Easy Christmas buffet

[Heirhelp]

I am going to invite PIL, BIL and partner round on Christmas morning. I don't really want to cook but will need to provide something. Other than crossaints, what else can we have?

Fruit, brioche, selection of cold meat/cheese and fresh bread. Like a hotel continental breakfast.

Why not just fry some bacon and do bacon sandwiches? With a bowl of fruit on offer and some lovely juices and coffee. Bacon is such a wonderful, welcoming smell!

Mulled wine
I would probably prep homemade pancakes and leave the mix on the fridge overnight. Very easy

Sorry but I would make.... And expect bacon I think. You could whack a load in the grill- and I think microwave it?

Thanks for the comments. I forgot to mention that there would be some veggies. Will I need to do bacon? Even if I just tell them nibbles? I cba to cook bacon and DH is a veggie so he is rubbish at cooking meat. If I do bacon sandwiches will I need to do something hot for veggies?

I would ask your Dh to be in charge of any hot veggie food.

Personally, wouldn't do hot. Would do big fruit salad, continental meats and cheeses, and bread. And maybe danish pastries.

Is it for breakfast or between breakfast and lunch? If it's for breakfast then I'd do croissants, muffins, strawberries and/or melon etc. If it's not then I would just have some nibbles out.

It will be between 10 and 12 so for is after breakfast but my pil don't get up until late so for them it would be breakfast.

I would go to Costco and get a big tray of Danish pastries and a tray of croissants. I'd be happy to be on the receiving end of that buffet.

Will your oven be bay doing turkey etc?

These days I rarely cook English breakfast stuff on the hob, I just line a large baking tray with foil, toast a bag of cherry tomatoes at one end, a pack of nice sausages at the other and bacon rolls in the middle using nice thick bacon.

I sometimes do baked eggs in little pots with it or use the same buttered pots (old China ones from the days that m&s would use them for their desserts) and poach in the microwave - remembering to stab the yolk beforehand they take 40-60 seconds depending on the size and temperature of the egg.

If you had plenty of rolls people could just assemble them themselves and it's not much effort to cook (I take about half an hour and take out of the oven occasionally to turn the sausages and bacon so nothing burns. But I can appreciate its not ideal for the veggies!

Can you put dh in charge if it's his family coming?! Might be interesting and would be one less job for you.

Apparently you can make some fancy schmancy porridge overnight in the slow cooker if that's not too ordinary for Christmas morning. Leaves you with another sticky pot to clean though.

Posting to place mark for ideas - love a good brunch!

I've got my eye on a chocolate croissant bread pudding recipe which looks fairly easy and delicious, which is better than just plain croissants!

I make cinnamon buns, they are very easy, fully assembled the night before and left somewhere cool (car boot) to rise slowly then just bake and drizzle over glace icing, also made the night before and kept in a clipped shut piping bag overnight.

We are going to my parents for Christmas dinner but only parent will only cook the meat and my sister and I will prepare everything else to take along.

DH Would happily take on the food cooking but he is rubbish at deciding what to have. We are still at the stage of thinking about what to have so I thought I ask MN's collective advice.

I am discussing it with him now as I need to put expectations in place for Christmas Day for PIL soon.

What about a big heap of scrambled egg with chives, and serve smoked salmon separately and a heap of warmed bagels? This is obviously alongside croissants and jam.

At that time on Christmas day I wouldn't offer anything cooked.
I'd do a choice of breakfast buns like pain aux raisins and croissants, some cheeses with bread, a bowl of fruit perhaps tropical fruit salad or winter fruit salad.

I'd suggest asking them what they fancy TBH. From threads about Christmas Day breakfasts previously there is a huge range. Personally I'd be happy with just croissants, cinnamon buns etc, I never eat cooked breakfasts apart from maybe a poached egg and wouldn't want bacon, smoked salmon etc.

Quorn do veggie bacon! I would do croissants, selection of continental cheeses and chorizo, bagels with nice butter, some nice orange and apple juice's. If possible borrow some large teapots to save yourself the hassle of refills and if you have a coffee machine fill that.

I'd just do Danish pastries, fruit salad, nice coffee and Buck's Fizz. No prep, easy!

Pastries or bagels will be fine. Maybe some Bucks Fizz or Bloody Marys to make it festive.
Everyone will be having a big meal later so really good coffee and pastries will be perfect.

Could do Nigella's Cheese and Egg Strata (link below), Whip it up the night before and stick it in the oven to cook in the morning, leave it veggie or serve with bacon? Grill the bacon, easier to get more done in one go.

If you really don't want to do any cooking at all microwave pancakes? Brioche? Fresh fruit?

We have ham and eggs for Christmas day breakfast so big pan of scrambled eggs and some "niace" ham?

If all else fails get a variety box

farmergeneral.com/nigella-lawson-triple-cheese-strata-with-spring-onion/