You can choose only one Christmas dinner item

[GloGirl]

You're going to someones house for a relatively standard Christmas roast dinner.

What one thing would you want to insist on having to make it a proper Christmas dinner?

Cranberry sauce? Brussel sprouts? Christmas pudding for dessert?

For me it is bacon wrapped cocktail sausages. I get a little bit itchy thinking "what if" they weren't there

pigs in blankets

Toppings.
One year i did sprouts with pinenuts/bacon/garlic. My uncle doesn't like sprouts and spent ages trying to just get the "extras" and avoid the sprouts. Ever since then i do toppings which are just the pinenuts/bacon (lardons) and garlic. Is definitely the most popular item on the dinner table.
But we do also have the pigs in blankets (a must), stuffing(s) and other treats.

I like turkey very much, if it's a good quality bird and properly cooked. It goes brilliantly with all the traditional accompaniments and you get a lot of protein to go round a large party/generate lots of lovely, useful leftovers, which is more than can be said for some of the other options.

I am enjoying this thread a lot. I'm resisting the temptation to cross-reference it to the other Christmas thread started yesterday where there was a lot of bosom-hoiking going on about guests who had the temerity to hope that a particular food would be provided for Christmas dinner because it was their favourite. Apparently that is beyond rude and they should eat what they're given no matter how poncey and badly cooked it is and be thankful and anybody whose Christmas would be ruined by not getting their favourite thing needs to get a grip.

Roast potatoes. If there was nothing but roast potatoes I'd cope :o

This thread is making me want Christmas dinner for tea tonight. Specifically stuffing, pigs in blankets, goose fat roasties, sprouts with chestnuts and bacon lardons, proper gravy, homemade cranberry sauce and bread sauce. Can I justify it as a practice run for December?

Purple - go for it!!

Flam ouse, your toppings dish is inspired! I actually think it sounds nice with sprouts but they're not in season yet. Like Purple I think I'm going to make a roast on Sunday and shall add it on!

Gaspode, the other thread is the inspiration for that one. I can understand the rudeness and yet, and yet the thought of Christmas dinner without bacon wrapped sausages

*for this one

Have the supermarkets started selling chestnuts yet?

My mum's roasted carrots and parsnips.

I'm hosting for the first time this year, soo excited!

Haha! This thread is perfect for me as we usually spend the day at DHs family who are French and know zilch about Crimbo.

Here we go :

Proper stuffing
Roast spuds, preferably in duck fat (posh, me)
Pigs in blankets
Cumberland sausage as a side dish
Turkey
Loads of gravy
Mash
Carrots

Broccoli

I will be the lone voice here. Christmas Dinner would not be Xmas dinner without my mum's 'special' dessert.

Not really interested in the main event we don't do Turkey anyway, this year I'm hoping for pork or the starters as such. But the special dessert must be there!

I can't say what it is as no else I know does it and I don't want to out myself. Needless to say, it is the dogs bollocks of desserts and I'm bitterly disappointed when it doesn't make a show!

As a side note - do you not all have bread sauce and 'deconstructed' pigs in blankets with your Chicken roast dinners???

Pigs in blankets here too, I'd happily just have a plate of those for my dinner!