limitations of the OP’s abilities and budget.

Some people would be very grateful for that meal. Sounds like they can't cook or can't afford it.

Just logged on to say the very same thing. I'd swerve the sprouts but apart from that I'd be happy with the rest. Tinned custard included. Just as long as there was plenty of beer because vodka and fruit shoots are not my thing and rose doesn't quite go with that menu.

I would say I don't like pork though so yuk

Truthfully ? I would be very disappointed, as a traditional Christmas dinner is one of my favourite meals - both the actual food and the time sitting together with family and it being a 'special occasion'.

I wouldn't say anything as obviously, if that was the best the person hosting was able to do, then I would appreciate that they invited me and were kind enough to host. If they were short of money, then again I'd appreciate even more that they were willing to host, and suck it up.
But if you normally pay to go out on Christmas day then you are obviously not short of money, so I would be very disappointed in those circumstances.

Better once you've added the carrots and sweetcorn, but if you were not serving many veg, then I'd think sprouts to be a very odd choice. It wouldn't bother me they were frozen - I wouldn't know would I, as I presume you cooked them before serving.

Anyway, for the New Year learn how to cook a few basic dishes and a roast dinner. It will be more economical and healthier to cook from scratch plus you'll learn about food as you go along

Try to be as patronising as fuck, why don't you?

All perfectly edible and I’m sure even more enjoyable with a couple of drinks.

I think the bit where you got unreasonable was when you started being a bit silly, implying that people who made more effort missed out on playing with their kids. That was a bit sneery, and a bit of a silly binary to construct: it’s really not either play with your kids OR produce Christmas dinner. You can do both and millions of us do.

Supermarkets sell bags of fresh sprouts for 19p at Christmas time...way cheaper than frozen ones I bet!

As for the pulled pork, I don't think it is for a roast dinner. Pulled pork should be cooked in a BBQ sauce and served in brioche buns with coleslaw.

A traditional Christmas dinner is a lot of work.

This year I couldn't be arsed to make my own bread sauce and didn't see any tubs in the shops. People have to be happy with what they get.

Forgive me but I am doing roast beef tonight and have already had 3 or 4 glasss of champagne. I only looked in because I have the recipe timings online.

There’s no such thing as not being able to cook. If you can read, you can follow a recipe. Frozen roast potatoes are just pre-peeled and cooked. Peel and cook them yourself! A roast chicken literally involves putting a chicken in the oven for the required time.

@Greeneyegirl you've never heard of frozen roast potatoes? Seriously? Never seen an ad for Aunt Bessie's on TV? Never been in a supermarket and happened to glance in the 'frozen potato products' freezer?
Really? Never?

Just be grateful. Hubby and I spent 6 hours cooking the full works. I would be happy for some convenience food but he likes to be Mr. Gourmet.

It sounds fine to me. I don't go shopping near Christmas to get fresh veg so we've always had frozen. I've got a small kitchen and I'm not faffing around with fresh everything. Luckily DH can cook so we always get a decent meal.

We're not stuggling financially as such but moving house was ££££ so looking to save money where we can.

Frozen food may (sometimes) be nutritionally equivalent but freshly cooked is tastier and has better texture. And you don't need to he able to cook to be able to prepare and boil or steam carrots, sprouts and cauliflower.
I'll admit that yorkies are a little more tricky but they're not part of Christmas Dinner anyway 😉

So yes, poor show really. I would have preferred to have been asked to bring some components of the meal and all chip in to get it ready.
Or ideally I'd host instead!

I would happily eat that meal. Shortcuts like tinned custard etc make sense to me!

I loathe pork so pulled pork would not have cut it. The rest of it I would have eaten although I would have judged you big time. Sorry!

its fine, apart from the meat (don’t like meat in microwave).
do you expect people to make their own custard? I made Yorkshire Puddings this year… Frozen is undeniably better than mine.

I'm always delighted to eat food I haven't had to plan, buy for or cook. As long as no one went hungry, I think that's all that matters.

Some enjoy the hoohah of an elaborate four course Christmas dinner and that's ok. Others are not fans and both camps are absolutely fine.

We’re a bit of a foodie family and I’d have been a little disappointed in some ways with that for a Christmas dinner, tbh. But the people I spend Christmas with are way more important than that. It’s better than several Christmas dinners I had growing up that were cooked from scratch and if you aren’t cooks I would probably have been happier with what you provided than if you’d tried doing it all yourself. Good frozen roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding in particular are better than many from-scratch versions I’ve been served (including the occasional disaster I’ve had myself).

Also, I absolutely agree that a lack of stress is a big win with this method. If you don’t enjoy the cooking this is totally the way to go. Glad you had a good time and hope you’re enjoying your new house.

Custard is a dated food item in my mind. A posh tub of the stuff would have been better than tinned. Tinned custard is like something from yesteryear. It's like school dinners. Nice vanilla ice cream, brandy cream or brandy butter would have been so much nicer imo.