Critique my Christmas dinner menu

[shouldistop]

We'll be feeding 8 adults & 4 children aged 1-7.

Starter: sweet potato & butternut squash soup (people can add chilli flakes or crème fraîche)

Mains:

2lbs Roast beef
2lbs Gammon cooked in cider
2lbs Turkey joint

Pigs in blankets
Stuffing
Mashed potatoes
Roast potatoes

Broccoli
Carrots
Parsnips
Sweetcorn
Peas
Sprouts

Dessert: sticky toffee pudding with either custard or ice cream

I wouldn't do soup. I rarely do a starter at all for Christmas dinner,but if I did it would be something light and probably fishy.

Meat selection is good, but I'd personally cook much bigger joints. Mostly for left overs, but also I think that beef, in particular, comes out much nicer if its a bigger bit. Small joints end up getting overdone and dry.

Pigs in blankets, stuffing and roast pots, yes. We don't do mash, but I accept that some people do.

Veg wise I'd do broccoli, carrots, parsnips and sprouts with chestnuts, braised red cabbage and cauli cheese.

Bread sauce, horseradish sauce, mustard , cranberry sauce and gravy.

Dessert would be Christmas pud, something tart (so key lime pie or tarte au citron) with cream, baileys cream, brandy butter etc. Maybe a trifle.
Homemade mint chocs and coffee and mince pies

Cheese board with fruit.

@CuteGirlsWatchMeEatEther

People are still pushing Yorkshire puddings even after op said they don’t like them. The cult of the pudding is strong

I didn't read the previous posts because I didn't want to be swayed by other people's suggestions.

Also if we say "yorkshire pudding" enough times the op might cave and that's a good thing. You can't have roast beef without them.

Oh and yorkshires for the beef!

I suspect the sweetcorn is there as a veg that some of the DCs will eat, and maybe the peas.

There are a lot of veg though - are you serving each of those individually? I'd suggest that the carrots and parsnips should be roasted together perhaps.

I'm rubbish on quantities of meat, but having a choice seems like a good idea. But if you don't need all 3, I would suggest managing with 2 (but if you have space and fussy eaters, yes to all 3).

I would have a second option for dessert. Perhaps some jelly that could go with the ice cream, or a chocolate tart that can be prepped ahead and served cold (so no problem if not all eaten) - I like Jamie Oliver's from his original Naked Chef book. Or individual portions (in cups or ramekins) of something like a lemon posset or chocolate mousse etc, that are cold, can be brought out as needed or used the next couple of days if not. Or some berries in a nice bowl - plain strawberries go well with sticky toffee, or mixed ones - again, go well with the ice cream/cream on offer already, and leftovers can be used for breakfast with yoghurt or just on their own in the next couple of days.

Meat selection is good, but I'd personally cook much bigger joints. Mostly for left overs, but also I think that beef, in particular, comes out much nicer if its a bigger bit. Small joints end up getting overdone and dry.

Completely agree with this. Half the pleasrure of Christmas is eating leftover meat in sandwiches for the next week. It's trickier to cook small joints without overcooking them, especially the beef.

Like your idea for soup in a cup. We have done slivers of things on biscuits with the welcoming drink. A glass of sparkling wine on arrival sets the pace we find. Have discovered Cremant de Loire or Cremant de Bourgogne. They use different grape varieties, have more body and appeal to non experts, some are red! makes a talking point.
Understand now about sweet corn for nippers.
Do you roast the veg, potatoes & Parsnips.
We cater for 8 adults, I would not do three meats but I have to do a vegie or fish dish.

Sweetcorn - I would stand up and walk out, never to return.

Caulli Cheese?
Yorkshires?

I agree with having one bigger piece of meat too but op.may be accommodating different tastes.

Personally I like to cook meat on the bone .

I think I would feel genuinely upset at the sight of sweetcorn and peas at Xmas lunch

This is what I've done in the past.

Canapés - blinis with smoked salmon, mini mushroom tarts, mini pepperdew peppers with soft cheese.

Dinner - Turkey crown with pancetta, pine nut, ciabatta and lemon stuffing
Brie, cranberry and chestnut pie
Gravy made with Marsala
Roast potatoes
Cranberry sauce
Roasted carrots and parsnips
Sprouts with chestnuts

Christmas pudding with brandy butter or extra thick double cream

@lawofdistraction

I think I would feel genuinely upset at the sight of sweetcorn and peas at Xmas lunch

I imagine that these are for the four dc present aged 1-7 .

We eat broccoli/cauliflower cheese every other week. I don't see it as a Special Christmas Treat or an essential part of the dinner.

Also disagree that Sticky Toffee Pudding is heavy - it's much lighter than Christmas Pudding. I would prefer it but people want to be traditional.

I've never made special veg for the kids . Mine would always at least eat the carrots.

We roast the carrots & parsnips together and roast potatoes in goose fat & seasoned.

No veggies attending.

I don't like having leftover meat, it's not something we would eat in the days after but happy to make more meat and give it to people to go home with.

Not sure about the weights of the meat.

Also is there definitely no vegetarians or vegans? If unsure maybe include a nut roast which many meat eaters also like.

Don’t forget the cranberry sauce and stuffing.

Maybe do your veg (sweetcorn and peas for the young children). I would ditch the peas and sweetcorn for the adults and replace these with red cabbage and cauliflower cheese.

I would also ditch the soup add another 1 or 2 desert choices (ice cream for kids) and another desert choice for adults and maybe a cheese board with nice cheeses, grapes and chutneys.

Also is there definitely no vegetarians or vegans? If unsure maybe include a nut roast which many meat eaters also like.

Defo no vegetarians or vegans.

Ditch the soup. Add bread sauce and more puddings.

Sounds lovely! My fave soup!

Got space for another adult? 😂

@Sleeplessem if you don't mind sitting on the windowsill you're more than welcome

No sweetcorn.
Second dessert option. I would have a selection of meringue, cream, ice-cream and berries - mostly for the children.

Broccoli and cauliflower cheese seems to have crept onto everybody’s Christmas dinner plates recently. I approve!

@shouldistop

Oh yes obviously gravy!

We don't eat Yorkshire puddings. We're in Scotland, maybe they're not such a big thing here? Ditto bread sauce, I've never even tried it.

We all love sweetcorn and peas 

@kinzarose 4 of them are small children remember (1yo, 2yo, 5yo & 7yo) Everything I've read says 6lbs of meat feeds 12.

Hmm maybe we'll get a second dessert but was planning to have chocolates later in the day. Maybe a lemon thing.

We usually do Christmas but I forget from year to year what we've served and sometimes it's nice to mix it up a bit. Can't imagine not having a starter and the kids all like soup so it's easy that way.

You should have posted in Scotsnet!

Ignore the guff about Yorkshires, bread sauce and sage stuffing.

Skirlie (oatmeal stuffing) for the win. Trifle for pudding.

You are making life very hard for yourself with three small joints. One large one is easier to cook without drying out and you don;t have to fret so much about accompaniments.

You don't like leftover meat? thats the best part of Xmas for Boxing and following days. Menu sounds lovely otherwise.
Have to have bread sauce though and would happily drop the mash/sweetcorn/peas for adults, just do for the kids.