Boxing day buffet - help needed please.

[PeppermintLatte]

hi everyone,

i'm hosting boxing day this year in my new home, it's a bit of a housewarming too and i want it to be really special. there'll be lots of champagne and christmas music playing, but i'm stuck for food ideas.

there'll be 5 adults and 3 children (possibly another 2 adults, not sure yet) it's close family and i want to impress.

i know i want to do a roast turkey and stuffing as a centre piece, i was thinking we could make hot baguettes full of turkey and stuffing, cranberry and mayo. the thing is i'm desperate to make jamie oliver's christmas gravy, do you think a spoonful of this would be nice on the turkey or would it turn the baguette soggy?

also, i love halloumi cheese, but i've never cooked it myself, do you just griddle it in the pan? i'd like this to be served with some hot bread of some sort and balsamic and basil oil.

any ideas for my buffet are welcome, i don't just want a standard buffet of cold meat and sausage rolls, but i want it to be fairly simple.

I am running in, nicking your idea of hot turkey baguettes, and running out.

Bye :o

I have had gravy in griddled sandwiches in the USA and it was great :) However very little time between leaving the pan and getting to my stomach being served. Maybe try and thicken the gravy (trial run with bread & gravy?) to stop it running everywhere?

Because halloumi is quite salty I'd be tempted to serve plain salad (dressed with olive oil as a max, preferably with help-yourself oils etc.) of leaves, tomatoes, cucumber etc.

Alternatively how about something like Christmas-y red cabbage, which can be frozen and reheated, and bubble and squeak that can be put together from leftovers? Bear in mind shops won't be open so you may be best off buying part-baked rolls/bread so that you can present it as fresh as possible.

Won't people be fed up of turkey? Chances are they've all had loads the day before. I do like the hot baguette idea. I do this with beef, slow cool it do it falls apart, use juice to make gravy and place on baguette, mmmmm.

Housewife hahahaha!!!! bye!

Charmingly yes, a nice simple salad should go nice with the halloumi, will try that. do i just pan fry the halloumi?

pinky i don't think i'm having turkey on christmas day, so i'm being selfish and demanding we have it boxing day so gravy will go nicely on a baguette? i hope so!

Gravy will be delicious

Yes, you pan fry using a decent amount of oil. And, yes, salad rather than bread. It can be very filling.

Maybe also do a little gamon joint- don't cost much but would give another meat option.
Or a cheap pork joint so have option of hot turkey and gravy or pork and stuffing. I'd have both!

Maybe do a few canapés before the hot baguettes
We do chicory with walnuts and blue cheese, could do something with haloumi this way.

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3060/halloumi-and-bacon-rolls

m.goodfoodchannel.co.uk/recipe/610404/christmas-canapes/
Chicory and Stilton also has pear with it

Maybe something prawny for the 3rd type

www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/prawnstossedinchilli_92813

I'd serve with cava/prosecco or a long cocktail in the living room. Then have the hot meats set up buffet style.

I'm doing boxing day to OP!

I'm doing a ham and topside of beef,
cheese cheese and more cheese
lots of dips, chutneys, gerkins and beetroot
rolls crackers and oat cakes
home made chicken liver pate and salmon
JO sausage rolls
Bailys cheese cake, mince pies, black forest trifle and something chocolatey

I also got told a great idea on boxing day to all have a bet, so all put a £1 in children included and whoevers comes first gets the pot.

We did a buffet last Christmas day.

We had...

A whole salmon
A ham joint
Beef joint
Chicken
Breads
Seafood rice dish
Cheeseboard with grapes and crackers
New potatoes
Salads
Chutneys and other condiments

Those were the main savoury dishes on offer.

Thank you all very much, lots of inspiration there. I'll have to get cracking on a menu.

I forgot about cheese & crackers. Any recommendations for a selection of cheeses?

Oh I can tell you what cheese I love if thats any help.

in no particular order

Brie
cornish blue stilton
roqufort (blugh but my mum and dbro love it)
apple wood smoked
bulvaria smoked (its all creamy and I could just eat that forever)
double glouster
a decent chedder
mexican cheese

I don't like the fruit in cheese that wendsledayle and cranberries type thing but it must sell so maybe something like that.

Just a note to say it's also worth getting the weekend papers in the run up to Christmas. They usually do a Christmas food special featuring all the well-known chefs (or whichever ones write for the paper) - including lots of snacky things and boxing day fare.

We eat halloumi with roasted cherry tomatoes and a simple salad (watercress, rocket etc) - the juices from the tomatoes create the dressing (drizzle over olive oil and a little balsamic vinegar before roasting).

Inneedofbrandy wow! What a list! We have a little independent cheese shop by us, so i'm printing your list off & taking it

jumble great idea, thanks for the reminder.

cashmere those pancetta wrapped halloumi bites looks amazing. Thanks for the link.

Wensleydale with ginger is very good and usually even those who hate fruit-in-cheese tend to enjoy it. Has the added bonus of being festive! The other Wensleydale with fruit are a bit like Marmite - love it or hate it.