Your usual Christmas menu ideas please

[Thing3WasKissingSanta]

I am doing Christmas day main meal, for my mum, Dad, 3 DDs (aged 10, 4 and 2) and myself, this year. Can you please inspire me as I don't know where to even start!

Thank you.

Honestly, just cook what you want to eat.

I have done turkey crown or a M and S chicken thing with stuffing, plus roast potatoes and parsnips, cranberry sauce, carrots, green veg/sprouts, gravy. And a M&s nut roast type thing for meat free DH.

Choice of Christmas pud with bought sauce or a frozen thing like a meringue roulade or pavlova type thing for pudding.

I don't bother with starters, that's what selection boxes are for.

It is just a roast dinner with crackers on the table really.

I'm doing some garlicky prawns and pâté and crackers to start, not a sitting down starter, just to munch while I cook. Then turkey and roasties, cabbage and mash and brussel sprouts and pigs in blankets, stuffing and cranberry sauce. And parsnips. And gravy. And I'll probably do a wee roast beef for fil cos he doesn't like turkey.

Then whisky panna cotta with cherries, and another dessert, maybe trifle.

And then coffee and whisky and Christmas cake and chocolates.

Oh yes and pigs in blankets of course How could I forget those? I eat loads of them while I am cooking the rest usually.

Would pigs in blankets and stuffing work with roast lamb? My mum doesn't like turkey?

whiskey panna cotta? mmmm- recipe please!

We have a big (5lb) free range roast chicken with a homemade chestnut and bacon stuffing, sausages and bacon, roast potatoes and veg and gravy, then warm homemade mince pies with homemade vanilla ice-cream.

It is so much cheaper to have chicken, and you get lots left over to eat as you wish. We never have starters either. I often fry some apple wedges in a bit of butter to eat with the chicken.

I think do what you know will be enjoyed and that you can do easily. Add festive touches with crackers, accompaniments, and maybe a tiny gift at the table for each person for after lunch if your DC need encouragement to eat or sit still. My cousin used to have a hollow knitted snowman on her table with the presents inside when her DD's were small, she claimed it was a good excuse to treat herself to a new eyeshadow or lippie!

My biggest success is honey mustard glazed gammon with bread sauce flavoured dauphinois potatoes, sweet corn stuffing and green veg (savoy cabbage, peas and broccoli been our favourites).

I do this because I spend no more than an hour cooking it on Christmas Day (all prepped on the 23rd and the left overs are my favourite bits. No one is a huge turkey fan either. We don't have a starter but have been known to have prawn cocktails for tea (numbers allowing) and we can never manage a pudding straight away. I tend to always have icecream in the freezer and make sauces (my faves are chocolate, caramel and blueberry, separately) which we have later in the afternoon. Tea/supper is typically cheese and biscuits unless we have no visitors and then its prawn cocktail or we save that for Boxing Day (we are very generous with the prawns). I typically manage a blue cheese and gammon sandwich with the leftovers on Boxing Day.

Cook what you like and feel can manage as a happy cook makes a happy family.

Not sure pigs in blankets would go with lamb, perhaps serve them as canapés beforehand.

I always do the full turkey fandango because it's what the family wants. One year I suggested goose or beef or something and there was a right old carry-on. I can't believe how conservative they all are.

I was hoping to be able to put the meat in the slow cooker so it would just be potatoes and veg I need to worry about.

I'm thinking slow cooked roast lamb, roast potatoes, carrot and suede mash, cauliflower cheese, yorkshire pudding and pigs in blankets.

Not sure what to do for pudding but it has to be either made in advance or shop bought.

I love reading about food do thank you for your replies. :)

do what you want to eat.

For what its worth my Thanksgiving menu is:

capon
sweet potato crumble
green bean casserole
corn bread
sweet corn
gravy
cranberry sauce

pecan pie

It's my DP who makes the panna cotta, he says just a basic recipe with cream and gelatine, then he puts a vanila pod in with a capful of laphroig or ardbeg or something smoky. I've ordered amerena cherries in syrup to have with it. Actually can't wait

We don't bother with a starter.

We usually have veggie Christmas dinner but this year I am the only veggie, because the dds have started eating meat again, so I'll probably do something meaty for them (don't know what yet but probably a chicken tbh) and then a big stuffed mushroom for me. We like lots of stuffing (bought) and a huge pan of roasted vege - potatoes, parsnips, carrots, shallots etc. We also have dauphinoisse potatoes. Then savoy cabbage, sprouts and another green vege (maybe tenderstem broccoli), plus port gravy.

Christmas pud and brandy sauce (both bought: Waitrose brandy sauce and Duchy Christmas pud usually) for pud.