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

This is horrifying on so many levels... Pulled pork? Sweetcorn? No stuffing, no piggies in their Christmas blankets? How is this a Christmas dinner?!

I'm not a "from scratch" Nazi - I'm quite happy to cheat with frozen veg (not sprouts, they don't freeze well) or ready made / prepped bits as necessary - but this is an abomination.

That said, if you and your guests enjoyed it, I don't think it matters at all what I, or anyone else, think of it.

Having cooked Christmas dinner for 50 straight years I'd be highly delighted if someone else offered to do it and your menu is fine.

Merry Christmas.

Christmas dinner isn't that much effort. I cooked for nine and certainly wasn't slaving away in the kitchen for hours. I rubbed a chicken with lemon, butter, garlic and herbs and roasted it. A piece of beef which took care of itself. I peeled some potatoes and roasted them. Pigs in blankets were pre prepped, I just chucked them in oven. I broke up a head of broccoli and some other green veg and boiled them. Yorkshire's were nice, ready made from the chilled section.

Next time, just but fresh ready made from M&S, it’ll cost a lot more but be the same level of effort and a proper Christmas meal which will taste so much better.

I thought it sounded fine! Before getting to your second post, I voted YANBU, because it sounded like a ‘we’re super busy and this is what we pulled together’ meal and then was gratified to be proven right 😁.

We moved house last Weds, and had full time caring responsibilities the week before so our Christmas dinner was: Tesco roasties in tin (one of those ‘chuck in the oven as is’ jobbies), a shoulder of pork I likewise chucked in the oven and forgot about for a couple of hours, some red cabbage that my mum made, heated up in the microwave (though we would have put green beans in the oven otherwise) and I grabbed some reduced pigs in blankets/stuffing balls from the Bargain Bin in Tesco on Christmas Eve to make it a bit more festive. Some jarred apple sauce and a quick gravy made with the pan juices and it was lovely! Couldn’t have asked for a better Christmas dinner, even though it was unconventional and was all things to put in the microwave/oven without any fuss.

Moving house is knackering. You get limited time with the people you love. While usually, I’d cherish kitchen time with those people at Christmas (we usually do a big cook together), this year, this is what I had capacity for and we enjoyed it just as much (if not a tiny bit more 😂).

*buy

A few wines, some hot food, a good laugh , sounds much more preferable than something pretentious. Would certainly sort your friends .

I'd be grateful if someone made me sausage & mash - and I dislike both.

Are you struggling financially op? Because if I was served that I would wonder if money was an issue?

dont be a nob, frozen brussels are not grim

I'm not making any assumptions about frozen veg.

Frozen sprouts are nowhere near as good as fresh. Same goes for broccoli and cauliflower.

Some veg are great frozen - peas, sweetcorn, green beans, spinach for example.

It doesn’t really sound like a Christmas dinner to be honest.

We have a fairly low key Christmas here but we couldn’t have a Christmas dinner without Turkey, home made stuffing, fresh roasties done in goose fat, cocktail sausages/pigs in blankets, Turkey gravy etc.

We didn’t bother with a starter or dessert to save faff and just eat all the chocolate and biscuits we got given as gifts (also saves faff and time making the entire thing less stressful).

It's fine, everyone enjoyed, it was a easy and cost effective meal.

I've had to cook dinner for 27people before. 3 course meal. In a standard home kitchen.

A lot of it was frozen/pre prepared.
I had to cook 3 Iceland frozen turkey crowns with bacon top. I used frozen roast potatoes, and frozen roasting parsnips and carrots, and frozen stuffing. Jarred cranberry sauce, the only thing "fresh" was the vegetables like peas, broccoli and sprouts, carrots , cabbage and the gravy.

The pate was bought, the bread rolls served were bake at home ones, and the pudding was a shop bought Christmas pudding or gateaus.

Everyone enjoyed, nobody cared, and I could time things better.

I also didn't have to spend hours upon hours in the kitchen and could enjoy time with the guests.

You did fine OP.

Instead of being in a kitchen we laughed played with lego etc

Then why post in AIBU if no one in your party gave a shit about the quality of food you ate?

Very good point

I was thinking might be someone hard up, or might be somone who was not an skilled cook.

Or both

Might also be someone who through age or infirmity was no longer able to prepare a traditional dinner. I had a family member who forgot how to make cakes.

I like pulled pork.

Or

Harsh to judge a menu like that, especially with cost of living.

I don't like frozen roasties, yorkies or brussels. They are all pretty horrible.

I like cooking though so no need to use them

What a pointless post - you cooked (warmed up!) food that your guests seemed to be happy with so no idea why you care what anyone else thinks!

Definitely not with lamb or beef!

I'm still bitter as only got one on Christmas day.

I suppose it would be preferable to this…but only just!

vm.tiktok.com/ZMFv2PLVG/

I must have lived a sheltered life as i didnt know you could buy frozen roast potatoes! We have always ever made them

I’d be grateful for someone else’s efforts on my behalf.

Not everyone can cook.
Not everyone can afford everything fresh.
Not everyone knows what a traditional Xmas dinner should be.
Not everyone can cope with the occasion.
Not everyone celebrates Xmas.

If someone was making that for me I’d be happy as Larry. Genuinely.

Definitely agree with this. Certain veg is great, others not nice at all. Frozen sprouts don't retain their quality in the same way that peas etc do.

I would happily eat that , I'd happily eat anything that I have not have to shop for, cook, dish up and then clear away and wash up. I even love it when someone makes me a cup of tea.