What are your plans for Christmas Eve Dinner?

[pinkksugarmouse]

In the past we have had a takeaway and will probably do that again this year, probably Indian as DH isn't a big fan of pizza and I find Chinese too salty.

What do you think you will have? 🤔

Table is now booked at Zizzi for Christmas Eve lunch 🍝

When DCs were tiny, we always had either fish pie or sausage & mash with red wine & onion gravy. We then started having roast ham & mash with spiced red cabbage. Now they’re older we either observe DH’s tradition of Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve or we go out for supper somewhere cosy. This year we will be at home regardless (haven’t been to a restaurant or pub since March) & I think we might go back to roast ham. Eldest DS is working until 4pm & is unlikely to be enthusiastic or awake enough for a heavy meal.

We've always had a buffet tea, usually from M&S, with one of their lovely baked hams and lots of bread, cheese and salad. I have two grown up sons now with their own families, another at 23 (on Friday) and 16 yo DD. 23 yo is off to Belfast (travel permitting) with gf to stay with her family, so it's just me and DD this year so we're going to have just a small ham and crusty homemade bread and salad, plus lots of chocolate.
On a side note I have cooked Christmas lunch for 33 years, entertaining my parents, siblings, in laws over the years. My two older sons and their families expect to come to me on the day, and I'm too soft to say no, and do love seeing GC.Youngest son's gf is very shocked by this and says for the last two years she has cooked her family's lunch to give her mum a rest. She (only half jokingly I hope) says she'd like to do the same for me next year.

Raw oysters, then tourtiere (Quebecois pork pie).

We always have lobster rolls and french fries.

We have fish. Last year we had a lovely 3 fish roast from M&S and then a nice cheeseboard with figs and grapes.

We usually have Chinese take out as I hate cooking on Christmas eve but DP is unfortunately working until 7pm on xmas eve so by the time he's home, showered and changed, then driven the 30 minute round trip to our favourite Chinese and actually sat down to eat it will be gone 9pm and its juts not gonna work, with wanting to open Christmaseve boxes, watch a movie and visit DM . DP still really wants a take out for dinner so he'll grab fish and chips on the way home. So for me and DC this year I'm making salmon mousse, will have crusty bread, carrot and cucumber sticks, crackers. Salmon mousse can be made a day in advance too so that'll be done on the 23rd. I also have a serving board in the shape of a christmas tree so I'll make us a grazing board of fruit, marshmallows, pretzels and a pot of melted chocolate to dip into. I'm more excited about this than I've ever been about Chinese 🤣 and apart from melting the chocolate I don't have too cook a single thing, win, win! I think this will now be our new tradition!

My DM will be serving up one of her special crisp buffets. Same as usual. She's not a good cook

Chinese takeaway as is tradition!

I was planning a buffet - throw over from Christmas Eves from my childhood - but I'm loving the idea of an Indian! Especially as we are spending Christmas Eve running round picking up the turkey/M&S order etc....will be nice to relax in the evening!

We usually have family over and have lots of picky things and cheese platters, ham etc. Not this year.

Slow cooked ham, egg and chips with Branson pickle yum!

We’ll be in our favourite Christmas pub in north London called the Holly Bush.

Sausage rolls, chicken wings, garlic bread, chicken bites, ribs. Big huge fire, the Grinch (2000) and box of celebrations/heroes/other sweets are available.

We don't have a xmas eve food tradition. Every year we decide what we would like and last night DC decided on the above so that's sorted very easily.

We always have a buffet on Christmas Eve. I bake a cake (doing the BBC good food snowman cake this year), homemade pizza, cheeseboard and crackers, olives, hummus, breadsticks, crisps and dips, quiche, mozzarella sticks, appeteasers etc.

Always have kfc or dominoes... Or last Yr both! As no one could decide and all shared

Out tradition is a buffet/party type meal. Rolls, cheese, pringles, sausage rolls, salad, cold meat etc. Love it.

Fish and chips with baked beans/peas.
Mince pies and cream/ice cream for pudding.

Probably nothing more than a basic sandwich.
Usually dh and I eat once a day, in the evening. If we know the next day we will be having a proper meal instead of just something quick, we tend to just have a sandwich the evening before so we will eat it when the time comes.

Usually cook a gammon joint, we will have that with boiled potatoes, pickles and picky bits.

We do a buffet sort of thing, I’ll get a few baguettes and cocktail sausages and we can just have a pick

We always have sushi followed by macaroons. It's the girls choice every year (15 and 21)

Massive Chinese take away. Can't wait!

Starter - Chicken livers with capers on sourdough toast
Main - curried monkfish
Dessert - smoke salted chocolate torte
...with a side of gout 🤪

Husband is cooking