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.

Don’t think she asked for a spelling lesson don’t be unkind

Bubble and squeak on Boxing Day morning? With that number of potatoes it's perfectly possible. Could add bacon and make it colcannon.

I think it sounds lovely OP, you are a grand host!

Id probably move the hors d'oeuvres to early evening, or cut them out completely - it's not too much in total, it's just too much in a short space of time.

If you are sticking even with your revised menu I suggest all five of you cook. And do you have enough oven space? And there isn't enough meat for five people, you need beef or ham as well. If you eat about three (traditional for Christmas dinner) then the bready breakfast should all have gone. Don't have the hors d'oevres.

I never do starters as it’s just too much food for us to eat. There will be just four of us this year (the smallest I’ve had for years) and it will just be Christmas dinner and dessert for who wants it (choice of any of the sweet stuff we have). I stopped making cakes etc myself a few years ago though. Now I just treat us to nice things from M&S. I just have no more blood, sweat or tears to give, M&S do all the work now 🙂

The food does sound very good but far more than I would be offering on the day.

That's a lot of food. Some very similar in style

This all sounds delicious, but it’s much too much! We’re a family of big appetites but this would last an absolute minimum of 3 days, if not longer!!

I can't imagine making, or eating all that. Or even having room in my kitchen (& I have a pretty big kitchen) I love Christmas dinner and the beauty of it is its a simple meal, following time honoured tradition where focussing on fewer dishes means they are more likely to be cooked to perfection. Over complicating it is unnecessary in my view.

It’s more than what we eat over the whole week. I can’t imagine having to cook all that in one day, I would spend most of the day in the kitchen rather than enjoying time with family, also the washing up 😬.

Hmm. How lovely you are. This is really nice to cater for everyone’s likes. It might be a bit much but I get extra greedy on Christmas Day and eat stuff I won’t normally eat. Is it waste you are worried about… I could be around in flash…

Not much meat for 5 unless the chicken is a capon. Too many veg. I’d skip the canapés if you’re eating breakfast and dinner is 1:30. Sounds good though.

All of us saying how much good that is - what if she is only planning to make a cereal bowl of each food? Then we'd be disappointed 😆!

5 of us this year. Normal breakfasts. Roast beef with yorkies, roast potatoes, carrots, parsnips, sprouts & pancetta, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower cheese. Gravy, obviously. 2x dessert options, one homemade one bought. Sandwiches for tea. Picky bits about if anyone wants it.

Yours sounds delicious but too much work for 5 people.

Sounds great. I like to make sure people have plenty to eat. I can’t stand offering miserly little portions. It’s Christmas so give them a feast. And your guests will have plenty to nibble on later - pigs in blanket, cold turkey etc..

We do 3 courses and that's more than enough! Perhaps you could cut down the amount of servings, just too much food and stress so yes, this is wonderful but unnecessary IMO. X

Yes, that is too much. If you invite me and DH we will help with the surplus. 😁

That is a lot of food (and work) for 5 people.

I'd cut to one type of potato, 3 veg, 1 gravy, no Yorkies for your main.
5 different hors d'œuvres seems OTT, just pick 2 or do a proper starter.
2 dessert choices instead of 5.
Maybe use the hor d'oevres for tea with a cheese plate and one dessert.

Wowed! What time is dinner?? That's a lot of food for 5 people. That will feed you all again on Boxing Day! Enjoy but don't overdo it.

If you really want to make that much food and not be left with left overs, that will take a week to get through I suggest staggering your courses throughout the day. We do this and it is much nicer and more leisurely. So we do hor derves as starters around 1.00 pm then we take a break - go for a walk or open presents etc then have our main course after the Kings speech, around 3.30pm then return to the lounge for present opening and games and then have our dessert about 6.00 pm and then cheese board and left overs around 8pm. It works really well for us.

Looks amazing can I come?

Seriously, though it seems too much, and very stressful for you. Why not simplify it a bit, and enjoy the day yourself. I think I’d be a nervous wreck prepping all that! ,

I am a greedy, hefty woman and that is far too much food.

I would cut it down to 2 kinds of potato (we actually have just roast potatoed with any roast dinner, including Christmas although this year we're having lasagne for Christmas lunch). Also, 3 types of veg is plenty. I'd offer a choice of 2 desserts. The mince pies can be kept for later on.

I see the potato controversy rages on! 🤣 The OP has decided already on the potato situation.

Personally I wouldn't bother with Houer D'oeuvres or a starter. Christmas dinner is already too much food usually that we have to have a break before pudding! Plus you pick on chocolates and other Christmas bits and bobs all day on top of the served food. We do breakfast then have the dinner late afternoon. Break for pudding then that's us. We don't usually have anything else although we always have in bread and salads etc in case anyone does feel hungry in the evening.

Also agree that you really don't need three types of potato! Roast potato is the king of potatoes, no other potato is needed! Plus mash and dauphinoise are too filling in an already very filling meal.

Here's what we cook for a full Christmas dinner:

Turkey
Sage and onion stuffing
Peas
Parsnips in maple syrup and mustard
Carrots in thyme roasted
Roast potatoes
Red cabbage in apple juice
Shallots roasted
Sweet potato roasted
Brussels in pancetta
Gravy

And that is more than enough. We always have tons left over.