3 vegetarians, 1 vegan, 3 keeping kosher, 4 omnivores and a baby for Xmas dinner

[mysteryfairy]

I work full time approx 60 hrs per week in the office at moment, have never done a Christmas dinner before, am working up to Xmas eve inclusive with loads still to do at work this year, have no supermarket slot booked, haven't given it one seconds thought or planning. I'm screwed aren't I?

Just remember not to add cheese or butter to your veggies to serve so you don't break the rule re dairy and meat at the last second after all your planning.

The Kosher meal will be fine for the omnivores: ask if they need you to observe melihah (soaking and salting) before cooking. It depends on how fastidiously observant your Kosher friends are: my friend, for example, is not allowed to eat food that I have prepared, so lets me do the veggies and brings her own main dish for us to share.

If your friends are happy for you to cook I'd simplify by doing sides dishes that al can share (veggie with no dairy) and then two main dishes: one vegan and one kosher meat.

I thought you were composing a new Christmas carol.

Get a Big order of all the stuff that will keep, and that will feed the teens, for the 19th.

Then on 23rd when you finish work, go to Waitress and get all the other stuff you need. Don't leave it until the 24th.

If your son is back from uni, and you have a DH, can either of them do anything? I would expect at the very least to find all the potatoes peeled and in water, all other veg prepped, and the house as clean as YOU want it to be.

Can you also prep some things ahead of time and either freeze or store them?

On the day, you should have to cook the main bits, heat the veg and have just about everything else ready to go. Other family members (teens on holiday from school) should be doing just about everything else.

Quorn isn't vegan, I think it contains egg whites.

Sainsbury's Christmas slots for 23rd will open on Tuesday (3 weeks in advance) that's the latest delivery they do. Their Christmas food order service is already running but it's collection only

You say the meat eaters can't help but what about your husband? Could you put him on meat duty?

DH is away all of w/c 14th Dec, will be home for Saturday afternoon and Sunday 20th. Then away Monday to late Wednesday 23rd. He is working from home on Christmas Eve, but experience suggests he will be working until at least 6ish. He can actually cook the meat I suppose. I don't have the sort of DC that will reliably help with any prep without detailed supervision.

The Jewish guests arrive from abroad on Christmas Eve by an overnight flight - they are my brother's wife and DC age 5, 3 and 10 months (the baby), plus my brother himself is one of the omnivores, so again they are not in a position to bring stuff and are likely to be as frazzled as me!

Seal song there is now this: www.peta.org.uk/blog/quorn-launches-vegan-line/

You can still book M&S food... I'd go with the Salmon for the kosher folk and a mushroom Wellington for the vegetarians.

It's not too late to order from M&sss I don't think. You've just missed the free wine.

I would just cook something vegetarian (or vegan) that is a real treat, with expensive and tasty ingredients. It would be kosher and a novelty for the meat eaters.

Why are you worrying about salmon in addition to veggie/veggie and a roast?

Just do a roast bird and that would do the omnivores and those keeping kosher as long as you don't use butter or bacon. I'd use olive oil instead of butter for the fat on the skin, after all chicken is a mainstay of traditipnal Jewish cooking. Do the stuffing separately (again buy it pre-made and bung it in the oven) and you are sorted.

If you are near a Waitrose at work, pre-order stuff to collect on Xmas Eve.

No helpful suggestions but it sounds like the start of a comedy sketch to me

Personally I'd do a kosher option and a vegan option. Nothing more. The baby can just eat what everyone else is eating

Does a turkey have to be a kosher Turkey or is Turkey naturally kosher (like fish, if you see what I mean?) . If it is ok, just do turkey roast plus vegan roast or a vegan chestnut and mushroom pie. Then you have main courses which both go with a good gravy, vegan roast potatoes, spicy red cabbage, stuffing, etc. if you start including fish you will be into different veg and condiments and sauces, etc.

Waitrose use to do an excellent allergy food isle, if not try Holland and Barrett for vegan ice cream (Swedish glace is lovely), custard, gravy and whipped/pouring cream that you can all eat. H&B also do a range of vegan 'meats' roast joint style by a company I think called redwood foods. They also are nice if your vegan doesn't mind eating something meat styled.

You need to check how kosher your guests are ? Will they eat a supermarket turkey or does it have to come from s kosher butcher?

Personally I would go with a salmon option and a vegan option, loads of veggies and pudding. No one is going to starve if they can't have everything.

Vegetarian and vegan can eat the same. As others have said its just a case of making a nut roast and veggie gravy and you all eat the same veggies and roast potatoes.

For omnivores stick a turkey crown in the oven (buy a frozen one) . Buy ready made meaty gravy. The kosher person eats salmon, fine, bit of salmon in tinfoil in the oven job done.

Everyone eats basically the same,

TBH if you stick to an exclusively vegan meal haven't you covered everyone? I get that dd is fussy but one day eating nothing but chocolate won't kill her, and she might actually try something.

Don't make it too good or they'll come again next year

I would make it strictly vegan or do one vegan and one kosher meat. If your daughter doesn't want to eat it she can make herself something or have a ready meal.

I would agree - salmon or turkey crown for meat/kosher folks, vegan for veggies and vegans. Then you are "only" doing two mains!

Full roast dinner with nut roast and ask your mum to cook and bring a turkey. She may not be up to cooking and hosting the whole thing, but might be happy to do that ?

My mum did a turkey crown in the slow cooker last year, might be an option.

Sorry, you have more meat eaters than I first thought.

Do you actually want to do a christmas lunch or could you go off piste and do a load of curries or a buffet of all sorts of different food based around a different theme that you like?

You could ask your mum to bring a turkey cranberry curry with her to be the festive one!