to think starters with Christmas dinner are superfluous?

[thatsgotit]

Just what the thread title says, really. How does anyone manage to do full justice to a turkey dinner if they've had their appetite blunted by a starter beforehand? (I do realise not everyone has turkey or even a roast, obviously, but I'm mainly talking here about those who do.)

This might be partly a generational thing, but personally I'd much rather leave myself more room to enjoy the main (and some Christmas pudding afterwards, which again I realise not everyone has) and it wouldn't even occur to me to plan a starter for Christmas Day. It just feels entirely superfluous. Surely I'm not the only one?

We are at FIL’s this year and he never serves starters or anything in particular for a Christmas breakfast. Unfortunately, he insists on doing everything himself in his tiny kitchen and dinner is often two hours later than quoted. I remember nearly crying one year when I went in the kitchen for a drink thinking it was going to be showtime imminently to see the par-boiled potatoes still sitting in the colander.

Last time we went I took a lunchbox of babybel, peperami and a packet of pistachio nuts to keep everyone going.

Yeah true. I will always be full from a roast but always have room for dessert, but not immediately.

No breakfast here just tea coffee and maybe a few chocolates whilst opening presents
For lunch we have a light seafood starter - then a break whilst veg are cooking and meats are resting
Main meal is around 2 with no dessert - which we then serve later around 7-8

So if they are that small i dont see the point it just creates washing up

We have smoked salmon or trout blinis with fizz after the presents and that acts as a starter.

If you need a starter for Xmas dinner- I’m talking a traditional roast of some sort this mean you ain’t putting enough food on the table

Never go in for a formal starter. Usually, I have been grazing (gorging) on canapes/snacks. Much prefer to go 'he'll for leather' on the main event. I have pudding later on, too

I grew up with DM or DGM always serving starters. With a break before the main course.
Thats what we do. Starters are usually something light that only needs assembling. Break, then dinner mid afternoon, with another break before dessert.
Then a cheese board for grazing in the evening.
My DPs used to break out the pork pie, turkey sandwiches and pickles by early evening!

I don’t need a starter. I could eat more of the main meal (there are always leftovers), I just prefer variety throughout the meal and like a to have a starter followed by a smaller main.
I don’t cook, my DH does but lack of food on the table isn’t an issue! It’s just personal preference.

We have a seafood starter a couple of hours before the main meal. It's one of my favourite parts of the day. Not bothered about puddings.

I don't really understand the whole 'do it justice' thing. I just have a normal size portion like I would with any other meal. It's not a competitive eating event!

Considering half of the people on here get full on a lettuce leaf, I'm even surprise that they're having a full dinner, although I would like to see what a full dinner looks like in their house, probably just one of everything. I guess from the no eating through the years that the Christmas dinner looks like something off man Vs food programme.

Starters all the way here 🥣🍤🦐🍞🍉🦞🦪 I guess we have a lot of practice at actually eating food 😁😁

I see the first course as a good way of getting everyone assembled at the table. DH and I wolf ours down then go and start loading up the main course whilst our guests can dwell on the starter.
No problems consuming the main event afterwards, but we often have to come back for the puds/cheese board after a game/present/snooze (depending on age!) break.

We don’t have starters.

We have a light breakfast - croissants and berries.

Then fizz and smoked salmon canapés around 12:00/1:00pm

Then turkey etc around 3:30pm
Followed by Christmas pudding for those who have got room.

After that it’s help yourself to cheeses/ turkey sandwiches/ Christmas cake/ mince pies etc

Nope. The day goes late brunch, canapes and chocolates, Christmas Dinner, then cheese and biscuits in the evening.

Because taste nice?

When I was a kid We used to have soup as a starter then main and pudding as well. The a big tea of leftovers later. I wonder if the turkey meal was a bit less elaborate than now. But now, we have breakfast, a snack at lunch and then eat at 4. No starter, pause before pudding…and maybe some cheese later….

There’s just DD and me for lunch, so I just make some vegetable and lentil soup to start with. Neither of like turkey so we just have roast chicken (two breast fillets) with roast tatties, peas, carrots, green beans, with skirlie for me and yorkshire puddings for both of us.

We usually have sticky toffee pudding for dessert as DD doesn’t like Christmas Pudding, and I don’t like anything with cream, or milky, so there’s just enough food for us, no leftovers (which I can’t abide anyway) and no waste!

Yep no starters here, christmas is for eating chocolate and pringles until dinner then trifle until bed and again for breakfast the next day 🤣

I wouldn't have one in a restaurant either, I'd rather have pudding and I can't manage 3 courses (though I am of the hungry horse class, not fine dining/slice of beef on a smudge of pea class)

We don’t do starters as it’s a big meal. We do have snacks beforehand though. So usually snacks - pate and toast, nuts, some other dips and things - about 11:00. Then lunch is 15:00 or so. So no one is totally ravenous, but also not completely stuffed either. Lunch 15:00-16:00, bit of a walk, movie and chilling, second round of turkey and all the trimmings 18:00/19:00 plus cheese and chocolates. No one needs a starter! But I wouldn’t be offended if I went to someone else’s and they fed me one either.

YABU. When else can you eat half a baked Camembert before a roast dinner?

We have a cold seafood starter that just requires assembly with something like a lovely Chablis about 1:30 pm then attend to the turkey and veg before sitting down to Christmas lunch about 3ish.

Long break before Christmas pudding about 6pm.

Just one large meal stretched out over lunch and dinner.

Starters totally aren't necessary, but for most people - how often are you cooking a 3 course meal? It just feels a bit special.

Same

Agreed. I made soup one year and it was pointless. Everyone gets too full with the actual meal to even have dessert in our house, a starter would be total overkill.

DH makes amazing soup that’s why we have it.