Christmas Casseroles - ideas needed

[joshandjamie]

I need to make something for dinner on Christmas Eve. We will have 5 adults, two children (so can't be overly fancy as they won't eat it) plus we will be at a crib service that evening. I want to be able to come back from the service and serve up something that's been pre-made and a happy to sit around waiting for us yet is lovely, warm and a bit special with a christmassy flavour to it.

In the past I've made Nigella's lamb and date tagine (which is fab) but I'm making that for new year. Other things I've done in the past has been lamb shanks with cranberries and sausage casserole with bacon and red wine.

Anyone got any other good suggestions?

venison casserole is a delight!

I will be making beef with red and cranberry stew in the slow cooker Christmas Eve

Pottering - the venison looks lovely but we have some non-venison eaters. Moonlight - that looks amazing and I would LOVE to do that. Only challenge is my 83 year old mother in law who is not allowed cranberries due to heart medication (weird but true). Such a shame because I love cranberries and that looks perfect.

I did a beef in red wine "experimental cuisine" in the slow cooker recently, and DS and DD both ate it and DD even asked for seconds
I got a really cheap joint of beef in aldi, hacked it into lumps, shook it in seasoned flour in a bag, and just threw it in with enough red to cover everything, some chopped red onions, garlic cloves, and left it on high for about 7 hours.

This is what we will be having on Christma Eve...

here

It works every time, is easy to cook and then leave in the oven, and is also good as a pie filling with a puff pastry top.