Come and Critique my Christmas Menu

[Kendodd]

Breakfast
Fruit salad, croissants, yoghurt, coffee and posh juice.

Mid morning snack ???? Ideas please

Lunch
Starter- Not sure, maybe prawn cocktail in a filo pastry case with some salad leaves, any other ideas?
Main- Roast turkey, home made stuffing, roast potatoes and honeyed parsnips, sprouts with chestnuts, mashed carrot, swede and garlic, red cabbage, pigs in blankets, gravy, white and cranberry sauce.
Pudding- Christmas pudding with the usual sides.

Evening snacks- Cheese board, gala pie, chocolate log, mince pies, fruit, nuts

Sounds pretty boring actually.

Any suggestions for a starter? What are you having?

[spicynaknik]

First thing: Hot choc for DC and lattes for adults.

Breakfast about 10 : Eggs Benedict

1pm: champagne and canapes (seafood bits and pate etc)

2pm: Christmas lunch - turkey, stuffing, pigs in blankets, roast potatoes, carrots and parsnips, sprouts, bread sauce, cranberry sauce and gravy.

Normal Sunday lunch size portions.

Followed by lemon honeycomb mold (a kind of old fashioned textured lemon jelly made with cream and egg whites, it is our traditional Christmas dessert - it is refreshing and cleansing)

Some time in the afternoon, after a walk, we might have tea and mince pies.

Dinner is a cold buffet of turkey, pickles, cheeses etc with salad, followed by a slice of the Yule log.

We don't have massive portions and don't feel over indulged but we do like to have nice food and richer fare than we usually would.

[AmIGoingMad]

Oo spicy that dessert (did I get the right spelling?! Brain not working today!) sounds amazing! Would you mind sharing the recipe or telling me where to find it?

[spicynaknik]

I use the recipe in Jane Grigson's Good Things book, which is more or less replicated here

I like to make it in individual jelly molds as I think it seems slightly more special served like that.

[notso]

Didn't know Port had to sucked up your cock

Breakfast this year is homemade Cinnamon buns and Bacon sandwiches.

Lunch is nothing much maybe a bit of bread and cheese but only usually eaten by DC.

We usually have Christmas Dinner at about 6 but will probably have it a bit earlier as have 2 small DS's who won't last. If it's a PIL year we have to have it at 1 so they can go to his Nan's for tea.
Don't do a starter unless PIL come then MIL provides Prawn Cocktail or Pate neither of which I like.
Turkey 2 types of stuffing, roast and mashed potatoes, sprouts and chestnuts, roast carrots and parsnips and pigs in blankets.
Christmas Pudding with brandy cream ortrifle is served later or on Boxing Day.

[Mama1980]

I do:
Toast, croissants, etc for breakfast.
Bowls of nuts/seeds, put out to snack on.
Christmas dinner:
Starter, Parma ham and melon, baked Camembert, smoked salmon.
Main, turkey dinner plus all trimmings and veg etc.
dessert, Christmas pudding, trifle, mince pies.
Evening: boiled bacon or cheese sandwiches, selections of pickles, crisps etc.

Boxing Day will be a cooked breakfast, same snacks, something like stuffed mushrooms, salmon en croute And Christmas cake, again sandwiches etc in the evening. U

I do know that's a huge amount but I have 3 children and 4 brothers not to mention numerous others to feed. I'm one of those people who go round tescos with several people, a long list and 4 trollies full of stuff.

[HardFacedCareeristBitchNigel]

La Menu de Noel du Chateau BitchNigel

Brekkie - DH bringing 10 police officers round (he's on earlies and the section sergeant so I get the dubious joy of providing sustenance as we live near the nick). Will be "breakfast baps", croissants and fruit juice.

Lunch - Cheese and bread for whoever is floating around

Dinner - (will be served around 4 pm when DH and SIL2 get in from work, we will be about 12-14)

Prawn and Scallop Shells (Puff pastry scallop shells filled with hot seafood in white wine sauce, as requested by SIL1)
As yet unknown veggie starter for DH's aunty
**
Strawberry and Lime Sorbet
**
Roast Turkey + trimmings
Roast Beef
Veggie option of roasted beetroot and shallot tart tatin with chevre
Brussels
Roast potatoes
Glazed Chantenay Carrots
Braised Red Cabbage
**
Christmas Pudding, rum butter etc
Hazelnut Dacquoise
Jam Roly Poly by request of DH
**

[HardFacedCareeristBitchNigel]

Christmas Eve I make a Julbord so there will be seafood, home-cured gravadlax, meatballs, Janssens Temptation, Christmas ham, mustard herring (yuuuuuumm), a hearty stew, swedish cheese, crackers, new potatoes in dill and and Prinsesstarta and knäck. I'll also make mulled cider.

