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 imagine red cabbage and cauliflower (maybe without the cheese) are quite traditional for Christmas, as they are in season during winter, like parsnips and sprouts.

Finding this thread fascinating! All the different foods people have and how shocked folk are at other people's choices 😁😁 OP I'm coming to yours for Christmas!

We do a lot less food, I'm not the best cook and find it all quite stressful. We are in Scotland. Our menu is:

Leek and potato soup (made by my mum) for the starter

Turkey (the one from M&S with the stuffing inside, bacon on outside)
Roast potatoes
Mashed potatoes
Yorkshire puddings (homemade, my speciality!)
Carrots
Broccoli
Brussel sprouts
Sweetcorn
Pigs in blankets
Gravy
Cranberry sauce
Bread sauce
Ketchup for DH and DS

Chocolate bread and butter pudding (made by my mum) served with custard or cream. None of us like Christmas pudding!

I think this year I'll add a (shop bought) lemon tart as a lot of people have mentioned it's good to have more than one option.

I don't fancy having cheese sauce on the same plate as gravy so won't be having that. Never thought to have it!

I'd love to be one of these people that does all the fancy home-made food that tastes divine but the stress of it all is too much for me. Much like my mum, we try to keep the meal quite simple, so it's very similar to what I had as a kid too. Except my mum would do prawns to start with.

The soup would be too much for me before a roast dinner. Wouldn’t bother with sweet corn. You need Yorkshire puddings and bread sauce.

@SirenHead
Well, your menu looks very extensive to me. I don’t think anyone could ask for more. Will your mum be happy for there to be a rival pudding?
I haven’t been able to sleep properly thinking about the logistics of cauliflower cheese fighting for oven space with three trays of roast vegetables and two types of stuffing. I think I’ll give it a miss.
I would only do mash if there were so many guests that enough roast potatoes would be impossible. I would only do red cabbage with pork or ham, although I can see it has advantages as you really could cook it in November.

@BelindaCinder luckily Mum should be fine with there being an extra pudding. We had DH's parents the year before last and they were surprised there was only one pudding as his family normally do 3!
Oven space is definitely a thought and part of the reason we can't do extra things.

@SirenHead
Not that you’re doing red cabbage. I would be a bit scared of doing Yorkshire pudding as well.

I can't believe people have Christmas dinner without mash, a minimum of two types of potatoes is essential, my exMIL used to do three.

We don't have a starter but have warm and cold canapés and a bucks fizz/glass of champagne about 11am. Then Christmas Dinner at 1/1.30ish. It's lovely, we all come together and it feels very special and means you're not full before you start! The children always felt very grown up and still look forward to the canapés and bucks fizz now.

Leftovers is an essential part of our Christmas, so I'd do two desserts, it'll get eaten over a few days.

For me, I’d probably go

Starter:
No starter. I’d have a light breakfast if you’re hosting on the day while everyone opens resents. Anything you and your family likes. I know some people do smoked salmon or freshly baked croissants but I think anything goes here. That will tide you over until dinner, easily, when you think about the chocolate that will be consumed as well.

Main:
Gammon cooked in cider
Turkey (get more turkey for leftovers and the typical turkey curry/sandwiches etc days after)

Pigs in blankets and/or cocktail sausages
Stuffing
Mashed potatoes
Roast potatoes

Carrots
Parsnips
Sprouts

Gravy and/or another sauce
Cranberry sauce for those who like it

Dessert:
Yule log (always a classic winner)
Mince pies for those who aren’t that hungry but still want something sweet
Another pudding of your choice
(Personally I’d just buy these from M&S or somewhere and save myself the faff of making them).

Then fire open the chocolates and let everyone dip in as the night goes on. I’d also get a few different kinds of drinks to mix it up.

*presents not resents 😅

I’d lose the starter, swap sweetcorn for cauliflower cheese, add Yorkshire puddings and have 2 options for pudding.

@PizzaCrust

For me, I’d probably go

Starter:
No starter. I’d have a light breakfast if you’re hosting on the day while everyone opens resents. Anything you and your family likes. I know some people do smoked salmon or freshly baked croissants but I think anything goes here. That will tide you over until dinner, easily, when you think about the chocolate that will be consumed as well.

Main:
Gammon cooked in cider
Turkey (get more turkey for leftovers and the typical turkey curry/sandwiches etc days after)

Pigs in blankets and/or cocktail sausages
Stuffing
Mashed potatoes
Roast potatoes

Carrots
Parsnips
Sprouts

Gravy and/or another sauce
Cranberry sauce for those who like it

Dessert:
Yule log (always a classic winner)
Mince pies for those who aren’t that hungry but still want something sweet
Another pudding of your choice
(Personally I’d just buy these from M&S or somewhere and save myself the faff of making them).

Then fire open the chocolates and let everyone dip in as the night goes on. I’d also get a few different kinds of drinks to mix it up.

This is basically exactly what I'm doing except my ham will be cooked and served on Christmas Eve night as part of our now traditional buffet tea. I'm just doing Turkey on Christmas Day, but the ham will be available if anyone wants some.

I'm making pumpkin pie (special request) and a trifle, the trifle will also be started Christmas Eve but what's left will be brought out Christmas Day as an alternative, plus cheese.

I try to strike a balance between enough leftovers (we love leftovers) that I don't need to cook for a couple of days (unless I want to) and not having any waste. The dog and teenagers help.

Lovely thread!
Soup too carby for a starter. I'd do nibbles on arrival then a choice of light fish starter (smoked salmon or prawn cocktail) or melon.

I'd ditch the gammon and cook it on Boxing Day. Pigs and stuffing, yes, but add Yorkies

Id dump the mash, who cares on Christmas Day,
I wouldn't do two green brassicas (broc and sprouts) so Id dump the broc. Id do carrots, peas (kids like them), Red cabgage and apple, leek or cauliflower cheese.
Roast parsnips.
Sweetcorn! On Christmas dinner. No way Jose.

I like your STP (assume you're not Xmas pud people) and I would not offer a choice of pudding at lunchtime. Let them have the trifle/mince pies/Yule log at teatime

And bread sauce and cranberry.