What are you planning for Christmas Dinner this year?

[thelegohooverer]

Anyone fancy some dinner chat?

We have always been hosting or hosted until this year and Christmas dinner has always been turkey and gammon and loads of trimmings. But this year it will just be our own little family.

I’m guessing that turkeys might be in short supply this year if families like ours that would have come together and eaten one big one between them are eating 3 or 4 separately. And while it’s usefully big for feeding a crowd, it’s telling that we rarely eat it (and never cook it) any other time of the year.

So we’re trying to decide what to have instead.

I fancy a nice roast beef but I’m not keen on cold beef and the left over sandwiches are nearly as important as the main meal in our house. I’ve never been particularly keen on gammon either, just cooked that for everyone else. I’d quite like goose, but dh finds it too gamey. We both love lamb but it’s the wrong time of year, I think. It will probably have to be pork. I’m not sure I’ve ever had a cold pork sandwich.

I’m used to thinking in such big quantities for Christmas that i have to make an effort to pare it back. 3 types of potato is probably over doing it?

I’ve always longed for a quieter Christmas with just ourselves but now I’m fretting that it might not feel festive without a crowd of big eaters!

I’d love to hear what everyone else is thinking/ planning

Not too sure yet, it depends on whether we are allowed to have people over. If so it will probably just be my parents and we will have roast sirloin of beef, we love the leftovers for cold cuts. If it’s just the 4 of us I think we will have fillet steak.

We have lamb every Christmas - slow roasted leg of lamb, it’s awesome and makes amazing sandwiches (which are the best bit of Christmas in my view).

Oh and I enjoy a cold pork sandwich OP.

Also this, without the marshmallows
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/sticky-chocolate-pudding-marshmallows

Coquille St Jacque to start

Haunch of venison with all the trimmings

Lemon & passion fruit mousse

We only ever have Christmas Day as just 'us' (me, DH and DC). My parents live 300 miles away so tend to spend the day with my sisters family as she is only an hour away from them. We usually go and stay with my parents after Christmas and celebrate new year with them.
We always have a turkey crown, all the trimmings - pigs in blankets, bread sauce, red currant jelly, roasts and vegetables. We buy a reasonably sized crown and use any left overs for a turkey curry on Boxing Day.
Pudding is Christmas pud for me and DS1, I do either a trifle or hazelnut cheesecake for the others.

It will be 4 or 6 of us for Christmas dinner.
Dinner is turkey crown, stuffing balls, pigs in blankets, roast potatoes, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower cheese, gravy and cranberry sauce. Followed by Yule tide log or sticky toffee trifle.
Christmas Eve is usually glazed ham rolls and salad for lunch. Fish and chips for tea with Mary Berry’s frangipane mince pies and cream for pudding.
Boxing Day is usually buffet food for lunch using left over ham and turkey. Tea is shop bought steak and onion pie and chips and then finishing off the puddings.

I heard that some turkey farmers are looking at selling half turkeys this year. If they are available I think that's what I'll go for as I really prefer the brown turkey meat. If a half turkey isn't available I'll go for a crown.

I'll do all the usual trimmings but smaller amounts.

We've always hosted and had a house full. This year is going to be very different. I so desperately hope that sometime in the first half of next year we can all be back together again. I intend to throw a big family get together and massive buffet once it is safe to do so.

Forgot the roasted parsnips with Christmas dinner.

Usually do roast pork with apple sauce and Yorkshire puddings (don’t bother with stuffing or pigs in blankets) on New Year’s day.

The usual. It's Christmas dinner.

Risalamande (rice porridge served cold, mixed with whipped cream, vanilla and flaked almonds, topped with a warm cherry sauce)

Ooo that sounds good. We usually have rice porridge hot with sugar and cinnamon (and a whole almond somewhere in the pot for someone to find) but that way sounds much nicer!

We also do the whole almond/gift.

Through the rest of the season it’s eaten warm with sugar, cinnamon and butter.

We’re having a leg of lamb. We love it but it’s too expensive for normal Sunday roast dinner.

Probably crisps and chocolate and freezer nibble bits and make a loaf of bread.

For the last 15+ years I've cooked for between 10 & 16 - the full shebang, multiple starters, turkey + another meat, and all of the potatoes, veg, sauces and stuffings, christmas pud, desserts, cake, then cheese & biscuits (and a wafer thin mint ).

Every chance that it will just be the 4 of us this year, a different year so a different meal and the kids seem quite keen. Will see how we feel closer to the time though.

Last year did duck from Moro book with rice n black beans and an orange salad....was fab but quite a lot of work theres only 3 of us but we like our food ...dh hates turkey so never an option sometimes steak...or venison but interested in the wild boar above!

Not dinner but an idea.....

Ofcourse for adults only, You could add Baileys

It’s me, DH, 7yo (by then) DS and MIL this year which was the plan anyway.

Breakfast: DH and MIL have a weird thing of having pork pie and beer. DS and I will croissants.

Starters: asparagus rolls, smoked salmon pate, chicken liver pate.

Main: chicken, bread sauce, pigs in and without blankets, glazed carrots, sprouts, roast parsnips, roast potatoes, gravy.

Pudding: Christmas pudding, “proper “ custard, brandy butter and profiteroles.

We’ll also have a gammon and pickles for general munching.

And lots of mince pies and cheese.