Food! What would you do?

[AmyC86]

Up to now, Christmas is at my house and both sets of parent's are coming. I've had a no from both of my siblings & families and a "letter you know nearer the time it's only October" from DHs siblings - bah humbugs. However, I want to get organised so I can then plan and relay this to guests.

At the moment my plan is:

To eat a simple but traditional roast dinner with possibly 3 meats and the usual trimmings. Followed by the option of Xmas pud or sherry trifle for dessert. I'm planning on serving this no later than 2:15 so that we can all relax around the tv for the Queen (avid royalists).

I then am planning a small buffet tea, to be served round 7ish which will include:

Leftover cold meats & bread (they can make there own sandwiches.
Gala pie
Small fish platter & shellfish billinis
Cheese board
pate & crackers
Pickles & sausages on sticks
Left over desserts plus mince pies, and Christmas cake

Do you think that it's too much or do you think that it's reasonable? I have thought that there could be a potential for my siblings to pop round in the evening too.

Also, would you add anything?

Sounds lovely but I wouldn't describe a 'simple' roast dinner as one with 3 different meats! It sounds like a lot of work for you. Fine if you enjoy it, but you could probably get away with doing much less. In the evening I always find that everyone is still stuffed and the most anyone manages is a few choccies/mince pies/sausage rolls/random leftover things.

Just serving leftovers (from main and dessert) along with a cheese board, crackers and some mince pies/cake would probably be more than enough for the evening buffet. No need to faff around with making a pie and billinis unless you really want to (the effort might end up going to waste if everyone is still quite full).

Sounds amazing!

Also if siblings are popping round unannounced in the evening then they should probably be pleased enough with a slice of cake or mince pie and cup of tea

3 meats sounds like overkill and not that simple unless you've more than one oven.
Not sure I'd like a shellfish bellini!

3 roasts is too much I think.

I'd do a roast turkey and leave it at that.

While I'd love shellfish bellini's, it's a lot of work for people who probably are still stuffed from lunch. I'd serve leftovers with some mince pies. Keep it simple.

We eat dinner at around 2.15 and save pudding for the evening (if we bother at all, most of us aren't big pudfing eaters). I have crackers and cheese, plus mince pies and chocolates for the evening and they barely get touched, we are all still full from dinner. So I would restrict it to food that won't go to waste if it doesn't get eaten that night and keep everything in the fridge until people really want to eat it, not put it all out and risk having most of it left over.

45 minutes to eat Christmas dinner ad pudding seems like you're pushing your luck to be finished by 3! :)

Forgot to me that most of the things for the buffet would be ready made & just pulled out of the fridge.

We are big eaters, and I said dinner at the latest time of 2:15 - I'm hoping to be at least half an hour earlier at least! Xx

Personally I tend to prefer the buffet food to the roast - will there be any salad / grapes etc with the buffet, I like those bits as they tens to counteract the heavier pastry type bits?

I'd push supper back a bit if possible. Otherwise I can't see people being hungry. We eat about 2-2.30 then have a sort of open ended buffet about 9. But it's more of cheese and crackers, nibbly crisps and a few Marks and Sparks canapé sort of this (& mini pickled gherkins, they are non negotiable!) it's definitely a side plate and fingers job rather than big plate and cutlery! mince pies if anyone wants them but generally stick to savoury.
We then dish up cold meats, pickles, bubble and squeak etc for lunch Boxing Day, basically we have the problem of too much food, too little time!
But if you reckon your lot can fit it all in then go for it!

Exactly monday this is what I'm hoping for xx not to much in a way of hard work & stuff which I can take to work on boxing day xx

snail there will be some fruit available lol