What constitutes a Christmas dinner?

[Ajollyhappysoul]

What does your meal contain? Starter, main and dessert, especially the main meal? Do you include Yorkshire’s, brocolli? Or are these just for roast dinners?

[quote JHMJHM]@Sunshineandrainbow out of interest what do you constitute too ££ for turkey? I guess its a prefernce thing but I would rather have the turkey and skip some other stuff. I think turkey is so economical but only if you like it of course[/quote]
There are only three of us, for many years there were only two of us, and we used to sometimes have a chicken instead with all the usual trimmings. I'm not honestly that bothered about turkey. This year I think we'll get a turkey crown from Aldi which I'd guess would be £30ish.

Ours changes year on year depending on who's with us and their preferences, but we don't like turkey so we never have that.

This year....no starter. roast lamb, roast spuds, roast veg, steamed sprouts, yorkie puds and gravy for those that want it. I wanted pugs in blankets too but have been overruled this time. Still, I've got me Yorkshires....

Puddings.....trifle, Christmas pudding, cheesecake

Cheeses and bics afterwards if wanted, or later.

To drink.....whatever everyone blooming wants, i's Christmas after all. I shall have tia Maria and coke as I don't like wine

We have garlic mushrooms and crusty bread

Starter - melon or prawns or mix of both

Main: roast turkey or gammon, roast pots, piggies in blankets,sprouts, carrots, peas, parsnips, cauliflower cheese, red cabbage, gravy, cranberry, bread sauce.

Pudding - roulade or pannacotta or often nothing! Pudding later instead of an evening meal.

Supper: cheeses, biscuits, chutneys and grapes.

Garlic mushrooms as a starter sound good op.

My dps always do a starter, prawns and melon! Old school but I love it!

Dh and I don't do a starter, we go straight to the Turkey, glazed ham, roast potatoes, brussel sprouts cooked with bacon bits, roasted parsnips, carrots, broccoli, Yorkshire puds and pigs in blankets, stuffing , gravy...sauces are cranberry , apple sauce and mustard, plus pickles.

Do a few different desserts which I take when we go to see my family on boxing day!

@StrongCoffeAvalanche

Starter: booze

Main: turkey, stuffing, Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, pigs in blankets, variety of veg for the whole family - parsnips, Brussels sprouts, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, green beans. Cranberry sauce and loads of gravy.

Dessert: selection of Christmas pudding and sticky toffee pudding with custard and ice cream.

Can’t be bothered to read the rest of the thread. Have got this far - please can you set an extra place for me at your table?!

(As an aside I’ll skip on the cranberry and custard, but that will leave more for their guests)

Just a bloody good roast dinner - it's all about the sides for me!
Stuffing, pigs in blankets, Yorkshires, red cabbage, all the veg!!
No space or interest in a starter, pudding will either be cheese & biscuits or a mini leftover dinner later on!!

Probably not a popular opinion but we don't have turkey. It's not a particularly special meat for us and as there is only four of us it doesn't have to go to many people. We usually have a nice joint of beef or duck or goose, something special. I wouldn't order turkey in a restaurant so we have what we really like. No starter. Sides of pigs in blankets, sprouts, roast parsnips, roast carrots, goose fat potatoes, stuffing (made with sausage meat). Gravy. Desert of Christmas pudding for husband and Yule log for me and kids.

No room for a starter

Roast turkey crown, flavoured with garlic, orange and lemon slices and grated ginger
Home made pigs in blankets
Sprouts
Carrots
Cauliflower and broccoli cheese
Peas
Roast Parsnips with honey
Mary Berry’s chestnut and apricot stuffing
Gravy
Home made cranberry sauce

A long gap, then
Home made Christmas pudding with custard, clotted cream, or double cream
Usually a pavlova, maybe a trifle or cheesecake depending on how many we are catering for

Much later
Lots of cheeses and crackers, home made pickles and chutneys, grapes.

Some will have cold turkey and some cooked meats from the day before and maybe some cherry tomatoes.

One the dinner has been cooked and eaten it is up to individuals when and what they eat! Every man for himself!

We will be having mango salad, prawns, scallops, black pudding and samphire.
Christmas pudding with cream or creme brulee to follow.
I don't care if it doesn't seem Christmasy it is our favourite main course.

We have cheesy roast potatoes and a green salad. And that's it! Sounds boring but it's bloody delicious and no-one's slaving over a stove all day!

No starters here

Roast chicken, sausages and gammon, Yorkshire's, stuffing, roast potatoes, peas and carrots and sprouts.

