Perfect menu for a pre - Christmas gathering

[ACurlyWurly]

I am planning our first proper grown up Christmas gathering.
food will need to be buffet style. I am actively stealing ideas from another thread!!

Drinks
Jugs of aperol spritz
Prosecco
Bud
Mulled wine
Mulled cider
Coke
Lemonade

Food
Slow roast pork / apple sauce / stuffing / bread rolls
Cheese and biscuits with Christmas chutney

Puddings
Mince pies

Can you help me fill in the blanks it needs fleshing out! Any good veggie ideas? we dont have veggie friends but always like to have an option

Buck's Fizz is a must if I'm having a Christmas doo

But that all sounds lovely. Maybe some sticky cocktail sausages on a stick.

ohhh pigs in blankets on sticks! with a cranberry sauce for dipping!

As a veggie I always hate veggie boring alternatives, just chuck a few nut cutlets in the oven and the non-meat eaters can have that on a roll with the apple sauce and stuffing, much more tasty than the umpteenth veggie curry/lasagne/chilli (Easy for you too)

Caramelised red onion and feta cheese tartlets

Mumma, thats my thinking. I was veggie a long time ago and it is always the same. My mum only eats chicken breast and everything else i end up doing a veggie alternative and its the same every time. will add cutlets!

mmmmmm red onion and feta! may do goats cheese!

getting hungry

something salady or fruity? It's all quite heavy (yummy, but heavy).

hedgehog potatoes! (hasselback)

salady thing!
fruit platter (thanks Twist)

Any beer other than budweiser. How about a nice ale, good contrast with the rich food.

Will your guests be expecting a Cristmassy main course?
If not I'd be tempted to go down a different route and do a whole salmon to keep it a little but lighter before the big day.
There's tuna burger recopes online that could be made into stuffing balls.
A potato salad, green salad, plate of dressed sliced tomatoes, nice bread etc.

For dessert a fabulous trifle.

Traditional mince pies (beef/lamb, spices, dried fruit, in puff pastry cases) are a must whenever I have friends over around Christmas time! One year I couldn't be bothered didn't have time and they STILL talk about it.

Sadly I have a severe fish and seafood allergy so no one will get that at my house.
A trifle will be brilliant and will make use of my new trifle bowl which is still in its box!

I just mentioned it on another thread but how about a veggie Wellington- puff pastry with butternut squash, chestnuts, kale, blue cheese, walnuts and cranberries. Totally lush and goes with all the trimmings. Also can be made in advance and frozen, and done individually or in one large pie.

Or do a large nut roast you can slice up in the sandwiches with apple sauce etc.

Yummm, keep thinking about food now I love hassle back potatos. I wouldn't do too much food I think the pork/veggie rolls with some kind of potato and a few sides is enough then the cheese board to pick at and have as a dessert is plenty, you don't want too much left over and nice expensive food is better than a lot of cheap food. Maybe a centre piece homemade Christmas cake (xmas cake needs to be started in September and 'fed' until Christmas)

Chocolate truffles are fun to make, and you can do different variations (nutty, boozy, dark chocolate dipped in white chocolate). Very pretty if you serve them up on a platter and sprinkle liberally with edible gold glitter!

Tesco is selling their own Bucks Fizz for a £1 a bottle so worth stocking up on.

Nigella Lawson's Snow flecked brownies. Essentially a double chocolate brownie with white chocolate chunks and a dusting of icing powder on top. Cut up into chunks and pile high on a plate with plenty of snow icing powder.

The ready mixed bucks fizz isn't usually very nice at all.

Mmmm it all sounds yummy. Can I come

Just to be boring, it's worth thinking through stuff like how many chairs you have, (people will always try to sit to eat and the older they are the more likely they are to pull up to the table), can your food be eaten one handed? (I avoid wet food these days) If you are using paper plates make sure they don't bend! If you are using real plates make sure you have enough to eat off and to serve off.
If you send out food on trays that circulate and let people nibble constantly you won't have the I-have-food-I-must-sit issue.

Charms or party stickers on glasses saves massively on washing up!

Love this thread.
I'm thinking of making our annual Christmas drinks a bit bigger this year and doing some food too inviting more people.

Love the idea of the pork rolls
Also love the idea of passing around nibbles so nobody has to sit.

I've seen a recipe for roast beef Yorkshire wraps which could work well on pass around platters.

Oooh getting excited now!!

Annwith - I have a lot of chairs and spares. Most of the people coming are between 25 and 50 years old. i always buy the extra thick plates so there is no bending or going soggy as I hate that and also use real cutlery as it wont break and is better for the environment long term. I actually have a party box in the garage with loads of knives and forks that I bought in supermarket value ranges for just this purpose.
I am considering buying cheap wine glasses as I hate throwing away loads of plastic so I am looking into that.

I think Novella's Christmas coleslaw would go well with the pork.

m.startribune.com/recipe-christmas-coleslaw/78320702/

OP if you don't have enough wine glasses you can either hire them (ask in bigger supermarkets) or just ask a couple of the friends that are coming if they can bring some extra ones along.

Ooh want to start planning Christmas stuff now!

Baked brie/camenbert

I don't like the addition of herbs/garlic or walnuts.
Just a whole baked (usually camenbert here) I have a small round 'baker' that holds t nicely, supposed to go in the wooden box though.

Slices of fruit cake and Wendsleydale cheese

For a veggie option you could do a puff pastry wreath with Brie and cranberry. Lots of ideas on Pinterest but looks a bit like this.
Similar with Nutella www.lavenderandlovage.com/2016/08/three-cheese-apple-puff-pastry-ring.html Christmas tree.