Is this too much food for 5 people on Xmas day?

[Hoiz]

Breakfast
Pret frozen croissants
Cinnamon rolls
Coffee
Bucks Fizz

Houer D'oeuvres
Pigs in blanket (American style)
Chorizo and Scallops
Salmon and Cod Roe Blinis
Garlic Prawns
Caeser Salad skewer

Main Meal
Stuffed Chicken Joint
Roast Potatoes
Mash
Dauphinoise Potatoes
Honey Carrots
Bacon and Broccoli
Parsnips
Brussel Sprouts
Cabbage
Pigs in blanket
Stuffing balls
Yorkshire pudding
Onion Gravy
Plain Gravy

Dessert
Sticky Toffee Pudding and Ice cream
Xmas Pudding
Yule Log
Cheese Platter
Mince Pies

Dinner
Leftovers

Drinks
Champagne
Wine
Bucks Fizz
Spicy Margharitas

Someone in the group is insisting on a starter but they have agreed to taking responsibility. TBC.

This will all be homemade (apart from pastries in morning and ice cream) so it’s a lot of work - 2 main people doing it. A third person will likely pitch in a fair amount.

Is it a normal amount of food? First year hosting but any less would not be what my family is used to. But I’m doing a lot more homemade stuff whereas in previous years some of the snack stuff and desserts would be M and S.

I’d prefer more vegetables and fewer desserts

What time shall i arrive? 🤣

im in minority as a rarity

Lose an hors d'oevre
Definitely not 3 potatoes - 1 is fine but 2 is lovely.
I'd lose bacon and broccoli - not trad or particularly gorgeous and you have one too many veg.
At least two of the puddings to be store-bought

Otherwise sounds lovely! Tell the starter-monger to fuck off though.

I'd like your spicy margarita recipe please 😀

Take the broccoli off the menu and add the bacon to the sprouts .

do
you need
cabbage ok Xmas lunch ?

ditch the chocolate Yule

oh your not feeding me , yes it’s loads!

Sounds amazing. I'm sure it ll be more than enough.

You don’t need hor d'oeuvres or a starter.

The rest is very similar for what I would cook from scratch for Christmas (I’d do a Turkey and a ham not chicken) after a breakfast of smoked salmon blinis

I always do three types of potatoes and three puddings with home made custard and ice cream. Dauphinois can be part cooked the day before and braised red cabbage is much better if cooked the day before and then reheated Christmas Day.

you will need a lot of oven space though.

@Torganer

errr like what veg would you want exactly?! Op is already doing loads already!

OP we have 3 gravys here make ahead gravy onion gravy and bread sauce. when Late mil was with us I made a 4th as she didn't like alcohol in her food, It was never an issue.

I think it sounds wonderful and considers everyone

I've just realised - does OP's cabbage actually mean red cabbage?

You've missed out afternoon tea😂
No cranberry sauce

Unless you have caterers coming in to assist:

5 desert options when there's only 5 people seems a bit of a faff.
Maybe just offer cheese or xmas pudding? - and have mince pies lurking

Similarly too many hors d'ouvres
One veggie, one meat or fish

If you have roast potatoes and all the other veg, do you really need two other faffy potato options? Would also only do one type of gravy.

@Hoiz
I think the new menu looks great. The picture of that chicken dish looks SO good. Now I'm hungry. And jealous that we won't be having any kind of dinner or doing.

I got really hungry after this thread last night and made a big dish of macaroni cheese (when I am normally fairly low-carb)! 😅😃

That is enough food for a week im so pleased its only me and my daughter I couldn't cope with all that ...goodluck x

No it’s sounds lovely

I’d say probably too much and too much faff and overly rich and unnecessary. Not enough simple easy maybe need less stodgy things and have some easy things like carrots and hummus or dips (pre bought), grapes, cheeseboard etc. In terms of meat in the main meal. Maybe I’d roast a ham and have ham as well as chicken.

All that is certainly not going to help if you get overwhelmed anyway. You’ve set yourself up before you’ve even started! I agree with what everyone else says. Don’t bother with your little picky bits in the morning if you’re eating at 1. Sounds like a complete faff that could be avoided. Maybe serve those in the evening as nibbles Hand round the tin of chocolates or a mince pie!

To be honest there are a lot of people who are even struggling to feed there family this Christmas and you are going on about hors d'oeuvres etc etc. All sounds very show off listing your menu and your trivial problem!! Get a grip and look at what’s happening in the real world! Seriously who gives a monkey back side about whether you are feeding too much!! Maybe give your extras to the local homeless organisation!

It would only be too much if you were forcing people to eat. Leftovers in our house usually get eaten on boxing day. Better to have enough than too little. If we all wrote down what we ate on Christmas day most of us would think it was too much so you shouldn't worry.

Halve it.

That would probably feed ten, apart from the chicken joint (?) which isn't enough. But why do all this? Mind, the breakfast is easier than a full English, which I will do (but only for two, though I have done it for more - the trick is to keep everything warm). Other than that, too many puddings. A Christmas pudding and an alternative is enough + cheese before or after the pudding - most of those desserts will be left over and no-one will want to eat them. If you must make a Yule Log (a roulade? That's rather fiddly) I'd have it for tea, with (bought) mince pies. I would also use bought croissants that can be quickly heated rather than having to put the Pret ones in the oven and cook them - it's easier. From what you list you and someone else are going to spend all day cooking, serving, and clearing up. Don't do it.
I am going to a meal for twenty (step-son and partner, his sons and daughter, their partners and my DH's 6 great-grandchildren) and everyone is pitching in (I lumbered myself with parsnips, unfortunately, luckily not ringing for Christmas morning!) so no-one is entirely burdened - DSS and his DSs will cook all meat e.g. beef, lamb, turkey etc. Serve yourself (not children, obv) rather than carved and plated or passed round the table (everything gets cold) and a choice of puddings none of which will be home-made. Drinks will be wine, prosecco, various spirits, etc along with some non-alcohol beer, wine and gin, fruit juice etc. Buck's Fizz is a waste of time IMO.
If you must have this lot then have the veg frozen (there is no difference between a frozen sprout and a freshish one, except peeling it), buy in the puddings and mince pies and anything else you want. Also, have lots of hot gravy - it makes sure that everything else remains hot. Cut the hors d'oevre entirely - have them on Boxing Day if you like and they are arriving via someone else - and have a jug of cream for the desserts. Have a Christmas, not a cooking fest, and enjoy it rather than be worn to a frazzle (which you will be doing this lot).

Sounds lovely but I think you are putting too much pressure on yourself.

I love the idea of buffet presentation though, people pick what they would like to eat.

I’ve spread our meals out from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day if that helps with your quantities…

Rather a parsimonious and unfriendly comment. My DB-in-Law and his DSs and DDs spend Christmas Day serving lunch to the homeless - I only know because someone casually mentioned it at a wedding, they do not broadcast it. Eat what you want for Christmas Day but do not spend all day cooking, it's not what it's about.

And there are lots of people who aren't struggling and want to spoil their friends and family with good food & drink, and be good hosts.
Yes, there is lots of awful, awful things happening around the world - there always are, but why should that mean we have to martyr our own lives? We can still enjoy Christmas as well as help others, protest, donate to charity etc.