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?

@LoveGrooveDanceParty I've never had a Christmas Dinner without mashed potatoes, even eating it in a restaurant a couple of times there was always mashed potatoes.

Sounds delish! But I think it might be too much food (and I love lots of food!).

Instead of nibbles and starters why not do a few light canapé type things? We’ve done that an hour or so before dinner and it’s less filling. I’d be surprised if anyone is ready for anything else until much later in the evening and most people probably won’t have anything so I’d just have a few bits in place for those who need a nibble rather than planning a big plate that barely gets touched. The dinner is the main event and we usually need a break before pudding let alone having more food in the evening!

Wow so many great ideas! Neither of my parents are English so amazes me the lengths people go to at Christmas! We thought we went all out and had a normal roast- which to foreign people isn’t an easy task! We had Turkey, roasted spuds, parsnips, carrots and gravy and one year pigs in blankets and stuffing!

I have 10 people coming. Can I hire you to organise? Sounds amazing.

I think some protein at breakfast is a good idea. It’s a long day with a lot of emotions and alcohol. Best to set people up with something more than sugar and simple carbs.

Don't ditch the Yorkies!!! Everyone I know would be crying into their Christmas dinner if there wasn't any. Plus they're easy to do in the advance and can heat up just before dinner. I love the idea of your Christmas pavlova - do you have your recipe?

What a lovely host you are 🥰

What’s salmon, if not protein?

The breakfast sounds absolutely fine - OP - you’ve reached the point in the thread where people are actively seeking non-existent holes.

@LoveGrooveDanceParty

What’s salmon, if not protein?

The breakfast sounds absolutely fine - OP - you’ve reached the point in the thread where people are actively seeking non-existent holes.

Or have a double bacon sandwich with an egg!

Exactly!

Can I come ? No need to buy me anything though 🥳

Your revised menu sounds like a dream come true to me, and wouldn’t be too much food for my family, we are all —fat— big eaters .

Our menu is basically selection boxes for breakfast, roast chicken dinner and then leftovers in the evening. Nowhere near as exciting, but I’m still looking forward to it, I love Christmas!

Yorkshire puddings and mashed potato are lush but they're not part of the traditional Christmas meal, but if you want them have them!

Ommmmmg can I come this sounds amazing! The only thing I would say is don't tell people about the gingerbread house/ treasure hunt just in case you're too tired because all that cooking and cleaning up is so tiring. But the day and the food and drinks sound absolutely amazing

@LoveGrooveDanceParty, I wasn’t criticising the OP’s breakfast plan, I was supporting it.

Some had commented that perhaps breakfast could be simplified into just pastries. Normally, not a bad idea, but on an intense day where people often drink more and earlier than they normally do, I think her salmon / bacon plan is a good one.

Sounds lovely. I again wouldn't put out mince pics etc before lunch. And I would aim to put the evening food out later than 7.30 as I would imagine everyone will still be full at that time. I would also be a bit relaxed about timings as you've planned a lovely day, but an awful lot going on. Make sure you have time to enjoy the day and aren't running around after everyone a day.

Oh yes and I'd like simpler veg, I'm not overly keen on all the veg being messed around with. I like carrots plain etc.

Ok- I think I might have to accept that I’ve planned too much food (I’m just starting to recover from having horrendous morning sickness during my first trimester and might have got a bit overexcited by the thought of being able to eat and socialize again!)

• Breakfast will also have an option of fruit/yogurt/plain toast/cereal (we have all this in the cupboard or fridge anyway).

• I love having loads of different sides as part of a meal, but I’ll take on board suggestions to make some of them a bit less rich and offer some steamed veg too. Both our families are pretty big eaters and I’m confident that leftovers will get eaten over the next 3-4 days.

We also often end up with a few extra people coming if they don’t have plans etc, so I’m keen to make sure there’s enough food for everyone!

• By popular demand the Yorkshire puddings have been re-added!

• There probably is slightly too much pudding but I wanted to make sure there was an option that everyone would like. My brother will probably take the tart and any leftover mince pies/ginger cookies back to his housemates on Boxing Day. I am willing to consume the leftover pavlova if necessary!

• I’ll simplify the stuff in the evening, it’ll just be on the side/in the fridge for people to pick at rather than another sit down meal.

I probably won’t buy much additional food for the days after Christmas (my BIL and SIL will definitely take any leftover cheese home with them!)

Thank you so much for all your ideas! I love seeing everyone else’s non-negotiables for Christmas lunch (mine is mashed swede because my Grandma always did it, but it wouldn’t have occurred to me to have mashed potatoes and Yorkshire puddings are definitely an optional extra in our house!)

Sounds amazing. What's your address?

Also, lots of the activities (treasure hunt/gingerbread decorating/family walk/games) are a hybrid of traditions from both our families (and the people they’re married to/dating). I won’t be organizing it all, don’t worry!
(I’ll have a cup of tea by the fire with my mum whilst everyone else does that bit!)

Poor kids, having to wait till evening, when they must be getting tired, to open their presents.

@dworky

Lol, seriously?

I would save your concern for those kids who I work with- who are in homes with violence, who’s parents are addicts, who have been neglected and abused. Who are recovering from trauma. I would save concern for them not poor kids who are tired from having a fabulous day!

@dworky
Don’t worry, my 2 nieces will have done stockings and presents from their parents on Christmas morning before they come over for lunch at 2ish (and they’ll see their other grandparents/aunts and uncles for presents on Boxing Day!)
We have little table presents to unwrap before the meal, so it’s only presents from our family that we do in the afternoon. I promise we’re not making them wait all day to unwrap anything!

Also, Santa’s elves often hide little presents to be found during the treasure hunt!

Sounds like lots of yummy food. I like contrast of fresh and zingy with rich food - so just going on my taste really I'd suggest:

Include really nice fruit for breakfast. - there's often beautiful melons available at Christmas time that you can make more special with mint etc.

Keep the mince pies for the evening

Consider making a fish starter - eg smoked salmon or crab or prawn with salad, pate might be very heavy.

Make a granita (very easy - pomegranate and orange juice, frozen but forked over every 30 mins or so and served w pomegranate berries) for just after starters as a kind of palate cleanser and because kids love it.

Serve ham instead of beef, drop the yorkshire puddings and maybe include slightly fresher vegetables - eg peas with mint as all the veg you mention have added fat/sugar. You could also have a red cabbage based salad that would include some spices (eg toasted cumin) - it would be crunchy and fresh! Or Ottolenghi do a delicious Brussels sprout and pomegranate slaw.

I'd also think of including something more fruit-based for dessert - again, to cut through the rest as it's such rich food.

Have a great day!

@dworky they sound like very lucky kids to me all that family and food and presents. Wow