Boxing Day - menu suggestions.

[carries]

On Boxing Day my FIL & his wife are coming to our house (& my SIL). I'll be 33 weeks preg with DC3 & I'm at the very tired stage already. What do I serve them without hours slaving in the kitchen. Christmas Day we're at my MIL's and then my parents, Ds & BIL, & kids are at ours on 27th but DM & DS bringing food & I'm just roasting the gammon.

Ill have no leftovers on 26th, they didn't take suggestion that we go to their house as they're entertaining on Christnas day (fair enough). My relationship with them is ok but I'm not relaxed enough to ask for contribution of food.

Anyway- food suggestions please :)

I always have people to ours on Boxing Day and last year decided against hours slaving in the kitchen. So I bought a bag of jacket potatoes which I stuck in the oven and put them out on the table with bowls of grated cheese, salad, ham, coleslaw etc.

Everyone loved it because it was a change from normal Christmassy food and there was very little clearing up to do.

Potato gratin with chicken, sausage and lemon herby bake. Op, the best bit is that you can prep it at leisure and just stick out in the freezer before sticking in oven. (mine is already made!)

Silent - you're organised :-). Good idea - I might just make a Christmassy casserole/bake in advance.

Kitten - I like that idea too. Thanks folks.

I'd do chilli or a lasagne, maybe a chicken, ham & leek pie at a push. Something non Christmas that can be prepared in advance .

What about a nice big joint of pork? You could do pork gravy and stuffing sandwiches with crusty bread, if not I would just do a bit of a buffet and let them help themselves

Platters of cold meats, smoked fish, cheeses. Bowls of soup if you are well enough to bother. Lots of bread, ready made salads.

Allalonenow- I think that's the route I'll go down. Broccoli & Stilton soup (& lentil for kids).

I do a late night buffet on Christmas Eve (we have lunch early, then our walk).
So for boxing day I make a vegetarian lasagne (DH and I are vegetarian, DC aren't).
DD will eat lasagne, DS won't so we have pizza and garlic bread as well.

We're having a Boxing Day buffet and aiming to freeze ahead as much as possible. We're having platter of cold meat, bbc good food Christmas pie (in advance), potato salad, braised red cabbage (freeze ahead), bubble & squeak cakes (freeze ahead), Brie & cranberry tart (freeze ahead), cheese, chutneys, crudités, mince pies, dips. I've ordered festive paper plates & napkins and bought foil trays for anything that needs to go in the oven on the day to minimise the washing up. I'll do a dessert that can be made in advance too.

I'd make a posh casserole in advance and freeze it. How about a tagine with couscous? Lot less work than a buffet imho