Christmas dinner

[Mama1980]

Sorry I know I'm very early but I need to be prepared!
It my turn to host Christmas this year we always have huge family Christmases.
Basic count of numbers will be 15 children from 0-17, at least 20 adults from 25-96 but maybe as many as 30
I will have masses of help
need Turkey, veggies options and there's 1 vegan.
Any menu suggestions would be great (it's tradition that whoevers hosting comes up with a kind of surprise menu)
Thanks

We are pretty 'standard' in this house. I make all of these dishes and everyone just helps themselves off the kitchen sideboard and sits down with their own plate. I don't dish it up at all, just carve and cook

Starters:
Soup (Heinz tinned soup) , prawn cocktail (out of a packet served with salad and seafood sauce in a jar) or pate on toast.

Main:
Turkey (crown) and beef wellington or if a smaller number to cook for I get those '4 bird roast' things from Aldi or Iceland. I also buy pre-prepared roast veg already in a tin from Iceland. Just peel off the lid and throw the whole tray into the oven no need to use your own trays. Same with pigs in blankets.

Dessert:
Trifle (I do make this from scratch a few days before), Apple Pie (homemade again) and Custard/Cream and Homemade Lemon Cheesecake too.

I only provide 1 meal on Christmas day, theres plenty left over if anyone is still hungry later in the day.

Would a vegan eat a nut roast? Jamie Oliver has just put up a pic of an amazing looking Nutroast on his Instagram account. Im not a veggie but it totally made my mouth water. Do you have Instagram?

Cauliflower cheese
Sprouts with bacon
Honey glazed parsnips
Roast pots

For these numbers I would do

starter - I would do trays of antipasti. Also layer Mozzarella over tomatoes and top with basil. Some nice breads as well. Everyone can help themselves

main - For this number I would cook and pre carve turkey, stuffing & ham earlier in the day then layer it on a tray in the over with tinfoil over it and heat it before serving. I know you wont get it perfect this way but for these numbers I would settle for hot food.

In terms of veg roasted carrots and parsnips and brussel sprouts can be prepared in numbers
roast and dauphinoise potatoes (can be preprepared)

Dessert - trifle (homemade) and another bakery bought cake - cheescake probably

Coffee and fancy chocs

You must have a massive house to fit 35 people in!!!!
For kids i would make Xmas pudding ice cream,
Starter wise I would go for cold easy to prepare such as prawn cocktail, melon balls, pate and Melba toast etc

I'm a veggie and we had this veg Wellington thing for Christmas dinner last year. You could make it before and chuck in the oven on the day, also we substituted the expensive mushrooms/syrup for their cheaper cousins :) www.thesavagefeast.com/2011/11/vegetable-wellington-with-butternut-squash-and-mushrooms/

I'm stumped on the vegan thingy as you would be ruling out eggs and dairy and i think HM nut roast would have egg to bind? Quorn also has egg a vegan friend told me (which I never realised) so pre bought would be difficult. Holland and barrat used to do Sos Mix which was a soya sausage thingy. My sister used to make a loaf with stuffing in the middle. They might also do phoney bacon which you could layer on top.
I normally have 20+ for christmas dinner. I do a three bird roast and a piece of pork. Roast pots cooked in oil, all the veg (some can be pre prepared and frozen like red cabbage) and sides like stuffing.
For starters I do mozzarella and tomato salad but vegans wont eat mozzarella, or pate. Perhaps do florida cocktail or melon/avocado with parma ham for the carnies.
Desert is the normal pud, trifle or HM cheesecake. I think you could easily make this with Quark. Fruit salad would be an idea but it could be fruit overload for the vegans.
Good luck. I am confident with veggies but vegan is a bit scary for me in case I overlook something dairy. Ask the vegans what they would like perhaps?

In our family we only do 1 meal, it's a big meal though and lasts a few hour we normally start at around 2-3ish and finish for around 6-7ish.

Throughout the day there are nibbles on offer in case anyone gets pecking, this usually consists of; breadsticks and dips, biscuits, and chocolates.

Our Christmas dinner normally goes something like this:

Starters
Starter 1; smoked salmon
Starter 2; pate and toast
Starter 3; sorbe

Main
Depending on numbers either Turkey, goose, or a 4bird roast.
Then roast potatos, mixed roast veg (carrot, parsnip,butternut squash, sweet potato, onion), carrot and Swede mash, sprouts with bacon, pigs in blankets, sausage meat stuffing, red cabbage, and cauliflower cheese.
Accompanied by gravey, cranberry sauce, and bread sauce.

Dessert
Homemade Christmas pudding, and a Yule log with cream.

Cheese
Cheese board, grapes, crackers, butter, relish.

Afters
Thorntons mint chocs and coffee/hot chocolate.

We also have a lot of different types of alcohol, a different one for every course. It all makes for a very happy, very full, quite drunk Christmas.

Thanks everyone some amazing idea there, thanks
Unfortunately my very sweet sil wants to be 'surprised' too with her vegan lunch - it's all very good natured/fun she's not being awkward.

Brieandchilli, what is Christmas pudding ice cream please? Sounds yummy

Check out this site for ideas vegan wise maybe

www.vegkitchen.com/recipes/a-colorful-vegetarian-christmas/

Delias parsnip roulade is often mentioned in threads like these, you'd have to alter it slightly for a vegan though.

M&s do trays of honey roast parsnips that are by far the best I've ever tasted. We have them every year and very rarely do they make it into the plates

Meat wise Id go turkey and gammon.

Potatoes would be boiled new and roasted.

Vegetables, can't go wrong with sprouts, carrots and cauliflower cheese.