Christmas dinner for people who don’t like roasts?

[crossstranger]

I do like a roast but Dh and teens don’t want a roast, they don’t want vegetables.
I usually do cold meat and salad with bits for Boxing Day and they like that.
Dh suggests just a spread rather than a sit down meal.

It doesn’t surprise me that nobody wants a traditional Christmas dinner because nobody likes roasts except me and I’m not spending hours in the kitchen cooking for just me.
What would you do? And what even goes on a spread?

In previous years I’ve spent all morning preparing roast turkey while the rest of the family eat chocolate, drink and fill up on crap, just to force down a bit of turkey to please me so I need some ideas.

Mix n match. Order the smallest ready to cook turkey crown for you and ready to cook sides...and let the rest eat cake/twiglets as they desire.

Well, you know my answer to this - Pot Noodles all round. Job done!

They don’t mind the meat it’s the vegetables and the big meal idea they don’t want when they’re quite happy to sit and and scoff mince pies and pretzels and of course copious amounts of chocolate for the day.
Dh is happy with a beer and some snacks, usually a Christmas film goes on and out come the popcorn and crisps.

Beef Wellington, not a roast but still special.

There would be no arguments from them

But Christmas Eve is a working day, do you really want to come back from work and start cooking a roast?

I wouldn’t spend hours cooking if it wasn’t going to be appreciated, I’d buy a beef wellington, some frozen mashed potato and Some lovely veggies and have that instead with some really nice pre made or bought gravy.

You could do a bit of deconstructed Christmas "spread" of all the seasonal goodies and make/buy a range of Christmassay bits - do sausages rolls, mince pies, really good quality deli sliced ham and turkey, make a big fancy salad with avocado, seeds etc. Get some some posh crackers, nice cheeses, spreads, chutneys, pates etc. Smoked salmon, baked camembert.Make some easy savoury bites with ready made puff pastry - cheese straws, mini caprese tarts etc. Plus of that idea is you'd have loads of bits for the next few days for everyone to graze at their leisure and free you from the kitchen.

Or you could do a Christmas turkey pie? Get some of the Xmas dinner flavours/ingredients in it? Carrots, sprouts, turkey in the pie mix and then serve with a mash, greens, cranberry sauce etc. Then it feels "christmassy" but not really going down the roast route.

You could just go with a special meal with a great centrepiece, not particularly christmassy but something you wouldn't make everyday. Like a whole side of salmon or rack of lamb or something. Big seafood platter? Maybe just something a bit extra and special. I sometimes make a savoury "strudel" for my brother with cranberries, feta, chestnuts etc - you could do that?

I like a PPs suggestion of the beef joint and then having some tasty leftovers for sandwiches and salads. That would work if everyone likes it.

And?

Personally I'd do a one tray one pan roast for me, all roast veg in one tray and all veg in one pan, and a small gravy...and leave your husband to make whatever he feels he wants to make for the rest of them.

Beef wellington?

And go out with a friend to have a Christmas dinner in the pub before the big day.

I've done a solo roast once, I work odd shifts so I had my Christmas dinner at 4am - it doesn't actually take that long when you're cooking just for you, definitely not slaving away in the kitchen for hours, I think mine was done in less than an hour.

I'd tell my husband and teens to order themselves a buffet or takeaway of some description if that's what they want and I'd have a mini roast to myself 😁

They may not like vegetables but they must eat them occasionally? What is their favourite meal?

It doesn’t bother me to be honest, I don’t work outside the home

leave them to eat crap all day if that's what they're happy doing and get yourself a small portion of something nice you can stick in the oven with a few frozen roasties and steam some veg!
There's also some takeaways open but you normally need to pre-order.

I’m always a bit baffled by the idea roasted is such hard work. It’s literally designed to be the easy meal to feed a crowd that you can shove in the oven before church and eat fairly soon after.

We do the roast and trimmings and my autistic DD has chicken nuggets and some stuffing and a dessert of her choice. I did try for a couple of years but I’ve given up now. It’s her Christmas too so nuggets it is! Yeah it still (to me looks weird her sat chomping down on nuggets) but she’s HAPPY! Maybe have a sitdown and see what everyone fancies and see what you can ALL put together from that, you like a roast maybe get yourself one or thos small roast dinners they do in the supermarkets DH wants a picky dinner ask him what he wants in that picky dinner and the kids. Will probably actually be LESS work. Accommodating everyone without anyone feeling like they HAVE to eat something cos mums made it cos it’s Christmas. Trust me… it will make your life easier 😉

Ask them what they want. Do that. If it's chocolate for the day it's not going to kill them.

You have DH and teens. Get them involved in choosing the menu, buying and preparing it. Many hands make light work. Have a great Christmas.

I love the assumption, often seen on mumsnet, that everyone’s lives are exactly the same. Lots of people will have Xmas eve off work for numerous reasons 😆

So let them eat what they want, and get yourself some nice pre-roasted turkey from a good deli or Waitrose or wherever (or roast yourself a little bird; you'll have tons of lovely left-overs!).

'Vegetables' is a very broad category to just dismiss as "I don't like that" - unless maybe you're 3 and you haven't learned to be brave and to enjoy a proper balanced diet yet.

I agree with PP: isn't it lovely how he's full of ideas of what YOU could cook that HE would like? You're left doing all the work but you still don't get the lovely roast that you *and most people) would look forward to at Christmas.

Are you equally as thrilled at the prospect of the things that he's suggesting, or does it not matter when it's 'only' you having to compromise?

I knew it was a mistake clicking on this thread, im fucking starving now 🤣🤣🤣

My only must haves for Xmas dinner are sprouts with chestnuts and pigs in blankets. On the rare occasion we have Xmas day at home we do steaks and dauphinois potatoes with the above, and a nice pudding. All easily pre-preppable.I will never slave over a full Xmas dinner (happy to go and eat it at someone else’s house though!)

Ham and chips with pigs
Steak and chips
Egg and chips?

do you like chips?

personally I prefer to sit down properly at the table on Christmas Day or it all gets a bit of a drag but I’m not welded to a complicated meal. If they don’t want vegetables then you are a bit limited.

If they want a spread ask them all to suggest 3 things they would like to see on said spread. It’s not all your responsibility to come up with the menu when they’re dictating the change.