Christmas eve tea that's a bit special but won't take all day to prepare...

[mmmmmchocolate]

For 5 adults and 2 children.

It's the only meal with the grandparents over Christmas so it needs to look like I've made a bit of an effort..

It needs to be eaten off of laps in the front room so no full on meals iyswim..

I thought buffet type thing but when I had a browse around sainsburys I brought some duck spring rolls and well that was it :-/ oh I did buy some frozen tiger prawns too. which mil is allergic to

pre children we always had Chinese takeaway, I miss Xmas eve Chinese

Why not have the Chinese? Have the duck spring polls with it

Oh don't tempt me

I can't I have to have looked like I slaved over the stove all day ;)

The Chinese will be moved to boxing day (for after I have finished my 9 hour shift grrrr)

How about an old fashioned 'high tea' with open sarnies, ham, cheese, salad, a fruit cake, mincy Ps, bit pot of tea...
the oldies love that kind of thing.

We've always had a whole salmon. It is nice to have fish before you get into the serious meat of Christmas and it doesn't take much prep.

You might be onto something there lidlqueen.. What would you recommend to put on the sandwiches?

I love salmon aliba but mil is allergic and DP won't eat fish so a whole salmon would be wasted. However I like the idea of having a bit of fish with it- could I do something with some salmon fillets do you think? Obviously it wouldn't have the wow factor of a whole salmon but would still be nice. What do you serve yours with?

You could have salmon (either smoked or poached, or both mixed together, which is lovely!) sandwiches. Also roast beef, ham, egg mayo, coronation chicken, pate...whatever you like really. Maybe a pork pie, quiche (or mini ones)? Cheese board with various chutneys, a trifle...

I definitely think I would do something like this, everything can be made ahead and laid out so you can just eat when you are ready and there should be something to keep everyone happy.

ooh not sure mmmmmmchocolate - maybe prawn mayo, pate, holey cheese? (thinking) - if you could find some small german/polish type bread, even better as it doesn't collapse as u pick it up. For example there's a great one in Morrisons called roggenbrot that would be perfect for this.

I do ham (sometimes nigella's recipe in coke), with pommes dauphinoise and red cabbage or oven roast veg or corn on the cob depending on what we're having the next day.

We may even get started on the homemade cranberry sauce.

Then we have leftover ham cold with leftover turkey from 26th onwards.

We're having make your own sarnies.

i.e. (mostly from Lidl, their pickles and cold meats are good and cheap):

• salami
• bresaola
• prosciutto
• smoked salmon
• smoked trout
• various cheeses
• various cold sliced veggies
• melon
• grapes
• several different types of heat on the day bread

I will probably also make some new potatoes and maybe something little on blinis, or pigs in blankets or something hot.

We have high tea with the PILs: a game pie, good bread, clove ham, cucumber, good cheese, satsumas, saffron buns and lemon curd, mince pies, mincemeat cake, pots of tea.

Always goes down very well.

I'm making Christmas Pasties. Basically cubes of :turkey, sausage, bacon, roast potatoes together with some peas and a little gravy, all wrapped in pastry into a cornish pasty shape. Easy to eat in front of the telly and yumdiddlyumptious.

We're having ham in cherry coke.

Game pie sounds lovely too, mmmmm.

I'm definitely trying those Christmas pasties for boxing day, the DC would love them!