On Boxing Day I'm doing a very French high tea for about 20 which will be afternoon tea with bells on. Current thoughts involve some dainty sandwiches, sausage rolls with chorizo, chestnut religieuses, lamingtons, a lemon pound cake, cherry eclairs, pistachio & satsuma dacquoise fingers, pastel meringues and a yule log.

I'm also planning to make a macaron Christmas tree and have a candy buffet.

Can you tell I love cooking ? and used to be a pastry chef

[ArabellaPilkington]

Breakfast is the thing I keep changing. Tradition was boiled eggs but with children opening stockings it was a PITA. Did toasted panettone last year which was meh.

Will prob go for brioche or something, don't want to cook eggs bacon etc but would like something special, ideally not sweet. Hmm.

Noon start on it with Prosecco and smoked salmon on rye etc. Maybe a few nuts.

Lunch 3ish. Usual.

Snacks in the evening, cold meat cheese bread salad etc. Thinly sliced pineapple w passion fruit popular, and mince pies.

Oh and port with cigars at the fire pit. Yah for sure.

[HeadsDownThumbsUp]

BitchNigel everything you have said is amazing

[Lizzylou]

Bugger me Bitch nigel, I am spending the festive season at yours! It all sounds gorgeous.

[HardFacedCareeristBitchNigel]

Lots will be made at the beginning of december and whipped out of the freezer at the appropriate moment :D

[Lizzylou]

I have never even heard of julbord, it all sounds sublime.
I think I am doing well making mince pies with ready rolled sweetcrust and fancy mincemeat!

[PepeLePew]

Oh lord, my children are going to grow up with a huge inferiority complex. We don't have any kind of pattern nor have I yet planned a thing despite feeding 14 people on Christmas Day this year.

Breakfast - it's just breakfast. Whatever people want, depending on what is in the cupboard. Maybe pancakes if I am feeling that way inclined.

We often eat in the late afternoon but that won't work this year with guests, so I guess we will have some very modest snacks when they arrive followed by lunch - possibly a starter, probably fish based, then turkey and/or beef (my family hate turkey, guests will want it) with potatoes, red cabbage and cauliflower cheese. And carrots. Then pudding. Whatever my mum makes, I don't do pudding.

The guests will leave. We will probably not have anything else though dcs may want something in which case I will probably give them fish fingers.

I think I may have to buck my ideas up. It's not that I can't cook, it's just that I don't often. And for various reasons I've never had to do a big Christmas...

[Oblomov]

Am salivating !!

[HardFacedCareeristBitchNigel]

It's the first year we've hosted, we have a wonderful house that is just crying out to host over the top crimbo celebrations. I'm off for the first year ever hence enormous levels of hyper planning. I am really excited.

That said i will probably have given myself a stroke come new year's day

[MERLYPUSS]

Depends if you have veggies coming. We have family brekkie (us 4) of pancakes or waffles or something I cant be arsed to make mid week. By 12o/c the hoards descens and we have sausage rolls and crispy stuff. Lunch is normally about 5 o/c which is dinner time for the kids normally and when they would usually eat their largest meal so it works well.
I always do a cold starter. Pate and toast, Mozarella and tomato salad, mixed melon or grapefruit and orange (but not from a tin even though I prefer it). You can do it the day before then. I always do 2 different meats (cooked xmas eve) as we take left overs to dads the next day, and about 6 different veg (not including spuds, chipolatas or stuffing). I have been known to use next doors oven for keeping things warm or if I run out of space. We have about 4 different pud options as my extended family have dietary needs / dislikes. Xmas pud, mince pie, choc cheesecake, trifle (for kids - no booze) and it it plonked on the table and you help yourself about 7 o/c.

[AmIGoingMad]

Thanks spicy!

These menus sound fabulous- they've got me planning ours now!

[Belsize77]

Nigel- can I ask which bits of that specifically do you freeze? I started a thread about "fancy" prepare or freeze ahead buffet type things (I love cooking but rarely have a large enough crowd to merit hours of slaving over elaborate concoctions) and your various menus sound amazing.

[pigsinmud]

As vegetarians our christmas dinner is the same as every other Sunday. I just can't be bothered. Christmas pudding is the only difference and tbh only me and ds1 eat it!

Some of you have masses of food! I honestly don't think we eat any more than a normal day. I hate feeling too full. Mil is coming this year. She brought bread sauce the other year.....the most disgusting thing ever. What is the point of it?

