Opinions on my Christmas menu!

[HerbivorousRex]

I know it’s early but this is our first year hosting Christmas and I’m very excited (I love Christmas!)
Please could you look through my menu/plan for the day and let me know what you think!
I love baking and often cook for large numbers of people but I’ve never done Christmas before (I’m also veggie so I don’t want to miss anything that the meat eaters might want!)

We have 12 adults and 2 children coming for the day and we’ll eat lunch at 2pm.

Breakfast (9am after stockings):
Smoked salmon and cream cheese bagels
Bacon sandwiches
Cranberry and orange mimosas
Tea/coffee/juice

Everyone staying with us goes for a long walk in the morning. Everyone else will arrive between 1-2pm. Pre-dinner drinks and nibbles.

• Spiced orange martini
• Cranberry gin fizz
• Nuts, crisps and dips
• Mince pies and gingerbread biscuits

Lunch (2.30pm)
Starter (plus pulling crackers and opening table presents):
Pate on sourdough toast with cornichons.

Main:
Goose or Turkey.
Beef.
Chestnut, mushroom and Stilton nut roast.
Pork, hazelnut and spiced apple stuffing
Pigs in blankets (veggie sausage for me).
Cauliflower and leek cheese with whole grain mustard.
Sprouts with roasted chestnuts and pancetta.
Spiced red cabbage.
Honey/spice glazed, roasted carrots and parsnips.
Mashed swede with loads of butter and black pepper.
Yorkshire puddings.
Roast potatoes.
Gravy.
Wine, water and sparkling apple juice.

Pudding:
Christmas pudding.
Christmas wreath pavlova (with berries).
Spiced chocolate orange tart.
Cream/custard/ice-cream/brandy butter.
Tea/coffee

Open presents round the tree. Play games. Christmas treasure hunt. Gingerbread house decorating competition.

Evening food (7pm):
Cheese/charcuterie board (with figs, apples/pears, salad, pickles, chutneys, olives etc).
Nice bread and crackers
Christmas cake, mince pies and gingerbread house.
Mulled wine, hot chocolate, expresso martinis.

Watch Christmas films (argue about whether ‘Die Hard’ counts as a Christmas film).

Is there anything I’ve missed or that you think I should add/cut?

Way too many different dishes , I’d lose the beef and one of the desserts at least and simplify some of the veg options

Have you catered like this before ? It’s a lot of work for one person and one meal I would really pare it back a bit

Sounds bloody exhausting to me!

Excellent @HerbivorousRex

The only thing I would want is a lighter starter. All that meat preceded by pate would be too filling. I would do a tomato bruschetta and crab/prawns and avocado bruschetta.

I would not do goose, it never seems to work very well.

Also, I would ease up on the pre-meal offerings. People can munch their way happily through all that and then not want to eat their Christmas dinners.

@SevenZebrasDancing

I have one very major comment...... please can you post the spiced orange martini recipe!

That all looks utterly utterly gorgeous!

(Mind if I plagiarise?!)

This 100% - I was reading it thinking love the whole menu but I need that recipe 😃😃🥂

Thank you so much.

• I’ll add some steamed veg to the main course (probably broccoli or greens).
• I’ll drop the beef and just do a turkey (that’s much easier with regards to oven space!). And if we’re not having beef then I’ll take off the Yorkshire puddings too.
• I’ll make a cranberry sauce (I don’t think anyone in either of our families actually eats the bread sauce so I might not bother).
• I’ll keep the pre-dinner nibbles savoury (although knowing my family they’ll be busy working their way through the selection boxes from Santa anyway!)
• I’m very open to other ideas for starters (although ideally stuff that doesn’t take up hob/oven space or need too much prep). We always have soup after the outdoor carol service on Christmas Eve so I’d probably avoid having that again on Christmas Day.
• I think both my nieces like pavlova but there is also plenty of chocolate sauce and sweets/fruit that we can put on the ice-cream for a more child friendly pudding. Unless anyone has any more exciting ideas!

Recipes:
Spiced orange martini www.google.ae/amp/s/www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/bitter-orange-cardamom-martinis/amp although I also add cinnamon sticks, a clove, nutmeg and allspice when I bash up the cardamom (lots of cinnamon, not too much nutmeg, tiny amount of clove).

Pork and apple stuffing: www.cookwithmands.com/recipes/pork-sage-chestnut-and-apple-stuffing very similar to this but I use hazelnuts instead of chestnuts and add some cooked pancetta to the mix.

Spiced chocolate orange tart: www.google.ae/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/chocolatetartwithwhi_87928/amp but I use Green and Blacks ‘Mayan Gold’ instead of the dark chocolate and add the zest of 2 oranges (then I taste and add more spice/zest of it needs it!). I don’t bother with the sauce on top and sometimes I cheat and use all butter ready made pastry for the base.

It is a lot of food for 12 people! Although we all love leftovers so I think it’ll probably be ok (especially now I’ve taken a couple of things off the menu and most of our family are staying for a few days- we normally make some soups/curries/risottos with any leftovers!)

For those of you who were worried I wouldn’t have enough to eat, I think I’m just used to vegetarianizing things in my head!

