How do you dish up?

[FusionChefGeoff]

I like to try to serve family style so everything on the table and help yourself but everyone's rubbish and just sits there whilst I'm bringing last things out then it takes ages to pass everything up / down and it's all cooling rapidly.

I don't think I have the kitchen space to plate everything up plus then how do you know how much people want?

We have a turkey crown so easy to carve and usually do that at the table so it does straight onto plates.. Big fans of sides so have at least 8 different dishes to serve up.

Any tips?

We go to my family for Christmas lunch, the turkey crown gets carved in the kitchen, everything comes to the table in very hot dishes. We have done this for so long it all fits but everyone helps everyone out.

If you are putting potatoes on your plate you do a couple of others too, it sounds chaotic and somehow it works. There are 10 of us. We all just lift our plates up and ask for some veg from the person nearest that veg if we cannot reach. The dishes are too hot to lift up.

Gravy is in several festive themed gravy jugs so you are always near one of them. Just thinking about this heavenly feast with my family is making me very happy.

@mumsiedarlingrevolta
I loved your description of queuing doggie waiting patiently in each spot for his turn..how adorable..must have given you all quite a giggle...but what did you do when his got to the top of the queue?

@mumsiedarlingrevolta
Will be fun to see if he/she tries it on again this year, too
Clever doggie!

Family style but, as we fill the serving dishes, I plate up my and DH's dinner. That way everyone is beginning to load their plates as soon as we place the dishes down, everything is piping hot and we get the selection we want not guests trying to be helpful by serving us.
Our Christmas seems to be getting smaller though, only 9 this year.

I have 3 heated trays with 3 sections in each from Aldi I got 3 years ago and always use them to keep food piping hot. 1 potatoes, 2 carrots, 3 peas, 4 pigs in blankets and sausage meat, 5 carved turkey and beef and 6 Yorkshire puddings. Sprouts and stuffing just have to go in separate bowls on table. They are worth the money spent on them.

I put my gravy in a thermos jug on the table which really helps warm up the other food. We also put food on the kitchen island so everyone can help themselves - on those tea light warmers

Not sure about tips, but in an ideal world I’d put it all in serving dishes with plates on the table, carve the meats at the table and everyone help themselves.

But our table isn’t big enough for that, so I’ll put plates on the work top, put everything in to nice serving dishes and let everyone come and take what they want from the work top. We have a big kitchen and no dining room, so we eat in the kitchen and I’ll carve the turkey and ham at the table. It’s all open plan and everyone can see us cooking etc, but I’ll still put things on to nice serving platters as I think it’s good to make a special effort for Christmas.

Oooh I'm hovering over those warming buffet things but seems like an extravagance for 1 day a year! Need to work out how many serving dishes I can fit in the oven.

I might try doing meat, pigs, spuds on plates then rest from table.

I thought I would rarely use my warming dishes but I use them a lot - good for takeaways when we are all dipping in, extra roast potatoes etc

@FusionChefGeoff

Oooh I'm hovering over those warming buffet things but seems like an extravagance for 1 day a year! Need to work out how many serving dishes I can fit in the oven.

I might try doing meat, pigs, spuds on plates then rest from table.

Aldi £29.99 .... it’s great