what do you eat on Christmas Eve?

[Onedayinthesun]

Trying to decide if we should eat out and save the mess and stress, order a takeaway or cook something scummy?!

We are family of four and try to get together by 3pm on Christmas Eve and start our family Christmas once work and last minute bits & pieces are done.

Interested to hear what you are all planning to eat on Christmas Eve?

I want macaroni cheese, probably Nigella's recipe. We're having Christmas with PILs, though, so I'm not sure what everyone else would want. I'm going to suggest it.

Ham with rosti (frozen) and veg we don't have on Christmas Day - like red cabbage, cauliflower cheese and peas.

But I fancy steak, now I've seen the idea.

Mince pies, cheese and crackers, salady stuff, crisps, maybe some ham if it's ready by then. Out for drinks early eve this year so may get some pub food - will play it by ear. Did cinema and Wagamama last year. Don't like doing the same thing each year on Xmas Eve - although Xmas Day is always largely the same.

We have Pizza Express booked for lunchtime. We can have nibbles stuff later on. Maybe ribs, coleslaw, ham, mini baked tatties etc.

We do tacos/nachos and all the sides too. I am veggie and love spicy food, the traditional Christmas meal doesn't do much for me.

symoahty I am drulling

Gosh home made chips and pulled pork sarnies are also getting me salivating!

Champers!

Can't remember what we had last year but for a few years our tradition was to have takeout Sushi platter and beer. It is nice and easy, not too heavy and something very different to Christmas Day type of food.

Doesn't get cold if you are still busy wrapping :)

I cook the ham on Christmas Eve (hairy bikers recipe) and we have that with chippy chips and an egg. We always had the same when I was growing up so I just kept up the tradition. I'm salivating at the thought lol

We have a steak dinner, nice bottle of wine and some sought of yummy bought-in pudding

symphony if you check back, please share your ham in coke recipe! Is it the nigella one? We usually have ham on Christmas eve too, as tend to cook it then for the festive period, so throw jkt pots in oven towards the end, and also cook a bit pot of red cabbage at the same time, which also sees us through.

Take away kebabs and champers. Giles Coren's fave kebab shop is nearby and it's very good and cheap too!

Baked camembert topped with cranberry sauce and lots of crusty bread to dip in ... yum!!

Children's mass at 6pm then on for a curry. Until a couple of years ago the DC went home after church, now they stay to eat, then Granny puts them to bed while the grown ups play (go to the pub)

We go to a Turkish restaurant next to our church - it's open late so we usually eat late and then go to the pub before midnight mass. Although this year with DD we might have to mix it up a bit and go to the kids service and then eat. If we're at DH's parents we go to their neighbours and eat Christmas tree-shaped sandwiches

Always had hot Roast Pork Sandwiches on Christmas Eve late afternoon, a tradition we carried on even though we moved far away from the rest of the family. This year though it's just 4 of us so we will probably have a take away

Chinese takeaway and baileys, mostly.

Food

Home cooked honey glazed ham, potato wedges and my mums special Apple pie

When I was growing up Mum used to roast a rib of beef and some sausages from the butchers. Homemade bread. Half of the village used to turn up for beef and mustard/sausage and mustard sandwiches at some point.

I don't eat much meat these days but carry on the tradition here on a much smaller scale , it has become part of our Christmas too.

For years my DH's family had watercress soup (in Hants, natch) and smoked salmon. In recent years, I have hosted a pizza party for my dds and their cousins, following the Christingle/crib service, as an antidote to the traditional Christmas dinner on the day. When the cousins can't make it we revert to seafood/salmon.

We start early in our house, so a proper cooked breakfast eggs, bacon,sausage, haggis, black pudding (Stornoway), mushrooms, tomatoes & tattie scones, with coffee & juice.No one needs lunch. Then a light dinner often soup. This gives us time for prep for Christmas day, cake, sweet & mince pie making. My real luxury is sitting down after the stockings are done & gifts are wrapped with a glass of vintage port in the candle lit living room admiring the tree.

A Chinese takeaway four course set meal.

We have a buffet for tea as we have a Christmas Eve party for ds's cousins ( and relative aunties and uncles) but I'm not sure what we're having for lunch.