• I’ll have bagels with cream cheese or avocado toast for breakfast.
• I’ll put the pancetta in the sprouts at the last minute so I’ll just keep a portion back for myself before I do this.
• The nutroast is kind of ‘stuffing-y’ and most veggie stuffings are either horrible or a lot of extra work so I’m not too worried if I miss out (especially because I’ll have eaten all the crispiest potatoes before I get out of the kitchen!)

Sounds bloody exhausting to me!

I do agree with that.🤣 But some people love this stuff so I’m presuming OP does.

Cooking for so many and having them all there for the whole day would be our worst nightmare. We have the day just with the kids who are teens now....a lie in after a late night on Xmas Eve, chocolate for breakfast, dinner and pudding and then TV, games, alcohol and sleep....but each to their own. I like to be lazy over Xmas and not entertain anyone. 😬🤣

Lose the yorkshires

Get out

And if we’re not having beef then I’ll take off the Yorkshire puddings too.

Every child I’ve ever known says Yorkshire puds are the best part of a dinner like this so I think you need to reconsider for the sake of the 2 children attending! 😂

Where's my invite

@WashableVelvet
I do have a Gantt chart!

I also have a husband who is an excellent cook and we often do big dinner parties together (I also love cooking so I don’t mind spending a few days in the lead up to Christmas in the kitchen- it’ll be our last Christmas without a baby so next year will probably be a lot more pared back!)
I have excellent brothers who are happy to chop veg, lay tables and clear everything up.
My FIL loves being bartender and my mum/MIL will bring some of the things pre-prepared (Mum has a friend who makes Xmas puddings and will buy cheeses and charcuterie. MIL will make the gingerbread houses and cake).

Fabulous! You're clearly very organised - menu planning early and getting advice on here - so I think you will manage the day really well. It sounds like heaven. I agree with all the tweaks you've made. I was going to suggest you choose turkey over goose to avoid a stinky kitchen and only do beef as well if you have two ovens.

Your starter sounds lovely, though I would offer a very small portion so people don't overeat before the main event. Or a little prawn cocktail always a winner.

It sounds like you have a lovely family OP. I’m sure you’ll all have a lovely day! Enjoy. x

Sounds fabulous OP - I'm very jealous!

One thing I'd change (although it's simply personal preference) is we do present opening in the morning, always have done. Gets it out of the way so children can enjoy the rest of the day without wishing it away just to be able to open presents.

This sounds absolutely tremendous! I wish a could cook such a fabulous meal. Ours will be very basic in comparison but hopefully still yummy.

Nut roast recipe
www.abelandcole.co.uk/recipes/caramelised-red-onion-stilton-chestnut-roast
But I also add rehydrated porcini mushrooms and a couple of handfuls of finely chopped button mushrooms (all sautéed in butter, garlic and thyme/sage/rosemary/bay leaf until they’ve lost most of their moisture then add at the same time as the fried onions). You might need to add some extra bread crumbs and/or an extra egg to make sure the consistency is right and it all binds together.

Also, for people making the pork stuffing, the hazelnuts need to be toasted before they get added to give them a better flavour and help them keep their crunch!

@Youcancallmeval @HerbivorousRex just check about puddings. My two children and their friends all love Christmas pudding and have always had it since they were able to eat it. There was a big revolt one year when their primary school took it off the Christmas dinner menu and shoved ice cream instead 😂.

Sounds lovely OP.

I think breakfast is fine, those saying it's too much obviously aren't as hungry as me!!

Thats a hell of a lot of food. Will guests really want anything on the evening after eating all day?
Food sounds lovely though.

Looks amazing 🤩

Just be prepared for most of it to go uneaten
People never end up eating that much at Christmas- we joust 16 each year and really it is just breakfast and a big roast that gets eaten plus an odd nibble in the evening despite the fact we have a similar day pjs bed to you usually

It sounds amazing but I really don’t think you need so much choice or quite so much food. As a guest I’d feel terrible if you were doing all that. I’d rather enjoy your company.

I would remove the bacon sandwiches, the pre lunch mince pies, one of the meats and simplify the veg. Some people would prefer plainer beg to balance the richness of everything else.

I honestly don’t think anyone will want to eat at 7 after so much food at 2.

I see now you’ve dropped the goose. I was going to lend the benefit of our experience for our first Christmas after getting married. We decided to spend it on our own and got a goose in. It was massive. Only just fitted in the oven.

It was just about enough to feed both of us. A goose is 95% cavity.

@HerbivorousRex please reconsider ditching the Yorkshire Puddings. 😱

It sounds lovely, but a bit heavy for me (I'm not a competitive under-eater by any means, just can't do too many carbs). You know your family though, but if it was me then I'd offer a lighter breakfast alternative, berries, Greek yogurt, wholemeal toast, etc. Also an alternative starter, something less filling than pate.

As others have said, I would save the mince pies and ginger bread until after lunch.

That nut roast sounds heavenly. I'm definitely making that this year. I'm not veggie but reducing meat intake so thinking of doing a nut roast for my main this year.

Can you be my mum, OP?