Ideal menu on Christmas Day

[wasthataburp]

Hit me with your perfect menu for Xmas day please ... in detail!

I am an early planner haha

From the POV of a seasoned Christmas dinner cook (keeping it relatively simple...)

Adult (late) breakfast, bagels with smoked salmon/cream cheese, satsumas, grapes, etc. Probably also cold gammon, baked the day before.
Children’s earlier breakfast, whatever they like best - in Gdcs’ case, probably Nutella pancakes.

Buck’s Fizz on tap (or what anyone else wants) from right after breakfast until dinner, which in this house will be around 5. Any children will be given something simple at their usual lunchtime.

Usually a walk in the park between breakfast and dinner

No starter, but fairly substantial canapés (M&S’s best) at around 2-3, to keep everyone going. Usually fishy rather than meaty.

Dinner - turkey brought to the table in all its golden glory - no plating up in the kitchen here, thanks.
Lots of crispy roast potatoes, roast parsnips, carrots and lightly cooked sprouts (we all like them).

Lots of home made pigs in blankets, made with best quality sausages cut into thirds and streaky bacon. (Made and frozen in advance).

Lots of proper turkey gravy, made in the roasting tin after the turkey was taken out to rest, using stock made from simmering the giblets the day before.
Home made pork sausage meat, sage and onion stuffing. Also made and frozen in advance.
Home made cranberry sauce, made in advance.

Homemade Christmas pud, lights off before bringing it flaming to the table.
Lots of brandy butter, made in advance.
A dessert wine, for anyone not too pissed already.
Cream for those who want it.
Cheeseboard, fruit and mince pies, though everybody’s usually too full.
Coffee and brandy/liqueurs - for anyone who wants them.
General collapse on sofas.

Anyone who’s peckish later (unlikely) can pick at cold turkey/gammon, etc.

I don't know how he does it, but DH can eat his own bodyweight, and I'll still find him, head in the fridge, snarfing leftovers later on! I swear, he's a labrador in humanoid form.

Usually we've had croissants for breakfast in the past but DS is eating like a horse at the moment so we'll probably do

Breakfast - Sausage sandwiches whilst we open the stockings

Lunch - Turkey Crown (there's only the three of us), roasties, carrots, green beans, cauliflower (none of us like brussels sprouts), yorkshire puddings, bread sauce, pigs in blankets, stuffing and gravy. I used to do a starter but then no-one was hungry later so I'm dropping it.

Christmas pud for DH and I, homemade apple cake for DS as he doesn't like Christmas pud, custard or cream!

Tea: Turkey sandwiches, cheese and biscuits, pork pies (request from DS), pickles, mince pies and trifle

Loads of chocolate in between and a Gaviscon double action just before bed!

Xmas eve- DH and I always go out for a meal and champagne just the two of us (before the carnage of shlepping between two families for the next two days!)

Xmas day-
Breakfast- Smoked salmon with scrambled egg on English muffins, a pot of naice coffee, orange juice. Champagne.

Lunch-
Turkey, with chestnut stuffing made with chestnuts we’ve gathered ourselves, pigs in blankets, roasties, carrots, parsnips, cauliflower and broccoli. Lovely thick gravy. Plenty of wine!

Christmas pudding made by my 95 year old grandmother and served with home made brandy butter.

Cheese board to end all cheese boards and port (usually bought from the specialist wine merchant, DH is a bit of a snob when it comes to that sort of thing!)

Coffee and chocolates usually early evening

Dinner-
Buffett style cold cuts, leftover turkey, pigs, roasties, usually crisps and nibbles

I can’t wait for Christmas now!

Oh! What a great thread! I would love to have a huge crowd to cook for but there are only 3 of us so I keep it simple. DH earns M&S vouchers through his credit card and we save those up to buy Christmas Dinner fixings there instead of Sainsburys.

Xmas Eve - M&S ready meals.

8am - Xmas Breakfast - Alas, just cereal. That is DS's favourite meal in the world and present opening takes precedence over food. I would have croissants at least but seems silly to get them just for me.

Mid-morning snacks - cups of tea with chocolate

noon - Lunch - Delia's homemade Bacon and Lentil soup (made by DH) with nice bread. Wine or Fizz to be opened now. Any earlier and I'll be in a puddle by the time dinner comes out.

Mid-afternoon snacks - glasses of wine with chocolate

6pm - Xmas dinner

• Turkey Crown with sausage stuffing
• M&S Turkey Gravy (better than anything I could make)
• M&S pre-packaged roasties (same as above)
• Pigs in Blankets - we cook dozens so we can snack for the rest of the evening.
• Homemade crankleberry sauce, made the week prior. Must be referred to as crankleberry in honour of my DGM.
• Steamed veg like broccoli, peas, carrots etc.
• Fizz. We've got a bottle of Moet that has been waiting for a special occasion. I think this Christmas it will be opened just to celebrate getting through the worst year of our lives. COVID was just the tip of the iceberg.
• Dessert - Me - Chocolate Kahlua trifle, DS - plain chocolate cake, DH - cheese board.

Late night snacks - more wine, more chocolate, forays into the kitchen to pick blankety-pigs out of the pan.

I can't wait!!!!!