Meals around Xmas

[Jelly0naplate]

For the first time in quite a while, I'm not hosting Christmas as we're going to family just for Christmas lunch and the afternoon (about half an hour away). Mixed feelings about this as I'm not keen on driving somewhere on Xmas day but it will be nice not to host (we will be taking items to contribute).

As it will just be me, DH, and 2x primary aged children the other days, I'm now thinking that I'd like to make the meals more special around Xmas as we're not buying and cooking Christmas lunch.

What are your more special meals around this time to give me some ideas please?

On Christmas Eve I make a really nice vegetable soup which we have with crusty bread. We then have a chocolate fondue for dessert.

On Boxing day we have a buffet based around a cheeseboard. Nice cheeses, crackers, grapes and apple slices, chutney, sausage rolls, cheese straws, salad vegetables, mince pies, stollen, lebkuchen, Yule log.

A really gooey macaroni cheese, can add gammon into it and herby breadcrumb topping to make it feel more special.

Pigs in blankets in the hole realfood.tesco.com/recipes/bacon-toad-in-the-hole-with-green-beans-in-fresh-tomato-sauce.html
Wellington
Salmon en croute
Gordon Ramsay’s cauliflower cheese www.gordonramsayrestaurants.com/recipes/cauliflower-cheese/

We are the same as go to family for Christmas day. I tend to cook a little Christmas dinner for just us a few days before, also Nigella's ginger glazed gammon is lovely and we have it with chip shop chips on Christmas eve. Also great eaten cold leftovers etc. Then another night we have a picnic style tea with any more leftovers, crisps, dips, homemade sausage rolls etc

On Christmas Eve we always have lentil soup and home made rolls for lunch. Tea is always party food that's easy to bung in the oven.

On Boxing Day we have a ham and dauphinoise for tea.

The 27th or 28th is a leftovers pie - it has leftover bits of ham, chicken (I refuse to cook turkey because it's always disappointing) veg etc in a creamy sauce.

We did party food for new year last year - sausage rolls, chicken skewers, cocktail sausages, mini pizzas, curly fries, mozzarella sticks, chopped raw vegetables etc. We loved it and are planning the same for next year

On Christmas eve, DH makes a jerk ham (we have ham egg and chips). It's a big effort but worth it and the cold cuts are lovely in the following days. I make a sausage roll wreath with a pot of port and cranberry sauce in the middle on boxing day, it is one of my favourite bits of Christmas food!

We usually have a lasagne at some point, steak pie, chips and peas/cabbage, pigs in blankets pasta (fusilli with a home made tomato sauce and pigs in blankets chucked in last minute).

We usually have lamb Xmas Eve. Last year we had a beautiful guard of honour

I'm so glad someone else said lasagne.

It's my eldests favourite but often I CBA so we have bolognese. But Christmas we always fit in a lasagne meal with cheesy garlic bread.

We also have a curry at some point and I make the extra bits too rather than the curry and rice that we normally have. So added naan and pakoras etc.

And lots of meals that aren't really meals.

Party bits as every year there are new party foods in the shops and we enjoy a 'salad with picky bits"

Cheese and biscuits with pickles etc.

Cauliflower cheese with crusty bread.

On Christmas Eve I like a buffet of favourite foods ,hot and cold, such as Cooked camembert with fresh bread rolls, selection of meats, salad etc. And then treats like doughnuts ,mince pies or Christmas cake with cup of tea after.
Christmas Breakfast : Brioche or croissants fruit salad. Maybe a cooked breakfast depending on what time we will be eating dinner.

Christmas

Crispy duck pancakes are a favourite here, thats what we have on Christmas Eve if we aren't staying with family.

A big piece of baked gammon with a spicy orange glaze - we’ll still be eating that up at NY and beyond. Delish hot and cold.

A special fish pie for Christmas Eve, with prawns, cod and smoked haddock, lots of mash and cheese on top.

We're the same OP, it's nice to have more decadent, festive meals in the week up to Christmas and the week after, especially if you're not cooking the main Christmas dinner.

Some things we often have:

Steak, egg and chips
A big salmon fillet with spinach and cauliflower cheese
Baked camembert and salad
Butternut squash and blue cheese risotto
Fancy pies from the local butcher
'Reindeer quesadillas' (good for children - if you google that you'll see, it's just quesadillas with little Rudolph faces)
And of course take-aways, especially curry or fish and chips

We try to do a fancy breakfast each day we are off - I often copy things from the menus of cafes- so Eggs Benedict, Huevos Rancheros, pancakes, etc, and we make a real effort with table, playlist etc.

We also do Afternoon Tea - again I just copy menus from hotels. It’s fun and we feel smug as it’s cheaper than eating out! It was great doing this while everything was shut.

Posh fish pie, most supermarkets well a mix which includes salmon and smoked haddock with prawns ( unless someone doesn't like them) and egg. We often have a meatball lasagne, you make tiny meatballs, and put those in layers with chopped mozzarella, the same size as the meatballs and then cover in tomato sauce.

I prefer our Boxing day lunch with is a baked ham with honey glaze, cranberry sauce, usually leftover bread sauce, cauliflower cheese, honey sesame carrots and peas. I like it more than Christmas day dinner which has so many expectations around it and it really feels christmassy to me.

Buy a couple of good food /housekeeping magazines Christmas editions , they have lots of amazing ideas for special meals.
But mainly go with what you all really like if there is just you.
Maybe get kids /husband/you to list your favourite meals and have fun with that, could do separate for kids if you want salmon en croute and they want pizza?

Following as we will be all over the place this year. Still hoping they come to me but logistically it's tough

DH and I traditionally have what we call "Alt Christmas." from back when we were dating and went our separate ways for Christmas day. We try to make a christmas dinner themed meal that isn't a roast. So one year we had turkey brie and cranberry open sourdough sandwiches. Another year was homemade turkey burgers with stuffing/ bread sauce etc. We've done various glazed ham variations in salads, sandwiches, burgers, filled croissants etc. Even now that we are married and spend Christmas together we still have Alt Christmas because it's a bit of fun!

As well as that I love a good DIY grazing platter. Cheese, crackers, fruit, hummus and crudites, baked camembert with nice bread and some canapes/ party food bits. Mince pies/pudding and custard for after but one year we had churros and it was excellent. Can feel like a festive party at home.