Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

Flip

1 2 3 4

Original poster

What do you have for Christmas tea?

88 replies

Sparklyblue · 12/10/2014 21:53

We always have Christmas dinner at around 5-6ish, so have never needed Christmas Tea. But this year I am thinking about having dinner at 1.00 p.m.
This will mean we need something later on around 7-8ish.
Please give me some ideas and inspiration.
Thanks

OP posts:

cooki3monst3r · 13/10/2014 08:49

AlleyCat11 "Do you have wine at that time too?"

at that question... is Champagne not served in your house for breakfast then?!

Before I had LOs to be responsible for, a rather large amount of bubbly would have been consumed throughout the morning - starting at breakfast. Half the fun of cooking Christmas lunch is to be utterly tipsy whilst doing it!!

My choice of Champagne for the morning has to be Perrier Jouet, or, more recently Nyetimber (for the sake of patriotism).

For the turkey has to be a good Pinot Noir. mmmmmmm

I personally like to have Christmas dinner during daylight, I don't like waiting all day to have the highlight at the end of the day.

magicalmrmistofelees · 13/10/2014 08:50

at cooki, we also consume champagne at breakfast and wine at lunch. Then gin and tonics at tea!

combust22 · 13/10/2014 08:51

Pubs and children?

Maybe i'm old fashioned but I don't take my kids to pubs. They are adult places, for drinking.

Even these horrible "family friendly" Harvester type places. Rubbish food and synthetic atmosphere.

What child wants to leave a house full of new toys on christmas day to go to the pub? Seems a pretty selfieh thing to do.

cooki3monst3r · 13/10/2014 08:53

magical Some of my happiest Christmas' were during those 11 years between being legal drinking age and becoming pregnant. Oh the fun to be had with alcohol on Christmas day!

I shall be taking up that particular tradition again when the children are old enough to be trusted not to raid the knife drawer or get themselves out of the house in a fire.

I've love to have a village pub to walk the children to. Sounds lovely!

Artandco · 13/10/2014 08:57

We also have late afternoon dinner so usually some cheese/ similar in the eve

Breakfast - 10-11am
Dinner -5-6pm
Eve cheese - 9pm ish

We have champagne at breakfast

cooki3monst3r · 13/10/2014 08:57

combust22 that's a bit rude!

I often take my children to pubs. They serve food. And yes, they serve alcohol. Just like cafes and restaurants. Would you not take children to those either?

TheWordFactory · 13/10/2014 08:58

I serve lunch at 1.30pm.

People seem to get hungry again around 6/7pm.

There is plenty of good bread for sarnies, a butchers pork pie, maybe I might bung a tray of sausage rolls in the oven. Mince pies, Xmas cake, cheese.

Nothing formal.

cooki3monst3r · 13/10/2014 09:00

Oh, and in my experience combust22 children love to "leave a house full of new toys". It gets some fresh air in to them and helps them reset their emotional thermostat after all the hyped excitement of the morning.

cherryhealey · 13/10/2014 09:00

Have a pot of soup on the go for those who wish it served with nice bread. Sausage rolls cold meat and cake for those who wish- normally elderly relatives.

Stick to my wine and chocolate myself .

Christmas meal 1pm here too

turkeyboots · 13/10/2014 09:02

I have ended up with seeming to have spread Christmas dinner over the full day. Breakfast at dawn with DC. Lunch is usually our starter, main course at 3pmish, desert at 6ish. And if anyone is still wake at 9 we have cheese toasties with the leftover turkey.

123Jump · 13/10/2014 09:03

We have lunch at 12.30-1pm too. I like to have all the work done early, so we can relax for the rest of the day. DC are aged 2-10yo, so good to get the lunch done as they are hungry then too. Then I'm happy for them to stuff themselves with chocolate for the rest of the day.
I also thought it was the law to have turkey and stuffing sandwiches in the evening on Christmas Day? I can guarantee that whatever is consumed will involve minimal mess and no cooking.
I always make mini sausage rolls prior to Christmas and freeze them, so we can take some out and pop them in the Aga whenever we like. We might have some of those too.
I do like the idea of a nice cheese board also...

turkeyboots · 13/10/2014 09:04

And I wait til it is light to have champagne.

cooki3monst3r · 13/10/2014 09:13

very sensible turkeyboots

cadidog · 13/10/2014 09:32

M&S party food with some slices of leftover duck (turkey sucks so we give that a miss) plus salad to pretend we're eating healthily.

Notso · 13/10/2014 09:42

Nothing. In laws do Christmas Dinner at 12 then a buffet type thing later on but it makes me want to throw up.

If I'm cooking we eat at 5ish. Cold meats etc are for Boxing Day.

FuckOffFerret · 13/10/2014 10:09

Dc regularly ask to go the pub. We probably won't go to the pub Christmas day as I feel guilty watching people work when they should be home, but they'd love to

TrisisFour · 13/10/2014 10:17

I try not to eat too much for Xmas lunch because I love the cold bits in the evening just as much!! .

DH tends to do the Xmas dinner so he will do the turkey etc (but essentially it's just a roast dinner but maybe with some extra veg dishes) and then once the turkey is out, he'll put the gammon in the oven, smothered in honey, to cook during the afternoon. Then in the evening it's cold gammon/turkey, cheese, crusty bread, salad and posh pickles!!

This year we're having lunch about 12.30pm, light dinner at about 5.00pm and then over to my Mother's for the evening.

TrisisFour · 13/10/2014 10:22

By the way Combust22, maybe you don't have any decent pubs around you. We have lots of small country pubs that cater very well for DCs. A lot more country pubs than 'restaurants' (which also serve alcohol...).

magicalmrmistofelees · 13/10/2014 11:15

Completely agree cookis and trinis, some pubs are lovely places to take children and I think it does everyone good to get out of the house on Christmas Day.

combust22 · 13/10/2014 11:54

trisis- no we don't have any nice pubs in Edinburgh

crazykat · 13/10/2014 12:43

I just get some buffet type food in. Usually cocktail sausages, pork pie, chicken skewers, garlic bread, sometimes pizza. Its just me, DH and the kids so we just have what we feel like that's easy to make and minimum washing up.

I don't go overboard on Christmas dinner as it would just get wasted so its pretty much a roast dinner with crackers for us. Anything bigger and it gets wasted or we're eating cold beef/turkey/pork for a week.

currieaddict · 13/10/2014 13:38

We do it slightly different but

Coffee and chocolate when we get up - could be early, could be later or on time.

Breakfast - usually about 10 ish. Bacon, pancakes and eggs that DH does on the BBQ.

If we are hungry around dinner time then I always have packets of party food in the house or some naice pate from M&S on toast.

Tea time - usually around 6 ish we have our main meal. Not sure what it is going to be this year. We are not fans hugely of turkey although I do fancy a 3 or 4 bird roast.

Stewedcoot · 13/10/2014 13:41

Turkey sandwiches and slice of Christmas cake but not much as usually everyone full from Christmas lunch.

Save the cold cuts, chutneys, cheese, salads, cold sausages etc etc for Boxing Day (my favourite meal of the season).

WishesAndStars · 13/10/2014 13:47

Why not unclench a bit combust22? No-one is saying that you have to take your DCs to a pub, but some people (both adults and children) enjoy it.

We have a later meal (about 5-6pm) so don't have anything more in the evening, apart from booze and chocs.

boobyooby · 13/10/2014 13:52

last year we had prawn cocktail for Xmas tea ..... cheeseboard for grazing plus obligatory chocolates. Doing again this year as it was a big hit :D

Flip

1 2 3 4