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?

@dworky

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

That’s your comment on this thread…….,,,,!?

Sounds lovely. In fact I'm going to steal a couple of your ideas (cheeseboard with mince pies, a Christmasy cocktail!) your guests are very lucky, my only suggestion would be decide if there's anything there you can jettison if you find it is a bit too much for you to do on the day, it's important you have a fab day too.

Sounds delicious! I would save mince pies until after lunch. I'd also add some bread sauce to Christmas dinner.

Sounds absolutely perfect! 😍

You have covered everything. Think it’s a great idea to offer the beef and turkey. And who doesn’t love a Yorkshire pudding?!

Try to prepare as much as you can before Christmas Day. And let people help with putting food into bowl, making tea and washing up etc.

Your guests are going to have a wonderful Christmas with you! 😍

@TeaAndTrifle
The Christmas wreath pavlova is a Mary Berry recipe (although I add more berries, some mint leaves for colour and a tiny amount of edible glitter). www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/christmas_pavlova_20589
Just make sure that you cook the meringue slowly on a really low heat so it doesn’t go brown and let it dry out in the oven overnight (it’ll keep for over a week so definitely do it in advance). I have had a few meringue disasters where I’ve been too impatient and turned the oven up or not let it dry out properly!

Wow .... ah I come please !!!

It sounds awesome....although A LOT of work !!!
Will you get some help with washing up etc

Why don't you ask your guests nearer the time what they like etc.

Organised fun never is. Sounds a bit regimented with timings for walks and present opening. I'd rather stay at home

@justmaybenot that granita recipe sounds amazing! Thank you (I bet it would be lovely with some of the fruit that’s leftover from the Pavlova too).

Sounds like too much food for the main. Definitely cut the beef and yorkies. Honestly id cut the cauliflower cheese too (unless this is a big part of your veggie main)
I'd keep breakfast more simple. I'd offer croissants and pain au chocolat, you don't want to be in the kitchen all day.
Apart from that it all sounds amazing. Maybe prepare roasties and pigs in blankets in advance and freeze ahead to save some time

I'll be stealing the pavlova edible glitter idea, won't be making my own Meringue though !

It all sounds amazing, but rather you than me and are you sure your guests will be up for the after dinner activities, games & treasure hunt after that lot would be a no from me I’d be exhausted after all that food and would leave the pudding and cheese board until Boxing Day.

It sounds incredible but for drinks and mince pies/nibbles at 12pm, I wouldn't be hungry for dinner until round 4/5pm. Maybe just have the drinks without the mince pies and nibbles?

@StrawberrySanta

Sounds like too much food for the main. Definitely cut the beef and yorkies. Honestly id cut the cauliflower cheese too (unless this is a big part of your veggie main) I'd keep breakfast more simple. I'd offer croissants and pain au chocolat, you don't want to be in the kitchen all day. Apart from that it all sounds amazing. Maybe prepare roasties and pigs in blankets in advance and freeze ahead to save some time

As a veggie the cauliflower Cheese is essential to my Christmas dinner.

Boxing Day DD usually goes to her Dads family in the evening so I have a mini Christmas dinner from leftovers in front of the telly.

@dworky loads of families open stockings in the morning and presents in the afternoon. Don’t worry it’s perfectly normal. I’ve always done it and I’m not deprived at all!

@HerbivorousRex don’t ditch the starters!! Christmas Day is the one day of the year when we used to have starters as kids and it made it special! Also there’s no such thing as too much food, leftovers and bubble and squeak are marvellous!

@Lulu1919 I’ll get a lot of help (my DH will do all the cooking with me, other family members will help with clearing up/prep and I’ll do quite a lot of it in advance- luckily I’m off work the week before Christmas).

@AliceinBorderland not everyone will do everything and there’s no obligation to join in with anything you don’t want to.
We have a few different traditions that are important to people that we’ll try to include but there are also other rooms where people can go and sit if they just want to chat/play with their presents/have a break. (I hate parlour games but my in-laws love them, so I’ll probably walk the dog with my mum whilst they do that and my dad will probably retreat to the conservatory to read whatever book he’s been given. My brothers aren’t bothered about the Queen’s speech so they’ll put some music on and tidy up in the kitchen whilst my MIL watches it etc).
Nothing is particularly formal (although I’m aware it looks like I’m planning a military operation)!

That menu looks amazing and I'd love the mimosa recipe! The only thing I'd ask is how old are the children coming? Waiting until after dinner to open presents would be torture for me and I'm 33!

@amysaurus87 the mimosas are really easy. Just mix clementine juice (or orange juice) and cranberry juice together in a champagne flute/wine glass (I use about twice as much cranberry juice as orange juice because otherwise the colour can look a bit weird) then top up with champagne/Prosecco/sparking wine.

I’m pregnant this year so mine will be cranberry juice topped up with sparking apple juice!

It sounds amazing, I wouldn't change anything except the pate because I don't like it but unfortunately I'm not coming

I genuinely don't know how you can fit so much in to the day. I find time gets away with me at Christmas and the cooking always takes the vast majority of my attention.

The children are 6 and 9 but they’ll open most of their main presents from Santa and their parents in the morning before they come to us!

It sounds amazing but what I'd do is canvas the guests ie ask if they like Christmas pudding and if they all say yes then that's all you need to make! It all sounds delicious and luxurious.

I have just come round with the aid of smelling salts. Just wanted to say, I am in love with you OP. Don't ever change. Your guests are very lucky people!!

@katienana I worry if I canvas opinion I’ll just get more suggestions of things I need to make 😂 (I know they all like at least one of those desserts because I’ve made them before. My mum will bring her own Christmas pudding for me to heat up because only her and my FIL like it!)

This sounds like a supermarket advert

Yes of course people want all that food. And kids will happily wait to open presents til after several meals. And everyone is dying to ice biscuits (including kids) after doing 40 billion times already during December. And you will have 4 supersized ovens to cook it all. And the table space, storage and general mess it will create will be no bother at all.

My arse.

I’m sorry OP if you are real your menu sounds amazing but it’s way too much. Everyone will have indigestion, the kids will be bored and you will be a frantic mess sweating in the kitchen not to mention the cost, it’s a bit obscene isn’t it.

Simplify breakfast by making the filling options cold and do the sandwiches night before: smoked salmon & cream cheese bagels, prosciutto instead of bacon sandwiches saves any breakfast cooking. I hope you have a dishwasher as breakfast platter and plates will fill your dishwasher for the first run of the day. Put someone fairly sober or a teen on scullery duty constantly loading, running, unloading DW. Make it a paid position for an eager teen.
Three meats at teatime!! Either beef or pork not both! Otherwise where's your Veggie main going to fit in! I'm doing my (1.4ish kg) brisket in the slow cooker this year to free up oven space for the roasted veg. Rub with salt, pepper mustard powder, garlic powder, celery salt and cook dry on high 2hr then low 4ish hours. It can rest for ages til rest of dinner is ready. Enough juices will be created to be reduced and thickened for gravy, the meat practically falls apart.
But the pork you've planned sounds lush!
You sound like a great host I hope you have a lovely time.

FFS keep the Yorkshire Puddings. There would be a riot in our house if I didn’t do them.