what do you have for christmas dinner?

[NinjaChipmunk]

For the first time we are staying home for Christmas and having people come to us and I'm cooking which I'm both excited and quite daunted about. Apart from turkey, what makes up your christmas dinner? I'm all about trimmings and would love to know about even more lovely food and how to cook it. so far i'm thinking

turkey
chipolatas wrapped in bacon
roast pots
carrots
some form of green veg
possibly sprouts
cranberry sauce
some kind of stuffing
bread sauce
gravy (never made my own before, determined to do it this year)

i'd also like to do a ham too....

any recipes or other things to add to my plate greatly appreciated.

I always get a couple of tubs of nice, fresh gravy to stash in the freezer then if my own gravy goes wrong I don't get stressed and can stick a tub in the microwave if necessary.
Have sprouts with panchetta and chestnuts as we have veggie FIL ditto one vegetarian (normally cranberry and chestnut) stuffing plus a sausagemeat based one.
Don't bother with a sit down starter but just hand round blinis (bought) and smoked salmon with a glass of fizz.
I don't do any other meat on Xmas day as only have a single oven which is taken over by roast potatoes for 13 people once I've taken the turkey out to rest for an hour.
Are you doing Xmas pudding? I cook mine in the slow cooker at the beginning of December and then reheat it in there on the day. I just put it in boiling water at seven in the morning and it sits there until we're ready. Also do a Clementine cake for xmas pud haters.

Love your gravy idea, going to steal that definitely. Also your sprouts sound delish, even ds might eat that!
I haven't thought about puds and cakes yet, might have to look up some recipes, do you freeze yours in between making and eating or are they ok in an airtight tin?

Not much different from a sunday dinner except we'll be having stuffing and pigs in blankets with it

I just put the pudding in the larder and feed it with sherry although you don't have to feed it, I use Nigella's recipe for that and the Clementine cake but make that on Xmas eve. You have to boil clementines for an hour or so and it makes the house smell christmassy. It's the easiest cake to make and has no flour so good if you have any gluten free or wheat free people.

I've cooked a traditional turkey meal quite a few times but seriously considering have beef instead this year. It will just be three of us and I find it quite a faff to do the whole turkey thing .

We love smoked salmon and blinis as well as an informal starter.

Have bought a small Heston pud from Waitrose as I am the only one who likes it, although I read the price wrong so hope it is good .

Your meal plan sounds lovely Op, I think ham would be OTT with the turkey though, we traditionally did a ham on Christmas Eve if we were hosting guests, so there would be loads to eat up over the holiday.

We have red cabbage alongside all that lot.

Red cabbage, cranberry sauce and bread sauce are all made in advance and frozen, to be thawed and heated on the microwave before dinner.

Red cabbage is a must. You can freeze it for up to a month too then just bung it in the microwave mmmm

Fry up and Buck's Fizz breakfast

Starter is pâté normally and petit pain

Dinner is usually:
Chuckling (bird in a bird in a bird)
Stuffing
Roasted potatoes, parsnips and carrots
Cabbage
Yorkshire pudding
Pigs in blankets
Gravy (normally get a posh pouch for ease)

Don't normally have pudding as too full

Cheese, crackers, chutneys, pickles, grapes about 5ish

Anti pasti and wine once kids are in bed

The ham would definitely be too much with the turkey but as you say on christmas eve (or boxing day) it would make a nice change. Plus any left overs could be used in a pie with the turkey?
I think I shall have to make a list of stuff to make early and freeze. Does anyone have a good stuffing recipe?

(And we let the boys graze on chocolates through the day)

boys maybe we'll just come to your this christmas?

We're having a Lidl 3 bird roast, a piece of beef, yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, boiled potatoes, sprouts with bacon, pigs in blankets, gravy, carrot and swede mash, stuffing, cranberry sauce, bread sauce, maybe some red cabbage.

2.9yo DD will run round screaming that she "don't want no dinner", 8mo DS will be trying to eat a paper hat.
Then there'll be Christmas pudding and custard or ice cream.

After that is the obligatory lying on the sofa complaining we've eaten too much

I can't wait!

I do the turkey, Aunt Bessie does the rest

We always have goose - and the roast potatoes from goose fat are amazing. If it's liver is big enough, we make that into a pate for a starter, otherwise that's likely to be something like scallops & black pudding.
For the rest, it's full on trimmings:
Roast potatoes
Roast parsnips
Caramelised carrots
Bread sauce (although it's more of a pudding than a sauce)
Cranberry sauce
Sprouts (yuck! I always have to pretend to eat one to encourage DS!)
Chipolatas wrapped in bacon
And loads and loads and loads of gravy.

Then finally, Christmas pudding with clotted cream - seriously, give it a go, it's far nicer than brandy butter or normal cream. I've changed people's lives with this revelation!

And the best news is that DH thinks he's the greatest cook in the world, so all I have to do is peel a few veg and sit back with the sherry!

We having Roast Rib of Beef (have got it already from Jimmy's farm). May do gammon as well.

We have it with

Roast Potatoes
Yorkshire Pudding
Brussels
carrots/ Roast Parsnips
Gravy made from meat Juices. I cook the Beef on Christmas Eve.

I probably only do Ice cream for pudding as we don't normally have pudding.

If you do do gammon/meat you could always freeze any leftovers for another day if your bored of it by the 28th.

do you all prep your veg on the day or do it before?

Dh and I spend about an half hour/40 mins Christmas eve prepping food for next day.

Washing and seasoning, putting bird in tin.

Peel, chop veg, par boil and leave to cool in airtight container in fridge. Ready to roast next day.

Setting table and making sure all food is defrosted etc.

With the food we cook though it really doesn't take much effort. It's just a Sunday dinner with knobs on

I get all the veg done by guests, they bring it with them chopped/peeled/whatever'd ready to cook.

Would definitely do it the night before if I hadn't trained my sisters as above.

When people say they do their red cabbage in advance and freeze it, what exactly do you do to it before freezing? Have red cabbage from the garden waiting for me to do something with and am very excited that I could freeze it and use it for Christmas!

TIA

We're roast beef as welll btw, wheredidiputit I've roasted the beef and had it resting wrapped in foil, towel etc for up to five hours, which was fine (in fact it was luscious), how long do you think it can be left before it starts being cold roast beef?

I get the guests to help with the veggies. Good to have a nice natter and drink of something fizzy while peeling the veggies and the kids go mental with their toys.

Starter (served at lunchtime)
Prawns,smoked salmon, rocket salad and a made up dressing

Dinner

Turkey
Roast potatoes & Parsnips
sprouts
carrots
red cabbage
kilted sausages
bread sauce
cranberry sauce

Pudding (served a few hours later)

Christmas pud or trifle

Either Rib of Beef or Beef Wellington.

Salivating already.....

Downton I slice the cabbage and a red onion. Soften red onion in butter for ten minutes then add 300ml water, glug of red wine vinegar, brown sugar, zest and juice of one orange and a cinnamon stick. Simmer with lid on for an hour or so mmmm