What do you eat on Christmas Eve?

[TinkyDinks]

I really want to have a meal which becomes our traditional Christmas Eve dinner. I don't really want anything too "meat and veggie" cause of the big Christmas Dinner. Nothing too spicy either as 3 young children who aren't keen.

We normally go to church for an hour ish at about 4pm and stop at pub on way home, just for one.

Really want a "go to" for Christmas Eve meal. What do you have?

Fish and chips in the afternoon and then lots of picks later on (crisps, sweets, nuts etc).

We have sausage rolls, mince pies and chestnuts after church, about six. Then toast and hot chocolate later if anyone is hungry.

We always go out for a meal in the afternoon after church (so, 3pm ish) and then just have cured meats, cheeses, olives, crusty bread and some pick-y buffet bits in the evening with an abundance of alcohol once the children are in bed usually.

we have a buffet, usual party food but lots of extra special nibbles

We have Turkish food. A selection of grilled meat, rice, bread, tzatziki, salad and that amazing onion salad thing with pomegranate syrup.

Pre-DC we'd go to the pub on Christmas Eve, then for food at a really great Turkish restaurant next to our church, then to midnight mass.

Post-DC we go to the earlier service and then get Turkish food delivered.

It's a fairly recent tradition, but one I quite like! I'm not sure what we had for Christmas Eve when I was growin up.

We have fish and chips from the chip shop will all of our friends after a day out.

Jelly, blancmange, sausages on sticks, cheese and pineapple and cake. It's my DP's birthday and my 6yo niece loves a Birthday party.

Roast duck with Chinese pancakes and hoisin sauce, also buffet bits

Is your husband's Chinese cookbook written in Chinese or in English DoubleCarrick ?
I'm always searching for a good one, so if it's English, could you tell me what it is?

We always have a big joint of beef on Christmas Eve. Yorkshires and roasties only if someone can be bothered to cook them. But always bread.

I make a beef bourguignon, served with green beans.

Goes in the oven at lunchtime and by 6pm is perfect. I love the simplicity prior to the following 72 hours of rolling food.

Oh god, no it's written in English. It's a really old book that he found in a charity shop and produces better than takeaway chinese bits. I basically don't ever cook any more because he produces such amazing food. Also has a traditional indian book too.

Chinese Cookery Masterclass by Willy Mark, Foreword by Kenneth Lo.

I'll try to find a link

If we have guests I do a gammon in the slow cooker with roast tatties and cauliflower cheese and veggies. If it's just me, DH and DS1 and 2 we get KFC and watch and movie.

Sorry, my last message was to limpid

I think this is the book but ours is a hardback black book and we don't have the cover. The publication date is correct

We always have a baked Vacherine Mont d'Or with new potatoes, cold cuts and cornichons.

Not sure how it started but we've been doing it for 10 years now so it's a firm tradition.

No faffing, delicious and seasonal.

Thanks Double. That's great!

Takeaway for the last 25 years.
We take it in turns to choose.

.

We always have a Chinese.

We always have smoked salmon and scrambled eggs served with ciabatta. My sister always goes to her local Indian and another friend always goes for a Chinese!! X

Chinese takeaway after a few hours in the pub

Newlywed, we have a BBQ too! All our friends think we're mad, but we love it. DH sits outside with a glass of wine cooking!

Last year I decided our traditional Xmas Eve dinner would be homemade chestnut soup and baked Camembert with crusty bread. I'm looking forward to it again already.

We used to have this which I think is lovely, but the DC are a bit fussy about, so more often than not we have Chinese take away now.

Christmas Eve is DH birthday. Past few years we've had people round for birthday drinks and I've done a ham in the slow cooker finished off in the oven with honey and sugar and cloves. Left that with crusty bread, chutney and pickles and let people help themselves.

We always have a buffet that everyone just picks at. The kids love it and it's easy enough to do. I even get a pack of festive paper plates to save on washing up!