Meals on Christmas week

[chardonm]

I am hosting my whole family for a week at Christmas. Christmas lunch is sorted - I will do turkey and the trimmings, with a Christmas pudding (store bought) and cold starter.

Any ideas for other meals during that week? Family will be expecting festive type meals, cheese and crackers and pudding most meals etc. I want to treat but a little worried about finances of hosting meals for 7 days (10 adults to feed, 4 little ones)

Ikea/ Sweedish meatballs with creamy gravy, cranberry sauce, mash (maybe with a dash of mustard) and veg

Lasagne (can be made and frozen) with home made garlic bread trees - get a big Christmas tree cutter and a value loaf of bread, cut out the Christmas tree shapes and spread on a backing tray. Melt a few tablespoons butter add an equal amount of oil and some garlic powder drizzle over the trees. Serve with the lasagne and a big bag of mixed lettuce leaves.

Get a big cheese board and loads of crackers. It can come out every day at the end of the meal.

Hot mince pies dusted with icing sugar and a scoup of nice vanilla icecream is a lovely cheap and easy pudding.

For breakfasts a selection of different boxes of cereal and bags of Lidl individually wrapped croissant/ pain o chocolate, brioche plus a toaster and loafs of sliced bread on the table plus butter and milk.

Lunch things like a few pizzas is quite quick and easy as are big bowls of soup with cooked part baked rolls or a couple of defrosted quiche.

A couple of the things I find with mass entertainment is managing not going to the shops lots, running down the fridge and freezer to make space for stuff and working out dishes and cutlery so I don't need to wash up mid meal.

So things like part bake bread and some long life milk are great around Christmas - it doesn't need to be refrigerated or frozen so storage is easy.

I suspend bags of stuff from the roof of the utility (tidied up shed) thats one of the advantages of Christmas entertaining, wine chills quickly outside the back door.

Some brilliant suggestions here - thank you so much everyone.

Family is either broke or flying over so can't ask to bring meals or alcohol; otherwise I would have.

For alcohol, I am thinking I could buy the initial - say 5 bottles of wine or something and then hint that people can go buy when it runs out. Is that a bit mean? I remember threads here where people were visiting family and there was nothing in the cupboards and posters were aghast!

I feel I should provide as I can't travel (very pregnant) with a toddler and am grateful that they are all coming over instead.

You must say in advance. Send a breezy message

Hi all, really can’t wait to see you! Let me know if there is anything you won’t/don’t/can’t eat. Please bring whatever you would like to drink - wine, beer and soft drinks all appreciated.

My favourite meals to feed a lot of people on a small budget are:

Vegetable curry with rice
Sausage casserole with mashed potatoes
Jacket potatoes with cheese & beans
Stew & dumplings
Spag bol
Pasta bake
Pizza & chips

5 bottles of wine between 9 drinking? adults for 7 nights when the shops are shut for several of those days and people will have just arrived etc isn't ideal.

I think you need to cover Christmas eve through boxing day drinking when the shops are shut, I'd say that's at least 9 bottles. To keep costs down I have nice bottles then what I call 2nd bottles (often the sort of £3.49 Lidl weekend perfectly drinkable deal ones).

Catering even on a budget for 10 adults for a week with some alcohol is going to be £500.

Ripple they arrive on the 21st but yes I get your point. To be honest 500 would be ok. I thought with presents and all that I'd be out more which is why I'm slightly panicking[santa]

I'm sorry OP but if you're heavily pregnant now then why on earth are you hosting Christmas for so many people and cooking for them every day? They are complete and utter CFs, not only to expect you to host them in that situation, but to not have already offered you money. I'd cancel the whole thing.

Absolutely get them to organise and cook at least a couple of evenings. You cannot be expected to cover the whole cost. I like the idea of the breezy message re bringing/buying their own drinks.

If heavily pregnant I would expect to have my feet up with others doing the cooking/shopping/toddler entertaining.

You all are making me rethink plans! Could I ask maybe the kids (uni students) to cook one meal and then my mum another? And maybe a takeaway one night. That would leave only 3 dinners for me to actually cook.

Yes that sounds like a much better idea. OP this is your first Christmas with your baby, please don't ruin it for yourself by being exhausted. I also agree with your idea of buying some alcohol and expecting guests to buy more when that's gone.

You're coming across as a bit of a Christmas martyr to be honest.

They can contribute and of course you should ask / tell them to. How would they feed themselves for a week if they weren't with you? Oh yeah, they'd pay to.

Just email / text out now saying that you're going to need a contribution as while you're happy to host, it's not financially viable unless they chip in.

14 people in my house for 7 days- my idea of hell

Sorry, OP, I came here to say soup, lasagna & curry but these have all been mentione

Yes you definitely could! In fact I'd be surprised if they don't offer without being asked. MNers seem to know loads of CFs but I honestly don't know anyone who'd stay with somebody for a week and not insist on helping with cooking, housework and some contribution (however small) to the cost.

