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?

Wow this looks amazing!! Thank you for some ideas

@Polmuggle

Lose the yorkshires

Get out

Also this!!

@Collaborate

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.

Ha, yes, DH and I did the same for our first Christmas as a married couple too. It also cost a sodding fortune!

I think we need a live update throughout Xmas day with pics too

Sounds absolutely fabulous and I hope it all goes smoothly.

A goose is 95% cavity.

Jesus, I didn’t need to read that. 🤮

@Youcancallmeval

Agh need to proofread - none of the puddings are very child friendly I meant.

Pavlova?? Not child friendly??!

Oh my goodness it’s perfect!! I’m a bread sauce person but if none of your guests are don’t worry!

I think this is doable with a few cheats as there are things you can easily make the day before - the pudding and the cauliflower cheese etc. I usually do a rolled turkey and rib of beef so I don’t think this is too much - a good cut of beef will isn’t hard as long as you don’t over cook it which I doubt you will by the sounds of things.

Hopefully someone else will do the bacon sarnies and bagels whilst you have a shower.

The only thing I would check is that the children will eat the puddings and evening food. When I was a kid I loved fancy pants food but mine definitely do not! If they’re your own children I’m sure you are well aware of what they like though.

Enjoy it!

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

Now that would be terribly disappointing. What's Christmas dinner without Yorkshires!

Most kids like ice cream and that’s on the menu.

Very ambitious and could turn stressful on the day when preparing all those dishes.

I personally would simplify it a little.

Breakfast is fine, but no veggie option.

Nibbles I would skip, just have a bowl of nits (otherwise people will fill themselves up and not eat lunch)

Lunch, just do turkey with Canberra, skip the need, and the nut roast. Do your vegetables but do Brussels too, and Yes i agree with a Yorkshire.

Puddings are fine (pavlova is child friendly) but maybe hae some ice cream to hand for kids)

Then have your nibbles available served later with your cheese board

I think it sounds absolutely delicious!

I think that the people saying 'it's too much' need to realise that the OP is just providing options. The guests don't HAVE to have loads of everything! 🙄

#bringbacktheyorkshirepuds

🤣

I am very jealous I would have loved to have hosted an incredible Xmas like this pre kids and spent days preparing such wonderful food!!

But we lived in a 1 bed flat at that point so not gonna happen and now I have 2 kids so aim is to spend as little time as possible in the kitchen!

It's an amazing menu - I would join others saying a huge breakfast, folllowed by massive lunch AND full on evening spread is way way way too much food and I'd get food envy by the evening as I simply couldn't fit it all in!!!!!

A much lighter breakfast and fewer nibbles.

Oh for your starter can you do a seafood one for the non veggies? Smoked salmon, mackerel pate and a Mexican prawn cocktail?

Sounds absolutely delightful. I’m glad you are cutting back on the meat, as it was too much, but double the amount of nut roast, however much you have planned, or there will not be enough for the vegetarians.

just have a bowl of nits

What would the vegetarian eat? 😂

Sorry, it’s been a long night of no sleep.

Yorkshire pudding is amazing but doesn't belong on Christmas dinner..🤷🏻‍♀️

It all looks far too much in my opinion. I agree about keeping some of the veg on the list plain rather than adding steamed broccoli to an already massive list.

I’d ditch the starter and have canapés with the lee dinner drinks.
Pavlova or chocolate tart not both.

Mashed spuds.

I never ever ever understand why folk don’t have mashed and roasted spuds.

OP the nut roast recipe and your post with instructions are now safety on my Pinterest Christmas Dinner board thank you. I've been toying with doing a meat stuffing and a veggie stuffing and have decided to do a pimped up meat free sage and onion style stuffing for everyone and a nice nut roast big enough for everyone to get a bit so there's a side dish with a bit of crunch.

I make cauliflower Cheese on Christmas Eve and reheat Christmas Day, always lovely but I'd advise taking it out of the fridge to come up closer to room temperature just before cooking (maybe 30 minutes) otherwise it takes ages from chilled, that's my top tip for anything you're making in advance and keeping in the fridge, on the day when oven real estate is on high demand.

Assuming no allergies/dietary requirements etc, that whole day sounds incredible. Careful - this might be the first year of every year hosting!

Keep the nibbles with the cocktails very light. No dips, no mince pies or gingerbread.

A starter involving sourdough (unless melba toast thin) is quite hefty before a massive dinner.

Personally I would not serve beef with poultry. I think the accompaniments that really compliment and set each off are quite different. So if you go for Turkey or goose a ham as suggested above is a good option.
Then, no Yorkshires.

Oh, sorry, just scrolled up and seen the beef, Yorkshire’s and pre dinner mince pies are already scrapped!

You could retain ‘enhanced nibbles’ (savoury) and scrap a starter altogether! We never have a starter with Christmas dinner, but sometimes have actual canapés with drinks. Which can be prepared earlier.

Sounds lovely! Can I come?

@JayAlfredPrufrock There would be tears if I didn't do mashed and roast spuds, mashed potatoes are cooked, mashed and kept warm in the instant pot so don't cause much extra work, someone can be tasked with mashing them it's a good job for a teenager or me if someone has annoyed me 😂

In 47 years on this planet, I’ve never had mashed potatoes on Christmas Day. And certainly never missed them.

It sounds wonderful, as does your helpful family.

I agree with most posters, ditch bacon sarnies for breakfast, maybe something sweet instead, cinnamon buns, frozen or Nigella's overnight recipe or those 'kits' you can get from Tesco etc.

Mince pie eating postponed; no starter needed, keep the pancetta out of the sprouts, cranberry sauce a must. Mashed swede rather overkill with carrots parsnips etc. And no need for the cauliflower cheese . No Yorkshires but a nice bread sauce with clove and bay leaf perfuming it. Chocolate tart not really needed with the Pavlova and Christmas pud.
When will you eat Christmas Cake?

Or, if you have time, energy and help from DH just stick to your your original plan! Be prepared to have to do this every year for ever, your family will love it so much that they will insist it is an unalterable Christmas tradition.