Spending Christmas with DM, DF and DSis in a cottage in a reasonably remote area. Decided weeks ago to do the shopping on the 23rd as a) will tie in with picking DSis up from airport and b) saves us taking all the food 600-odd miles. That means, I think, we need something that involves bog-standard ingredients as most places may sell out of things.
The problem is DF. DM is nut-free and DSis is gluten free but DF will only eat carrots, potatoes, meat and 'hard' goats cheese/other non-dairy products. He won't eat fish. He will throw an almighty Christmas-wrecking strop (not without reason) if he is 'excluded' by having a different meal on a family day/religious holiday. DM doesn't want to spend the whole day in the kitchen so wants something simple and has asked me for recipes. Whilst she would be happy if I/DSis cooked (and am more than happy to do so) she wants to be the main contributor.
So. All we can think of at the minute is roast beef with trimmings (keeps DF happy) but it requires a lot of time and really one chef because of timings/co-ordination. I suggested toad-in-the-hole with a separate GF one for DSis and that is a tentative second option.
Ideally I'd like to do a table of little festive dishes so DSis and I can do more (but there are only four of us and she wants to avoid waste). Pigs in blankets, some kind of stuffing balls, roast potatoes (DF will insist), and then what else? Maybe some small fish thing for us three? If it was up to us three it would be fine but DF has some very set ideas/preferences and we're not up for family rows over one meal.
Does anyone have any bright ideas please? I am absolutely stumped and would greatly appreciate any help. We are in the cottage until the 28th so can eat leftovers and will have to buy food for then anyway. Would like to be as festive as possible. Thanks for any help you can give :)