Is My Christmas Menu Ok?

[Hour]

Just wanting some inspo really. Any constructive criticism would be appreciated.

I will be doing:

appetisers (husband does these)
brie and cranberry bites
smoked salmon and fake caviar blinis
pear and melon or a chicken caeser salad skewer

main
Chicken ballotine (basically a roulade with stuffing)
brussel sprouts with bacon bits
honey roasted rainbow carrots
roast potaoes
roast parsnips
cabbage
pigs in blanket
gravy

pudding
homemade Yule log
Christmas pudding (bought)
Panne cotta (teen son will make)

posh coffee and homemade minced pies in the evening

I would do a cheeseboard but I’d rather serve it on Boxing Day with leftovers as in my experience my lot don’t eat it.

WTF is entirely correct on all counts.

Bread sauce is a strong no 🖐

Oh I see.

Sounds a bit boring and bland to me. The main is basically a stuffed chicken with vegetables even though it's written to sound like a lot and fancy. So just one main meal?
As long your family likes it who cares about anyone else!

In 45 years of cooking Christmas dinner I have maintained resistance to Yorkshire puddings with turkey. I might cave in this year as DS says he will make them and he makes better ones than me.

Personally, I would ditch the Brussels sprouts!

I’d want some more veggies with it. So broccoli, carrots etc. but I think I’m a bigger veggie fan than others.

Sounds lovely, although I'm intrigued about how you mince a pie. 😄

I'd have everything on your list but swap cabbage for Delia's traditional braised red cabbage. I'd add another stuffing baked separately, bread sauce, cranberry and orange sauce.
I'd definitely have the cheeseboard on Christmas day, not as part of the main meal, but for later on, it's amazing how much people suddenly want to eat at 9pm when you bring out the cheese, chutneys, grapes, sausage rolls and Christmas cake.

What???????!!

cauliflower cheese and gravy is delicious!

Exactly. None of this piddling little “Yorkies” piled onto a full plate. Yorkshire puddings are baked in a roasting tin and served as a starter. They are served in thick rectangular slices with onion gravy, to fill you up and to make the meat go further. Which can be any roast dinner. Definitely not just beef. Or other dinners such as sausages and mash, or ash (not hash. Ash.)

I can hear the southerners fainting from here 😂

At least one person on this thread will be able to work out what part of Yorkshire I come from.

Anyway, as you were. OP, your menu sounds amazing!

We don’t bother with starters as then it’s just way too filling.

Thanks all for input. Will probably add Yorkshire puddings to mop up gravy.

Wow that’s a lot and sounds lovely - if you can manage it then why not

It sounds wonderful, but also like a lot of work.

How many are you catering for?

Can you condense the starter into one option?

Also, tell
Me more about this "fake caviar" that you write of.

I’m a fussy eater but would love all of this!

Same ! Only heard of it on MN! Don’t think it’s common up here!

Also Scottish and can add that I've never had a Yorkshire pudding in my life, or even seen one, or know of anyone who has them. I don't think they're a thing here at any time of year, although I have seen them listed on a menu occasionally.

I've also never heard of anyone having cabbage as part of Christmas dinner, or cauliflower cheese. But then I assume outwith Scotland you don't serve haggis and/or skirlie as an alternative to stuffing (that might be just me!).

Doesn’t sound like much of a Christmas dinner to me but if you’re happy with it then that’s your preference!

I’ve hosted and attended many different Christmas dinners and I’ve never seen one lack so much veg! We have everything you’ve listed but different meat. I would also like mash, peas and broccoli. Stuffing and cauliflower cheese too. I’ve never had a Xmas dinner without them. Yorkies are 50/50 depending on who’s hosting. I wouldn’t put them on mine if I was hosting as I don’t think they belong there but my family is divided on this.

Is it just the three of you? We’d usually have more than one type of meat too as well as a nut roast (which not everyone likes but I’m a big fan of) but I understand this can be wasteful if only a small party.

Yes I thought skip the Cabbage and have some Yorkies

I feel the same! Seems odd to me to have Yorkshire puddings on Christmas Day. They are more of a regular Sunday thing, not a special meal thing. We are having duck in Cherry sauce with gratin though so maybe not being so British traditional.

I don't see any lack of veg. Carrots, parsnips, cabbage, Brussel sprouts... Seems plenty. Maybe you could add peas or broccoli but I think 4 different veg is hardly a lack.

I don't get why you'd need mash potatoes if you have roast potatoes. But then I'd probably do a carrot and swede mash rather than potato.

Love cauli cheese with a Christmas dinner, but not Yorkshires, not sure why.

Yum 😋

I’m intrigued, what is “white sauce” in the context of puddings?

Is this like a brandy sauce type thing?