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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

Christmas dinner ideas that aren’t turkey.

39 replies

MustardScreams · 30/09/2019 11:02

I am sick of turkey. I’m going on turkey strike and refuse to cook it this year.

What is everyone else having? I thought perhaps a goose and a sirloin roast, but I’ve never had goose so not sure if it’s delicious or hideous! Any ideas welcome.

OP posts:
HeyMicky · 30/09/2019 17:45

Goose is lovely but it is a bit of a PITA to baste and it makes everything greasy.

Venison is delicious.

We had pheasant last year; we've also done little spatchcock in the past - one each looks very impressive but they're a doddle to cook.

footchewer · 30/09/2019 18:03

We often have an extra-large chicken (3 adults, 2 kids). It sounds like it won't be special enough, but once you've done some festive trimmings, it's absolutely excellent. I do a sort-of pan-roasted brussels sprout / chipolata / cranberry medley thingy, and pureed parsnip, and roasted beetroot - you get the idea hopefully!

Have done rib of beef + yorkshire puddings in the past and it's been brilliant. Somewhat heavy though, in combination with all the other stuff you gorge on at Christmas.

MarshmallowManiac · 01/10/2019 00:14

Always have Duck and lamb in this house, don't like Turkey at all too dry.

AlunWynsKnee · 01/10/2019 00:22

We have duck or goose but feeding 12 would require something else. I've done chicken on Xmas Eve to microwave as an extra for a fussy relative.

Ninkaninus · 01/10/2019 11:19

Yes there’s only four of us so we even manage to have leftovers from a big goose. When we do Christmas with wider family it’s always a turkey just for logistical purposes.

Some years we do a big roast pork joint with very crispy crackling (I’m Danish and this was our traditional Christmas dinner when I was growing up), which is very nice too and goes a much longer way for bigger groups. I love it for sandwiches, lovely and flavourful with crackling to add some crunch! Hmmm I might do one this year, actually...

PoppyFleur · 01/10/2019 12:55

We always have rib of beef and either goose/duck/small turkey crown. We then have lots of leftovers to last us.

What about a slow cooked lamb shoulder?

letsjog · 02/10/2019 14:00

We had duck last year. It was fantastic.

MedalMedalMedal · 04/10/2019 19:07

You can’t beat a fantastic cut of beef. Lamb is lovely but personally I’m not keen on it cold. I prefer chicken to turkey.

I wish we could try something different. Dh however looks crestfallen whenever I suggest it 😫

BeanBag7 · 05/10/2019 09:09

We have beef rib served rare. Oooh it's delicious. I've been looking forward to it since last christmas!
I also love lamb but I think beef is a bit more special

BeaLola · 05/10/2019 10:09

Beef rib, can't beta it .

Depends on how formal you want Christmas but a good friend of mine who hosts her family very year and was fed up of turkey did a BBQ last year ! She upped the type of things they cooked on it and did lots of different things and everyone loved I from her Granny to her litTle nephew so much so that they are doing the same this year ....

Gamorasgran · 06/10/2019 17:43

My family hate turkey too. They've had goose, duck (favourite of dd1 and my db), pheasant, venison.

I am a pescatarian and always say I'm going to have something different but end up with salmon en croute.

BiddyPop · 07/10/2019 14:56

If you are serving a crowd, you want a large roast.

A good joint of beef is great. And for a crowd, doing the ones with a bone still on it (a rib roast?) or a long sirloin roast, would be great for flavor.

A couple of legs or shoulders of lamb - good butchers will take out the bones and either stuff it for you or leave it open for you to stuff yourself.

A big pork joint could be nice too.

3 or 4 ducks, or a couple of geese, could be another way to look at it. Or 2 or 3 really good chickens (proper free range ones that have grown enough to have good flavor). If poultry is something you are interested in. (Or 12 little quails or partridges - 1 each!!)

The more important element is to think about how to make it a "special" meal - so does your joint need stuffing and what goes best in it (like maybe apricots in a lamb stuffing, or pieces of grated apple in a pork one), or a coating (mustard and seasonings on beef, garlic and rosemary on lamb, etc).

What sides will go well - some might be the same as you use for turkey, like roasted root veg with mandarin juice in the seasoning and roast potatoes. Whereas others may depend on the meat - cauliflower cheese goes really well with lamb but I don't tend to like it with pork nearly so much (or turkey for that matter!).

And your sauces. You probably want some regular gravy with the meat juices. But you may want something else - apple sauce with pork, a mustard sauce or béarnaise with beef, mint sauce with lamb etc.

BiddyPop · 07/10/2019 14:59

And while game (venison, rabbit, pheasant etc) could all be great, I don't know anything about cooking them or what to serve so that's why I haven't mentioned them at all.

Sorry I also forgot that I often change the extra liquid in my gravy depending on the meat - often there is a good splash of wine (red or white, depending on meat and what's available) in it, but it could be beer or stout if beef, port if lamb, or cider if pork - which match well with those and if I have them in the house. So that's another way to mix up a similar meal (roast dinner) and make it completely different.

bornonasunday · 07/10/2019 15:04

We had Roast rib of beef for many years (dh didn’t like turkey) as you still get the ‘show’ of the big carving, plenty of meat, lovely roast spuds cooked in the tin with meat, divine gravy juices etc - plenty of cold cuts - and the dogs loved the bones!
Sadly I lost darling dh 2 years ago, so me and the dogs had a large turkey breast joint last year and it was fine for just us. I have my rib beef fix at a carvery whenever I go out!

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