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Christmas

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Original poster

Who buys cauliflower cheese at Xmas?

169 replies

noblegiraffe · 06/12/2015 20:06

And red cabbage??

Christmas dinner is, as far as I'm concerned, turkey, roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, sausages wrapped in bacon, some peas and carrots, a token sprout and lots of gravy. Maybe some gammon too. Other people may have parsnips.

I've been looking at the ready prepared stuff for Christmas and there's red cabbage and cauliflower cheese on offer. What? Why? You can't smother that in gravy and thus they are surely wrong?

OP posts:
Hatethis22 · 08/12/2015 14:34

My parents do that too! I can't understand it. They aren't roasting a massive turkey, no one would have to be up early to put it in. They overcook it too so it's all dry.

Boosiehs · 08/12/2015 14:43

I think I might be able to top that list. Traditionally in our family we have:

Turkey
Gammon
Beef
Roasties
Parsnips
Peas
Carrots
Sprouts
Creamed leeks
Cauliflower cheese
Mashed swede
Bread sauce
Gravy
Cranberry sauce
Yorkshire puddings

Aaaand

Breaded onion rings.

Salivating just at the thought.

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeG0es · 08/12/2015 14:45

The meat must be cooked on Christmas Day, I would never do it the day before.

SymphonyofShadows · 08/12/2015 15:02

Meat slightly warmed? Shock

FabFlo · 08/12/2015 15:35

I like to buy a really nice joint when I buy beef so having it alongside Turkey seems a waste.

I do;

Turkey crown
Braised red cabbage (made in advance)
Maple parsnips
Roasted carrots
Sprouts with chestnuts & bacon
Pigs in blankets
Cranberry sauce (made in advance)
Cranberry stuffing parcels (made in advance)
Homemade gravy

Followed by a lit Christmas pudding (already made) and various toppings (Dd1 has squirty cream, DD2 will probably request custard Shock, DH and DD3 have whipped double and I have brandy butter)

I think I might add creamed leeks this year as I love leeks. Alrhough not sure cheese & gravy are a great mixture.

fresta · 08/12/2015 15:38

My inlaws cook the bird the day before too, it's horrible- aired meat but hot gravy!

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 08/12/2015 17:54

If I had to feed a crowd, I'd add a gammon joint which could if necessary be cooked the day before, or it could be in a slow cooker on the day. It would go nicely with the turkey and all the other traditional dishes. I do in fact always make lentil soup at Christmas with a small gammon joint added for flavour. Gives lovely cooked gammon to add to the cold turkey, salad etc etc in the days after Christmas.

StDogolphin · 08/12/2015 17:59

I have never had turkey at Christmas!

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 08/12/2015 18:00

Gosh! Are you a vegetarian? If not, not even in a Christmas lunch at school or a seasonal sandwich?

SuburbanRhonda · 08/12/2015 18:16

Gosh! Are you a vegetarian?

Welcome to the 21st century, gasp Grin

Blu · 08/12/2015 18:19

"I always cook and slice my meat on Christmas Eve!

Now that is the Christmas heresy for me"
It's heresy at any time of year! That's how School Dinner meat tastes like School Dinner meat!

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 08/12/2015 18:24

We always have red cabbage - but we have goose, instead of turkey (dh and the dses don't like turkey). No mash here, and no carrots or peas - we have goose, stuffing, roast potatoes, roast parsnips, sprouts and chestnuts, and red cabbage, with spiced apple sauce, gravy, and bread sauce.

In fact, I have already made the red cabbage and apple sauce, and peeled half of the chestnuts - they are all in the freezer and will just need heating up on Christmas Day.

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 08/12/2015 18:35

Ha ha, Rhonda! I was just trying to work out how anybody could live in the UK for any length of time and never have turkey at Christmas.

I'm fairly certain I've never had goose, though. I have the impression it's rather greasy - am I missing a treat? What's it like cold?

dementedma · 08/12/2015 19:36

I cook the meat on Christmas eve!!!! Never had any complaints so far and been doing it that way for decades

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 08/12/2015 19:56

I do all the prep on Christmas Eve (or earlier), so all I need to do is bung the goose in the oven, keep an eye on it, and do the veg and sauces - I wouldn't want to cook the meat on Chriatmas Eve, even if we did have turkey, because all the recipes for doing that that I have seen talk about pouring gravy over the meat, to keep it moist, and I don't like gravy.

My mum hated gravy and never made it, so I grew up used to eating a lot of meals dry or fairly dry - apple sauce, red currant jelly, mustard, and bread sauce were Permitted, and ketchup was barely tolerated - although she always had to have a little moan about us making her lovely cooking taste of ketchup.

I do make gravy, because dh and the dses like it, and I have a little bit, but I wouldn't want it over all of my meat - I want to have the choice.

Chewbecca · 08/12/2015 20:34

gasp goose is kinda greasy cold. But there's not that much meat on it anyway so you don't get an awful lot of leftovers anyway.

Agree with the others, the turkey will never be quite as good if it's not cooked fresh (IMO) & you miss out on the fabulous smell on the day. I don't get why you'd do it anyway, it's not that onerous on the day. I'm good with prepping everything on Christmas Eve, but it's gotta be cooked fresh to be tip top.

StDogolphin · 08/12/2015 20:34

We have always had beef or goose and occasionally pork. No idea why! Far far from vegetarian with all the pigs in blankets we get through. Grin

RomComPhooey · 08/12/2015 23:43

Mushrooms? Bizarre!

I've been following this thread and discussing with DH over the last couple of days. The mushrooms were the only thing that stood out as off-kilter to us. Everything else seems to be on the spectrum of 'normal for Christmas'.

BugritAndTidyup · 09/12/2015 08:34

I LOVE cold goose, almost prefer it to when it's hot. It has that same solidified fat quality as cold lamb (love that too) but with the added bonus of it tasting extra delicious because it's goose fat.

Am I selling it? Wink I think it has something to do with the texture for me.

It's a bit of a faff to cook though, and YY to not much meat.

Back on the subject of cauliflower cheese, a PP mentioned cooking it for the vegetarians at the table, and that makes perfect sense. My main reason for not having it is because it spoils the lovely meaty gravy, and I think a couple of posters said the same - of course the vegetarians at the table won't be having the gravy either, will they?

Igneococcus · 09/12/2015 08:44

bugrit I finished off some cold goose leftovers recently and was wondering why it took me 49 years to find out how delicious that is.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 09/12/2015 10:04

I do sticky asian goose with my leftovers - shred the goose, mix in runny honey, soy sauce and five spice, and dry fry it until it is all dark and sticky - serve with rice - it is delicious!

HolgerDanske · 09/12/2015 10:06

Oh I love goose. And it's delicious cold in sandwiches as well.

I'm so hungry now.

Groovee · 09/12/2015 12:51

I've never cooked my turkey on Christmas Day. My old boss was appalled that I did it the day before.

But even my roast joints are done early in the day or the night before! It's the way my mum and mother in law did it when dh and I grew up!

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeG0es · 09/12/2015 13:52

It's the solidified fat aspect that makes cold lamb and duck completely inedible to me, I've never tried cold goose.

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 09/12/2015 14:33

That is so odd, Groovee. What is the advantage of doing it that way? I like roast meat either freshly cooked, so still hot, or stone cold. There's a big difference in texture between the two. I don't like roast meat re-heated in gravy at all.

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