What are ‘all the trimmings’?

[HurricaneZeldaAndToto]

After a slightly disappointing Christmas dinner at a relative’s house, I wondered if my idea of ‘all the trimmings’ was massively out of whack with the rest of the world?

If you did turkey dinner ‘with all the trimmings’ what did you serve?

AIBU to suspect this means very different things to different people?

for us it’s

stuffing
pigs in blankets
Roast potatos
roast carrots & parnsnips
red cabbage
gravy

we also include
yorkshire pudding (as my kids like them) and cauliflower cheese. Growing up for some
reason we always had potato croquettes too but was only ever our Christmas & new year (steak pie dinner)

Turkey
Ham
chestnut and pork stuffing
sage and onion stuffing
pigs in blankets
roast potatoes
honey roasted parsnips and carrots
spiced carrot and swede mash
smoked garlic sweet potato mash
sprouts with orange and chorizo
chestnuts with cream and pancetta
bread sauce
cranberry sauce
gravy

Roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, bacon off turkey crown, cranberry jelly, Yorkshire puddings, pigs in blankets, carrots, peas, sprouts and wine gravy. Served with turkey and beef. If I had many coming I'd probably do cauliflower cheese to because DH is vegetarian.

I just do the stuff my family likes - masses of very crispy and fluffy roasties, home made nut stuffing balls, pigs in blankets, steamed carrots and roast carrots in honey and thyme glaze, roast parsnips with cumin seeds, red cabbage with red onion and red wine, sprouts, cranberry and bread sauces and home made gravy. That's it. They don't want mash or cauliflower cheese thank goodness.

Also do stuffing balls of stuffing and sausage meat.

Basically a Sunday lunch with additional stuffing balls , pigs in blankets , cranberry sauce and roasted parsnips - the rest we would normally have

I added cauliflower cheese to my 'trimmings' this year as everyone on MN seems to have it and I thought I was missing out. It was only a microwaveable version but yum.

Can I ask those that have bread sauce what the attraction is? Has always fascinated me. As a vegetarian what can it go on please?

Bread sauce is not runny it’s more like the consistency of rice pudding.
It’s bread, milk, cream, cloves, bay and nutmeg.

It’s traditionally eaten with game. Gravy is used as well.

Roast veg and also greens like peas and cabbage are just standard to me

All the trimmings means pigs in blankets, Yorkshire puddings, toad in the hole etc

I was just about to post the same thing! It’s the most horrifically twee expression, and I always hear it in the same tone of voice used by people who say ‘Shall I be Mother?’ when pouring tea.

It also makes me think of a table full of hedge trimmings, or, alternatively, a turkey festooned in braid, lace trim, and tassels. Maybe a festive pelmet.

i don’t think I’ve ever heard it said in Ireland, but maybe just don’t move in those circles…

I have never eaten a pig in a blanket either, despite many years living in England, but as I am vegetarian, this isn’t surprising. (And, shoot me, but Yorkshire puddings are a weird English perversion, like marmalade.)

This year, ours (me, DH and 2 young men with ASC) was:

Pigs in blankets
2.types of stuffing
The bacon off the top of the turkey
Gravy
Roast potatoes
Roast parsnips
Carrots and sprouts
Braised leeks.
Ketchup for the boys
Baguette and rocket salad for Ds1 who doesn't like spuds or cooked veg.

pigs in blanket
sprouts n bacon
other veg
cranberry sauce
roasties
stuffing

This year, with Turkey:

Roast Potatoes
Gravy
Pigs in Blankets
Sausage meat Stuffing balls
Brussels Sprouts (this year steamed - last year in a gratin)
Carrots (usually roast but sometimes steamed)
Cranberry sauce
Parmesan Parsnips (last year roast as did a gratin)

Cauliflower Cheese (didn't have this last year)
Yorkshire pudding (skipped this year though, as more than enough)
Braised red cabbage (had it last year for the first time, nice, but didn't bother this year)
Sometimes have other veg too - broccoli, peas etc - just steamed

Bread sauce - never had it
Mash - never had it

Was once served roast beef alongside the Turkey with a really strong beef gravy (also with very over boiled veg) - horrible.

Chicken
beef
home made sausage meat stuffing
pigs in blankets
roast potatoes
roast parsnips
roast chunks of butternut squash
cauliflower cheese
mashed carrot and swede
sprouts
gravy
redcurrant jelly
pickled onions
that was just for 3
in previous years when I’ve had more people would probably do more green veg eg broccoli and asparagus and also sweet potato mash
no yorkshires though!
DM would insist on home made apple sauce too

And Pigs In Blankets too...

Oh God, no, not an English expression!

Pigs in blanket, bread sauce, cauliflower cheese, gravy, Yorkshire puds, stuffing, red cabbage, sprouts and chestnuts, roast carrots and parsnips

Nor would ! (My family would think I was having a bit of a breakdown if I served such items)

Doesn't bread sauce mix with the gravy and go all weird?

"Can I ask those that have bread sauce what the attraction is? Has always fascinated me. As a vegetarian what can it go on please?"

The bin 🤮

CandyLeBonBon · Today 17:53
I WILL fight you @DappledThings 😂

DappledThings · Today 17:54
I'm up for it 😂

I'm in too. #TeamYorkiePuds4everymeat.

I need some exercise to work off all those Yorkshire puddings I ate at Christmas. 😁

All these people missing out on bread sauce.. I feel so sorry for you.

It’s the most delicious part of the meal. And even easier to make since I realised this year that using dried panko breadcrumbs works just as well as using fresh breadcrumbs.

Roast potatoes, roast parsnips, mash, carrots, sprouts, peas, turkey, stuffing, pigs in blankets, Yorkshires with stuffing and pigs in blankets on top, gravy, cranberry sauce and bread sauce.

This year it meant
Stuffing x 2 *1 veggie
Roast potatoes
Pigs in blankets
bacon wrapped round stuffing (M&S they were delicious we are getting only those next year we have decided)
cauliflower cheese
Broccoli
Brussel sprouts cooked and then fried up with chestnuts - delicious
Carrots
Parsnips roasted in syrup = yum
Swede with ginger and nutmeg - very tasty
Red cabbage
Gravy
Breadsauce
we didn't do onion sauce or cranberry sauce this year but it is regular on the table too
and Turkey

For the vegetarian, she had a Waitrose veggie roast
So roast turkey but made from tofu or similar (I forgot - it was good)
Pigs in blankets veggie sausages with facon on them (not so good)
and Christmas tree thingies NO clue what they were but she polished the lot of declaring them delicious.

We're in NI, we don't say 'all the trimmings' either 😄 but essentials for Christmas dinner along with the turkey are:

Glazed ham
Mashed potatoes
Roast potatoes
Stuffing (only my Granny's recipe made with Nutty Krust plain bread, sage and onion is acceptable!)
Roasted carrots
Honey glazed parsnips
Sprouts done with bacon
Pigs in blankets
Yorkshire puddings (added in more recent years because I love them)
Gravy
Cranberry sauce