Serving Christmas dinner - advice needed!

[NoSoggyBottoms]

Okay, every Christmas, same issue....how to serve Christmas dinner without it all going cold! My Mum has bought me one of those heated servers (like a hot tray with 3 metal serving dishes which slot into it)....God send! Thanks Mum

But now I'm not sure how to use it.

How I want serve Christmas dinner is to have a warmed plate with the meat, sausages + bacon, and yorkshire puds on. Then potatoes and veg will be in the servers to choose what you want.

The heated server is too big to put on the table with everything else on it (not that there will be much, just that it is large).

So I have other options:

1. Can put it on another little table thing we have, which has wheels. Can wheel it around each other lol

2. Can keep heated server elsewhere, people put their own spuds and veg on a la self served buffet.

3. Can pass around the metal serving dishes - but I'm guessing these will be too hot to hold? Would a tea towel/oven gloves be nice enough to us on Christmas day?

Or is there another option that I've overlooked?

Is it really that big a deal?

We heat ou serving dishes first and have hot gravy for the meat. I have never noticed a problem.

To me is it is a small issue I'm trying to sort out. That's why I came here to ask. To my family it isn't a big deal. Just was stuck for thoughts, thought I'd ask.

Ummm, I don't have any heated serving dishes and a small kitchen so a bit of a hassle. I put the meat on a platter on the table, and everything else I serve up at the cooker, asking people what they want.they thus get handed a warm plate with everything on and just add their own meat and gravy.

I do it this was

Meat out and allowed to rest, well covered.
Potatoes along with yorkshires and pigs in blankets into oven
Veg in steamer
Gravy on hob to simmer.

About 10 minutes before end of cooking plates get nuked in microwave and serving dishes go in oven. Some need balanced on top of roasting trays and it can be a squash.

Meat goes on table whole

Roasts out next and into dish. Tray into sink of hot soapy water.

Followed by yorks and pib. They are just shoved into a big serving plate. Don't do ay neatness here!

Steamer goes ping and veg into dish

All onto able with gravy last.

It is just about timing and not getting flustered. If your plates and serving dishes are warm food won't go cold.

I've got one of those 3 serving dish heater things. I don't know what your heater thing is like- I can take the top bit off and use it as a flat tray (it has 3 different settings) and I can just about put 2 large plates on it.

I'm serving for 4 (2 adults, 2 children) I'm not having to deal with turkey because DH and I are vegetarian, the DC will have a chicken breast each.

I use a large oval plate to pile the roasties and the Yorkshire puddings on.
Then carrots, sprouts (oh yes) brochilli in a steamer.
I do swede puree ,made in advance and done in the microwave at the last minute.

If you want to put the veg in the heated trays ,why not try magnetised trivets? I got one in a pan set (QVC have a set of 4. One 8.5" and three 6" for £31 + £3.95 p&p. Item number 800943 qvcuk.com) .Probably similar available.

The heated trays are good for second helpings. I don't put mine on the table, someone would burn themselves.

We make sure the veg are piping hot, the gravey hot and the plates hot (I leave mine in the dishwasher until just before I serve up) and it will cover a multitude.
You need to cover the turkey anyway to let it rest.

And relax .
Something will always go wrong (like the time the delicious home-made bread sauce was sitting quietly in a small pan while we ate)

Thanks for your replies!

First time this Christmas that I will use my new heater tray thing....and yes,mine sounds similar to yours 70isaLimitNotaTarget (you also made me laugh about the bread sauce....ditto with me one year! It ended up white stodge!). Good point about burning yourself on the tray...hadn't thought of that lol

I guess to add to my stress, our kitchen is also in our living room (open planned living!), so I'm constantly "on show"....DP has said he will take my Dad over to the pub if I need a break!

Thanks again for your replies though...will also invest in frilly pinny!