Tray bakes are good because you can prep them earlier in the day - lasagna, shepherds pie etc, bulk out with veggies. Impressive but usually cheap at Christmas is to bake a whole salmon, every year they are under £10 and will feed you all - I like to serve with cous cous, med veggies and salad - less than 15 mins prep. If it's cold you cannot beat a stew, bulk out with veg and dumplings. Curries are another good crowd pleaser on a budget, less meat more veggies and excellent for special diets because you can serve 3/4 varieties plus rice, chapattis, etc

You're brave OP!

I think it's odd if they do not offer to contribute anything.
I'd feel really odd if I didn't offer anything.
When my mum does dinners I always buy a gammon or something cook it off and take it with me

My go-to in that sort of situation is a big baked ham or gammon. You can then trot out the leftovers with baked potatoes for lunch over the next days

Otherwise, toad in the hole, curries, fish pie. Anything you can make ahead! Mary Berry does an amazing inexpensive fish pie recipe which can be frozen so you can make it the week before.

Definitely ask them to cook! If I were them I'd be delighted to help a heavily pg relative.

Over the course of the weeks leading up to Christmas, make the freezer your slave.

Make a few meals in bulk - like maybe 2 or 3 different curries. Make them for a family meal and freeze at least 4 people’s worth of servings after each different one.

Or have a lasagna day, where you make 1 for that nights dinner and at least 2 pans (possibly 3 if you have space) for the freezer. If you have limited dishes, as long as you have at least 2, line the dish with parchment or tin foil, fill as normal, freeze, then take out the contents from the dish a d wrap well, putting back in the freezer. Use the dish as normal until Christmas week. Then take your lasagna out of freezer, unwrap and put into the dish to thaw overnight and you can then bake as normal.

Think about sides that aren’t too mush hassle but will bulk put a meal - so garlic bread and salad with pasta meals, tomato salsa, puppodums or and counties with chili, green salad and crusty bread goes with lots etc.

Other dishes I like to freeze are good casseroles like beef Bourgogne or chicken and mushrooms in white wine and cream sauce (I like to use tarragon as a herb in that).

A lamb or chicken ravine can be served with couscous and salad.

Making ahead means low and slow cooking methods can be used so cheaper cuts suit that kind of cooking well.

Another day might be something with leftover turkey or ham, and another could be a more buffet style meal - sausage rolls, sandwiches, bowls of salad etc. And you can make that quite festive with not a lot of effort.

I prefer to get a few different packets of crackers and water biscuits rather than the mixed tubs for cheese boards - you get a lot more for your money! (And the same thing for sweet biscuits too).

Feel free to let others take responsibility one day or one meal.

Useful things to stock up on include part baked bread of various types, wraps, toilet rolls and bin bags, plenty of tea towels for willing helpers, sharing bags of crisps, fruit to leave out in a bowl for picking at, and frozen veg.

Other dishes for you lasagna trays might include shepherds pie/cottage pie, a smoked fish and broccoli pie (all 3 are topped with mashed potatoes), or chicken and ham or chicken and mushrooms (pastry or potato topped).

Do you have freezer space or family nearby who might? If so, start now & make as much as possible in bulk. Chilli, curry & daal, veggie lasagne, spag bol sauce, macaroni cheese with cooked ham, soups (leek & potato, lentil, minestrone) for lunch. If you don't have a lot of space, can you borrow some slow cookers so some of the meals can be made the night before & left in the cooker. Bulk meals out with jackets, garlic bread, rice or some salad. If you'll be in for all lunches, re heat soups or stick sandwich fillings & bread on the table for everyone else to help themselves. Par baked loaves in the freezer to reheat when you need them. Getting a takeaway one night would be great & hopefully your guests will club together & pay (or at least pay for their own).

Costco is a good idea to bulk buy & do lovely meat

Could you buy a bottle of wine/few beers/Prosecco every week with your shopping from now until Christmas, less financial impact than all at once. But try to buy stuff you will drink after in case it isn't all finished.

I feel your pain as I used to cater every year for quite a few people & the contribution from one couple would be a couple of bottles of red wine, which they'd proceed to drink .

Oh & make sure for breakfasts you just shove stuff on the table for people to help themselves & tell everyone to help themselves to teas & coffee etc. Nothing worse than having to constantly make cuppas for everyone or being a guest & feeling you can't get a drink when you need to.

@sleepismysuperpower1 thanks Mrs. Claus

I don't think they are CFs. It sounds like you all want to spend Christmas together and so they have all had to fly to you. If £500 is ok then go for it. Sometimes it's nice to host, there will be plenty of people to help with everything including the baby.

