Boxing day catering - ideas please!

[Thatmustbemyname]

Christmas elves I need your wisdom please!

On Christmas Day I've got 5 of us for traditional turkey and trimmings, then on Boxing Day I've got 10 of us for lunch. As much as I love all the cooking and prep, I really want to keep things relatively simple so that I'm not too stressed out. The CD menu is easy - traditional fayre, and I've got the day before to do anything I need. But, for the BD menu, I won't have that luxury - so I'm looking for things that are low prep, easy to cook and freeze ahead etc.

I could do something like a chilli - but is that too heavy when everyone is stuffed from the day before?

Alternatively, I could do a buffet, so what can I include that's easy to prep? Ideas so far...

Ham
Turkey (surely that's a staple of BD?!)
Sticky soy sausages
Potato skins
Mini crab cakes

Sides like coleslaw, pickles
(and poss leftover roasties from CD!)

Cheese & biscuits / yule log for after, plus someone else is bringing a pud

Any ideas welcome please :)

We've developed a boxing day tradition of leftover turkey and chipolatas, bubble and squeak (this will mean hugely over-catering the Christmas day veg so that you have loads of leftovers), a roast ham (usually cooked on Christmas eve so that it's all dealt with in advance), a big salad, pickles, stuffing, cranberry sauce.

Your idea of cheese and biscuits and cake for afters sounds perfect.

Everyone absolutely loves this meal. It's one of my mum's traditions that I am going to adopt once I'm a proper grown up and get to host Christmas.

i think i would different types of soup for ease, and perhaps some turkey sandwiches to go with it? so probably some tomato, cauliflower and bacon, vegetable and goats cheese and minestrone. you could always use canned soup if you are short on time. i would also put out some salad and plain buttered bread in addition to the sandwiches.

for dessert i would agree with cheese and biscuits/yule log x

We always do a buffet on boxing Day. Turkey, ham (as someone said cooked pre Christmas) and bubble and squeak, re-heated stuffing, chutneys, pigs in blankets, jacket potatoes, coleslaw, salad etc. Then cheese and biscuits, Christmas cake for pudding - really easy!

Huge paragraph fail on my post, thanks all for ploughing on regardless 🙈

Seems buffet is the right call.... Thanks for suggestions so far

Good call on bubble and squeak too 🙂

Something that goes very well with a cold turkey/ham/salad type buffet is macaroni pie - a staple of Caribbean buffets and is always very popular. I've made it for post Christmas buffets,

400 g macaroni
400 g good strong Cheddar, grated (a cylinder grater makes this a lot less of a chore)
750ml milk, whole or semi skimmed
3 eggs
A good tsp of made English mustard, optional, but I always add it
Salt and pepper

Cook the macaroni until just tender, drain well and mix well with the cheese in a large bowl while still hot.

Whisk eggs with milk, salt pepper and mustard, add to pasta/cheese and mix well.
Pour into a large, fairly shallow greased baking dish and bake in a preheated oven (about 150/160 deg. C) for about an hour, until a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Cover with foil if the top seems to be browning too quickly.

Leave to rest for around 15 minutes before serving - it can be cut into squares.

If you grate the cheese in advance it's very quick to put together. Can obv. use ready grated but only if it's not the mild, tasteless stuff.

Oops, that should have read 500ml milk - I'm translating from an old recipe in oz and cups.,

My favorite Christmas meal is the cold buffet on Boxing Day. I get in parbaked bread so I can pop it in the oven and have fresh crusty bread. Lots of cold turkey and ham, and stuffing (I make lots just for leftovers). Cheese and a selection of chutney and let everyone help themselves. Left over veg and some stock can be made into veg soup.

But that would mean that you would end up cooking three times the amount on Christmas Day. It might be easier to do something else entirely. I often make a batch of boeuf bourguinon and freeze it for Winter visitors. You could do likewise with chilli. If you serve it buffet style, people can have as much or as little as they want so you don’t need to worry about them being stuffed from the day before.

Chunks of pumpkin/butternut squash parboiled and sliced. Layer like lasagna with a tomato sauce flavoured with nutmeg and cinnamon. Top with breadcrumbs and crumbled Greek feta.

Make well ahead, freezes well or just keep at the back of the fridge until needed to reheat.

Turku soup
Cold turkey
Ham
Boiled potatoes
Salad
Pickle
Coleslaw
Bread
Cheese

I'd go for a buffet - I like to graze on Boxing Day. I'd do:

Ham (cook before Christmas Day or buy one already cooked that you can slice up)
Leftover turkey
Red cabbage (make in advance, freeze and reheat on the day)
Part baked bread
Sticky sausages (part cook, freeze and finish off on the day)
Lots of cheese, quince, crackers, nice pate
Hummus (to make it more interesting, decant some into a bowl, crumble feta over the top and sprinkle some pomegranate seeds over it)
Easy salad - baby spinach, feta cheese, walnuts and pomegranate seeds with a simple olive oil/balsamic dressing, assemble in morning and pop in fridge
Potato salad, make in morning and leave to cool
Mince pies
Pre-bought Yule log
M&S for some festive bung in the oven canapés.

A lovely vibrant beetroot, red cabbage, white cabbage horse radish slaw would be lovely.

I also love griddled veg with a sharp vinegarette dressing.

A big tomato salad too

My mum always had trifle on Boxing Day

Our Traditional Boxing Day meal is home made pizza .

I make up the dough in the morning , use the mixer to prove it then set it aside to slow rise .

Then we prep all the toppings - the DC have cheese and tomato.
DH and I have olives,artichoke hearts, mushrooms,onions

Then the dough is divided up, made into flat rounds, the oven goes on and they go in.

I think I actually prefer the Boxing Day buffet more than Christmas Day lunch!

We have

Turkey and beef- leftovers from Xmas lunch
Part baked baguettes
Stuffing
Pigs in blankets
Roasties
Bubble and squeak
Coleslaw
Red cabbage
Pickled onions and beetroot

Then all the cheese, pate and biscuits for supper.

I'm starving now