What are your Christmas food non-negotiables

[CoffeeAndOranges]

Just a bit of fun really as I'm a greedy soul who loves reading about food (and eating it).

I've got a bit less tolerant of all the excessive food-porn tv chef Christmas wankery that seems to get worse every year but there are certain things that I do love at Christmas.

Good cheeses, cured meats, smoked salmon etc to have with oatcakes, onion/chilli jam and lots of red wine or port.

A Christmas sandwich - almost better than the roast itself. Turkey (although we often have chicken instead), stuffing, pigs in blankets, cranberry and bread sauce, all in good granary bread. Yum.

Gingerbread/lebkuchen.

Clementines by the bucketload.

Spiced rum in black coffee.

Christmas pudding- not fussed about cake.

What will you be making sure you get in?

Sprouts with pancetta
Just Brazils
Aldi stollen bites
Florentines
Baileys by the bucket full

Clementines, Turkey, stuffing. Used to be roses but need a new substitute. Pretty easily pleased it seems.

Smoked salmon
Nice cheese
Bailey's

Most other things negotiable; one year we had a massive pile of pancakes on Christmas Day and loved it. But I still had smoked salmon with mine!

I have to make a Boxing Day pie every year. Total must.

Venus: I agree, cold homemade bread sauce in a sandwich/crusty roll with turkey/ham and homemade cranberry sauce some stuffing and some freshly made potato salad is to die for....

I absolutely have to have cheese savouries (those little oval, diamond, club etc shaped cheesy biscuit thingies) and ALL of the cheese! Most other things can be missed out without too much trauma!

Duck fat roasties with homemade yorkshire puds

Christmas Eve non-negotiables = veggie sausage rolls, a mountain of cheese, Garners pickled cabbage, meringues with cream & mince pies

PickachuSayBoo- please could you share your recipe for the pie!

Marrons Glaces - not for sharing, they are mine! Proper Single Gloucester cheese, pickled onions, cold meat for Boxing Day and a chocolate Father Christmas.

Don't have a recipe.

I make hot water pastry.

I get left over stuffing, left over chicken or turkey. Left over cheesy leeks. The cheesy leeks is a Jamie Oliver recipe with lots of Brie and cream.

Pastry in a tin. Stuffing on top, then meat, then cheesy leeks. Then pastry lid. Ive been known to use Justrol shortcrust pastry if I've been short of time.

It's amazing hot or cold.

Sorry, not clear. I meant stuffing on top of the pastry base. So it's the bottom layer in the pie.

And I tend to make it quite wide/long but not very deep. So it's like a deep quiche but not as tall as a pork pie. Though I'm sure a deeper pie would still be good. Got to be able to slip it in a pocket when out hunting you see.

Pigs in blankets can't do without them! And my aunties home made mince pies are the only ones I like! Ooh and her chocolate truffles in fact my auntie should just move in she's the best cook!

I'm love the cooking prep for Christmas, I'll make:
Lots and lots of goose fat roasties
Side of Christmas ham
Yule log
Bread and endless cheese
Brandy mince pies and orange brandy butter
Gin and tonic jelly
And...
Matchmakers & Turkish delight

I have never had a pig in a blanket . Are they lovely?

Not You're missing out! I only have them with Christmas dinner but they're the best bit.

They're just mini sausages wrapped in bacon. AND THEY'RE AMAZING.

Just wondered if you might have had one but not recognised it's American name.

Sprouts, traditional Christmas cake with a thick layer of marzipan, Stilton, lots of clementines, mince pies with brandy butter, glass of sherry

Right, Enid and Mothers, I am going to make some this year. My mother will faint in horror. It'll be great.

I was going to say roast potatoes but if I had to pick one thing it would be chestnut stuffing. My granny used to make it and about ten years ago I made it myself. I would miss it, so would my dad. Mum has to cook the same things every year so turkey, sprouts, parsnips, but I like to mix it up but the last few years we've been having forerib of beef - mostly for the leftover sandwhiches!

Dh hates xmas pudding and isnt keen on mince pies so I make chocolate b&b pudding. I think that has become our tradition.

Chestnut Stuffing
Walnut Whips
Pork Pie & Piccalilli

I'm with Soubriquet and that1950s - its the main christmas dinner preceded by lots of fizz and crisps:
Turkey (including skin)
stuffing
sausages in bacon
roasties
sprouts
parsnips in parmesan
bread sauce
gravy

The company of my family. (I will miss my mum this year...) Nothing else. Dont like mince pies, christmas pud or christmas cake. Cheese and biscuits is nice but not essential.

A stockpile of various cheeses, and crackers.
Veggies & yorkshires.
Stollen.
Mince pies.
Homemade truffles.
Lindt balls.
Salmon pâté.
Quality street tin & chocolate oranges.

Quality street tin

Oops there it is