Make sure you get the students on breakfast duty and washing up. They can set the table and make the drinks too.

Have all meals, including breakfast, a help yourself situation.

Big plate of jacket potatoes with bowls of beans, cheese and salad. That whole meal should set you back £10 really.

Soup with crusty bread.

Bacon Brie and cranberry baguettes with salad.

Chorizo pasta bake, garlic bread and salad

Party food night, pizza, sausage rolls, crisps, breadsticks, dips, chicken drumsticks etc

Sausage casserole and mash (make double mash at the same time and do a cottage pie for the next day)

Have a huge cheeseboard and meats and pate in the fridge ready to just put on the table around lunchtime each day as well as sandwich fillings and quiche

Christmas cake and plenty of cheap biscuits decanted into a tub.

Mulled wine is cheap and you can have that in the slow cooker for people just to help themselves to little mugs (and it smells festive)

A big bowl of satsumas

Lots of the Aldi Christmas crisps. Just keep tipping them out into bowls and let people graze.

You really don't need 3 meals a day. Cereal/yoghurts for breakfast, cheese and crackers and cake during the day and a big help yourself meal in the evening will be fine. It'll be so busy and festive with people catching up and chatting that you won't need to "host" them as such. Make sure your DH does his fair share of cleaning up after them too as well as cooking.

Have a fantastic time!

Desserts - things to bake in the oven are good - bread and butter pudding (maybe with pannettone or brioche to make it seasonal), rice pudding with raisins in it, chocolate things (brownies, tart, etc) and fruit tarts or crumbles (apple, rhubarb, plum etc) are all good.

Breakfasts:
Oven bake things you might do in a "fry" - sausages, bacon, pudding etc.

Part baked breads, or some mornings having jus-rol croissants or similar, would also be a good use of the oven.

Make a big bowl of fruit salad for 1 or 2 mornings (or dessert 1 night and leftovers for breakfast next morning).
One morning, scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, another could be scrambled with leftover ham and some cheese and tomato.

Relatively simple - and have bread, marmalade etc and some cereal to just let people organise themselves some mornings.
Lots of coffee and tea easily available or to make themselves.

Lunches -
Lay out bread and fillings for people ot make their own sandwiches.
Make a pot of hot soup another day (another thing that can be done in advance Aand frozen).

Perhaps put others in charge of certain meals - if you trust them in the kitchen - so you get a break.

One day might be good to have another roast dinner - a simple enough one - or a pulled pork or similar - that needs long slow cooking and can be ignored while you are all out for a walk or activity.

And pull people in to help out - peeling veg, emptying dishwasher, setting tables, clearing away, filling butter dishes and water jugs, slicing bread, making sauces....whatever is useful for you. And they should all be making sure that if you are the chief caterer, you have nothing to do with clearing away and washing up afterwards.

I forgot to add - for freezer, do a few other things.

Flavoured butters - great to add to veggies or use to make quick garlic bread etc. When quiet, take out butter to soften (well), add your seasonings, mix well, and form into a log on some parchment paper, roll tightly and freeze. Do a few, like garlic and herbs, thyme and orange, rosemary and pepper, etc to give you choices with different things.

Cookie dough and mince pies and pastry and sausage rolls
Lots of these can be frozen as well - I make up cookies that are a "slice and bake" type, and freeze the dough as it only needs to defrost partially (if you have a sharp knife and safe space) before being baked, so I can have a mix of double chocolate, orange and lemon zest, plain vanilla, and sometimes coconut, flavours to bake and have on the table in about 20 minutes.

Pastry shells for tarts can be baked blind, and you can fill the tarts, or only fill them when defrosted - useful for choosing to make things like chocolate tarte, lemon tart, baked Alaska, etc at the last minute, or having a couple of apple pies ready to go.

I sometimes just freeze the pastry as a lump and roll it out when defrosted, cos even saving the mixing step can be enough time saved sometimes.

I also freeze crumble mix, sometimes over fruit, sometimes just in a Ziploc bag to pour over fruit I've freshly done - and that can be a great timesaver.

I have also started to enjoy HM sausage rolls - usually using shop bought puff pastry, and sausage meat.

Sometimes I add some grated apple and thyme leaves, others I have garlic and chilli powder, and feta with thyme has also worked well - "smush" the extra ingredients into the sausage meat and form into the middle, roll pastry over the top, slice into suitable lengths for eating, put a couple of slits across the top and seal with beaten egg - bake until done (depends on size) - can be frozen both before and after baking (if after, I would leave slightly underdone, to allow a few more minutes in the oven to reheat before serving without getting overdone).

And the same with mince pies - even if you use shop bought mince meat, add a little extra flavour yourself (your favourite tipple, or some freshly grated apple), and can be frozen before or after cooking.