Sorry, I sound really bah humbug I love christmas!

[MERLYPUSS]

Yep. We do have masses of food but I like to know that no one is left out. I.E. the veggies or the person that hates dried fruit / nuts. We have 3-4 days of xmas celebrations with our extended family so whoever cooks xmas dinner will supply the left overs for the next day (cold meats and salad or bubble and squeak). One of the other sisters will supply puds, the others starters and we normally take it in turns each year to do the 'big meal'

[curiousgeorgie]

We have nothing for breakfast! (Well, maybe a Buck's Fizz) Last year DD had a piece of dry bread, it's all I could convince her to eat!

Lunch is seafood starter, crab, prawns, salad, some melon for the children.

Lunch is usually one turkey plus 2 crowns, beef & pork and a mushroom Wellington for the 2 vegetarians, roast potatoes, parsnips, mash potatoes, swede, Brussels, carrots, peas with bacon (and without), greens, green beans, stuffing (with & without sausage-meat) bacon rolls, sausages wrapped in bacon, cauliflower cheese. 3 kinds of gravy, all the sauces, Yorkshire puddings... Lots and lots of wine

Dessert is usually an hour or two after and we have a choice of trifle, Yule log, Christmas pudding, plain jelly & ice cream and some kind of gateaux. And usually cheese & biscuits laying around.

In the evening we have a 'tea' of sandwiches of all the meats, plus cheese and egg mayo, probably some tuna or salmon, and a ham, vol au vents, salad, party food.

Next morning we have delicious bubble and squeak, bacon & eggs and French toast for some.

Lunch is gammon with mash, salad, pickles and cold meats.

Dessert & tea the same.

Love it. Suddenly the cheese roll I have for lunch today feels a bit sad!

[brainwashed]

First thing cup of tea and stockings!
Breakfast is freshly baked cranberry and orange muffins with marmalade and good coffee. Don't generally bother with mid morning snack but there will usually be crisps and nuts for those who want. Alcohol generally comes out between 12 and 1....depending whether my ILS are there. Lunch at 2... standard turkey fare with all trimmings. Christmas Pud with very rummy custard to follow. I do have food for later after a walk and Dr who but usually most of us don't bother.

[AnyHardFacedCareerBitchFucker]

seafood (straight out of the pack), home-cured gravadlax (made about 2-3 weeks in advance and kept in the fridge), meatballs (made ahead and frozen cooked in sauce), Janssens Temptation, Christmas ham (cooked a few days ahead and kept in the fridge), mustard herring (out of a jar), a hearty stew (made a couple of days ahead to allow the flavours to develop), swedish cheese, crackers, new potatoes in dill and and Prinsesstarta (sponge made beforehand, will be an assembly job the night before) and knäck (made in advance). I'll also make mulled cider.

On Boxing Day I'm doing a very French high tea for about 20 which will be afternoon tea with bells on. Current thoughts involve some dainty sandwiches, sausage rolls with chorizo (frozen uncooked), chestnut religieuses (choux will probably be made in advance and frozen, just recrisped in the oven), lamingtons (made in advance and frozen), a lemon pound cake (made in advance), cherry eclairs, pistachio & satsuma dacquoise fingers (dacquoise made about a week before), pastel meringues (made a week or so in advance) and a yule log (frozen filled, decorated on defrosting).

I will make a big batch of creme patissiere on the 23rd which will get used as a base for my eclairs, princess cake, dacquoise and the hazelnut dacquoise for christmas day. The dacquoises (fingers and large discs) will also be made together. BIL will probably help me to prep up the tea as he is also a chef and will be living with us by Christmas so that will be a great help when it comes to food preparation. I also have a gigantic kitchen with plenty of outdoor cold storage & 3 freezers which helps.

[Kendodd]

curiousgeorgie

How many people do you have coming to eat all that?

Top tips to make and freeze in advance-

Par boil potatoes and parsnips, than freeze, you can just tip then into hot fat to cook from frozen.
Mince pies can be fully made in advance then frozen, again just heat from frozen.
I make carrot and swede mash at Christmas, this can also be frozen then just cooked in the microwave in the dish it is to be served in.
I cook red cabbage the day before and again microwave in it's serving dish.
I make the stuffing the day before and cook it in the oven on Christmas day.
I also prepare the sprouts the day (or two) before and cook on the day.
I have always (so far) done a cold starter that can be made in advance and just served.

I manage to spend less time in the kitchen at Christmas than on a normal weekend!

[Belsize77]

Thanks a lot for the details Nigel. I am now going to shamelessly copy loads of your ideas.