Christmas Eve food help

[HappySonHappyMum]

I am embarrassed to say I've never mad much of an effort on Christmas Eve. We've often ended up grazing on a buffet at someone else's house but this year it's going to be different as we'll definitely be at home. I usually focus on Christmas Day cooking but thought it would be really nice to have a Christmassy meal the night before as well as there'll only be four of us. What do you all usually do? All suggestions welcome!

We usually crack open the Christmas cheeses and biscuits, and have salad, pickles, new potatoes and sausage rolls etc. Nothing fancy at all.

@AriettyHomily what kind of sauce do you serve with crispy duck? Asking for a friend

Usually a Chinese takeaway after a few in the local pub with old friends and neighbours. This year it may just be a takeaway and no pub! Always feels nice to have some spicy food with no prep or fuss on Christmas Eve.

@Hobbes8 do you have a tartiflette recipe?

My other thought was fish and fizz which I saw somewhere else on MN.

We do spiced orange and red lentil soup, cheese and crackers, dried fruit and nuts. It feels festive without being too heavy (we make up for that the next day) and it's not too much work!

Crispy dick has given me a giggle though

DH half German so we have a traditional Christmas Eve with presents from the tree and fish. I'd swap all of that for crispy dick but I doubt he'd agree. (Not sure I'll ever be able to look at a battered saveloy in the same way again...)

@AriettyHomily

I don't know how it started but we always have crispy dick in pancakes from the take away.

Fantstic way to start me day!!!!Thank you.

@AriettyHomily

I don't know how it started but we always have crispy dick in pancakes from the take away.

Well he sounds like a very obliging fella. Is there enough to go round?

We have fish (usually with parmesan crumbs) and rice pudding. Slight mash up of Catholic and Scandinavian traditions (we are neither, but whatever).

@Twilightstarbright this one is nice:
www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/tartiflette_59096

Reblochon cheese isn’t always easy to find - sainsburys sell it.

I love sitting down to a fish feast, smoked mackerel, hot smoked trout and dressed crab. With salad, Wheaten bread and a glass of cold sherry. That's Christmas Eve to me.🎄😊

I do a big pot of chilli, with rice, pitta bread, nachos etc. Everyone just helps themselves

We always have soup with crusty bread and cheese. Easy to prep and not much cleaning up and a light meal which works with the big Christmas dinner and more prep/cleaning up on Christmas day.

For dessert we often have something easy like chocolate on frozen fruit or chocolate fondue with fruit. But this year we are having the M&S profiterole dessert.

Sandwiches followed by cake

When the girls were little they wanted to help and OH got them making cupcakes and traybakes which they thought was great fun and being helpful. We usually ended up eating the cakes as they would stare at them cooling on the top, like watching Labradors drool over food. As they got bigger then they got better at baking and made more sophisticated cakes but still Christmas eve was when they baked with dad (and we ate the cakes).

We have our full works Christmas meal on Christmas Eve. We've always done this in my family as mum got sick of missing out on playing with us kiddies and being stuck in the kitchen on Xmas day. It makes Xmas Eve really special and Xmas day really relaxed! Xmas day meal includes leftovers and buffet things to graze on, as well as a tonne of chocolate from various selection tubs 😁 So now I have my own family we carry this tradition on.

Take away on Christmas eve every year.

@AriettyHomily

I don't know how it started but we always have crispy dick in pancakes from the take away.

🤣🤣🤣

@AriettyHomily

I don't know how it started but we always have crispy dick in pancakes from the take away.

Thanks for the chuckle! I lol-ed!

@AriettyHomily

I don't know how it started but we always have crispy dick in pancakes from the take away.

We usually have pizza from dominos but I’m now wanting crispy dick instead 🤣

My husband makes his German Christmas market meal so we have bratwurst with bratkartofflen, mulled wine or German beer and schnapps!

Big cooked ham and cumberland sauce, salad, and dauphinoise potatoes.

Growing up it was usually fish pie.

Now with DH we’ve got into the habit of doing a buffet/ picky bits type dinner for Christmas Eve, with mulled wine or cider. I quite enjoy finding the various bits and bobs to make it a bit extra special but it’s predominantly cheese based.

We always have a big roast at one house then Christmas Day another roast but at a different house iyswim so the work is shared. Won’t be the same this year so need to start a new tradition, crispy dick perhaps.

I usually cook for 16 every other year -and go to my DSIS the alternates. Because its a lot of prep I got in the habit of having Fish and Chips on Christmas Eve and its now very much our tradition.