What's special about your Christmas Dinner?

[ODFOx]

What do you have that makes it special for your family?
I am pretty much a traditionalist, but I do add a lot of trimmings: 3 stuffings, pigs in blankets with full size chipolatas, cranberry and bread sauce. But the touches we have that most folk don't: devils on horseback alongside the pigs in blankets (a revelation that I wouldn't get away without adding now) and an American style green bean casserole made with green beans in a creamy sauce topped with crunchy fried onions.

What additions do you recommend?

I’ve also just remembered our family Sherry trifle that we have on Boxing Day, after the bubble and squeak and roast ham.

My mum makes it. Its the one meal a year that she cooks for all if the family and its amazing. My DC are the only grandchildren, so it's me, my DC, mum, stepdad, step grandma, and my 2 brothers and I wouldn't change a thing.

Home made mushy peas!

Delia Smith chestnut stuffing 😋

The sherry trifles sound great if you are able to share the secret recipes.

Reindeer steak. It’s lovely.

Our Christmas dinner is fairly traditional (lots of veg and sauces etc.) but the absolute non negotiable is Boxing Day.
Turkey, chips and gravy.
Turkey slices heated in the leftover (I always make plenty for this reason) gravy with proper chips and any leftover veg, stuffing, apple sauce etc.

It is such an important family tradition that the year we were flying to Venice for my 50th, on Boxing Day, DS was most worried we would be missing this meal. He need not have worried, flight was late afternoon and we had it for early lunch before heading to the airport.
DS is now veggi but he still insists on ‘his veggi main’ with chips and (his veggi) gravy.

Another tradition is from my mum. She could not go to bed on a Christmas Day without a turkey butty. In her memory, I continue this.

Thanks @SageRosemary looks like a nicer salt beef. Will have to see if I can get hold of some although quite far away from Cork failing that will give the recipe a go

@JustSinginInTheRain

The sherry trifles sound great if you are able to share the secret recipes.

Ours isn’t very secret to be honest, it’s basically trifle sponges with strawberry jam spread between each one, a tin of chopped pineapple pieces and half the juice mashed into the trifle sponges so it because like a wet sponge then add Sherry, leave this layer in the fridge overnight, then make up some custard, let it cool, then put it on top of the sherry sponge and whip some double cream and use that as the third layer. Sprinkle chopped almonds on the top and refrigerate. It tastes better the day after because of being really cold. It’s one of my favourite puddings

Chestnut and apricot stuffing. And the only time we ever have pigs in sodding blankets.

Mmm for me its all about the starters (hardly have any space for the main dinner!); Proper light, soft and oily salmon pate not the thick and claggy cream cheese sort, smoked salmon ashet - different cold smokes and hot smoked all from my mums home town in Scotland, and salmon cream cheese roll or terrine from M&S - with blinis and bread and toast.

and then the evening cheese board and cold cuts - cured cold meats, olives, all manner of cheeses but my favourite are the soft blues like Cambozola.

Bloody incredible.

And I am flipping pregnant this year and already pissed off about it!

I cant eat any of it :(

Thanks Twilight.

@HollyandIvyandAllThingsYule festive name change complete .

@GemmaRuby I haven’t, it doesn’t take long and DD often helps - child labour in return for chocolate!

Good luck @tupperwaretowers, it’s tasty 🍸

We usually go to a local (50yds) restaurant for Christmas dinner though last year they very kindly delivered.

The highlight for me is turkey legs, deboned and the bones replaced with chestnut and sausage meat stuffing.

Delicious and so easy to carve.

We only ever have them at Christmas so yes, a tradition.

I'm loving this thread! I make green bean casserole for a Thanksgiving dinner (when I can be bothered) and it is delicious. What makes our Christmas dinner special is the parsnips - Delia's parmesan parsnips. They are delicious and crispy and along with the roast potatoes, stuffing and gravy, that would make my dinner.

I'm quite intrigued by Nigellas gingerbread stuffing but am veggie and wondering if I could replace the bacon with anything other if that would just ruin it?!

I love roast parsnips! Must try those Delia Parmesan ones

Festive spirit

Can't stand too much fuss. Just some good veggie food with people I love. Steamed Sprouts are essential.

@CurryLover55 you absolutely do need to try them. We only have them at Christmas and they really are amazing.

@hashbrownsandwich

The only special thing about my Christmas dinner is that it's the only day jts acceptable for me to be pissed by the time I serve it!

Same here! Ha ha

I'm very lucky, my son in law is a great cook and a christmas nut!, (as am I) we have this down between us now as an art form we are veggie so he makes the best ever richest nut roast known to man, I make cauli cheese and braised red cabbage (I deliver it xmas eve so no faffing in the morning) and then we work as team on the rest of the veg, he also makes the best yorkshires I have ever had.

We then have the homemade xmas pudding he has made in september, along side mince pies using his home made mincemeat.

I love our christmas routine, we are all crammed into dds tiny terraced house, using a variety of chairs round the table, sils choice of xmas music (we love a bit of buble ) dgs is happy playing with all his toys, my parents get to sit and do nothing but eat, drink and dose off, with a taxi booked for home after supper, dh and I stagger home a bit later and get to sleep in our own bed, bliss!

Sounds lovely thebabessavedme

I'm getting very excited at the thought of mince pie cheesecake. Thanks to whoever posted about that. Think will do devils on horseback as well this year.

@JesusInTheCabbageVan

This post makes us sound like alcoholics . We truly aren’t!

It makes you sound awesome

Exactly what I thought!

@Jumpingintchristmas yay!🎄🎄🎄 Not long now...

I make my nut roast exactly how I like it. So it's special to me.