Dessert, either homemade trifle, shop bought steamed pudding or Christmas pudding and cream/custard.

We tend to leave a two hour gap between main course and dessert.

Then have a selection of nibbles for tea.

Eg. Celery sticks, cucumber sticks, crisps, bit of lettuce etc, savoury biscuits, sausage roll or cocktail sausages, sandwich if anyone wants one. More trifle or mince pie.

I cant eat about half of that though due to intolerances but that is the general food we put out.

Starter:- ( as a PP said) booze

Main :- Booze along with Turkey, pigs in blankets, sausage meat stuffing, roast potatoes , Brussels, carrots, parsnips and Turkey stock thick gravy (which in our house is a food group entirely and is not liquid- you could possibly slice it 😆)

Dessert- booze and Xmas pud and custard

Then mince pies with coffee and you guessed it booze added to the coffee (there’s always several choices of booze for this)..

No starter
main - turkey, parsnips, roast potatoes, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, sprouts, pigs in blankets.
Desert either Christmas pudding with custard or something chcolately

No starter, but pre-dinner nibbles are allowed. Smoked salmon and creme fraiche on mini blinis, preferably.

Main course - turkey, stuffing, chipolatas, bread sauce, mashed potatoes, roast parsnips, brussel sprouts, tinned sweetcorn (a hangover from when my DB hated sprouts and parsnips as a child), gravy and cranberry sauce. No Yorkshires.

Seconds.

Queen's speech.

Pudding - Christmas pudding and single cream. Only a little. Too full really.

Steak & chips for us this year.

No starter

Mains: Sirloin Steak with Stilton, homemade chips
w. bottle of decent rich red wine (Malbec or Cabernet)

Christmas pudding and vanilla ice cream

Glass of port and chocolate for later.

@Forgotthespuds

Steak & chips for us this year.

@Forgotthespuds A kindred spirit!

We eat in the evening and have:

• No starter as we always have smoked salmon for lunch
• Turkey, pigs in blankets, brussels sprouts, carrots, stuffing, gravy, bread sauce, cranberry sauce, roast potatoes and parsnips. I love Yorkshire Pudding but we don't have it on Christmas day.
• Dessert- something chocolatey usually or madeira christmas cake (no raisins!) or trifle

Turkey, pigs in blankets, veg whatever I fancy last year madhed carrot and swede, roast potatoes, stuffing.
Christmas pud if you like it or mince pies and cream, then coffee

After a very quiet Christmas last year I can't wait to have my children & grandchildren back round the table for Christmas dinner.

No starter other than Prosecco or Snowballs 😊

Main:
Rib of Beef - bone in
Turkey crown
Mushroom Wellington
Pigs in blankets
Yorkshire puddings & gluten free Yorkshire puddings
Stuffing - sausage meat & veggie
Bread sauce & gluten free bread sauce
Roast potatoes
Roast honeyed parsnips
Homegrown sprouts & carrots
Braised red cabbage
Peas
Beef, Turkey, Veggie & gluten free gravy
Homegrown-horseradish sauce
Cranberry sauce

Dessert:
Christmas pudding, brandy butter & extra thick cream
Gluten free pudding
Lemon curd pavlova

@Forgotthespuds @1967buglet May I ask why you’ve decided this, just your favourite food? I so am thinking about doing this as I’m not even that keen on Christmas dinner but feel weird breaking a life long tradition! I’d much rather eat steak and chips, have some strong cheeses etc

My daughter always makes the starter (it's tradition since she was 12 and it's prawn cocktail) not for me though cos I'm veggie.

It's just Romaine lettuce, prawns, her sauce - the usual, nothing fancy. What actually made me laugh was finding out just recently that my son doesn't like prawns. I asked him why he always gushes over his sister's Christmas starter and he said 'just to be nice' but what none of us spotted was he wasn't actually eating them.

Main course and dessert are my department. The usual - Turkey, gammon (home made nut roast for me), roasties, mash, Yorkshires, roast parsnips, carrots, peas, sprouts and my very, very excellent and wonderful vegetarian gravy which everyone has as it's so delicious if I do say so myself.

Dessert is always homemade Bailey's Cheesecake, as none of us like Christmas pudding.

All washed down with plenty of wine and a snooze in the armchairs (pretending to watch the Queen's speech) afterwards.

Curry for me. I'm home alone, my local takeaway will be open, so I'm having that.

Canapés or smoked salmon blinis at late lunchtime.

No starter.

This year dinner will be rack of lamb, potatoes dauphinois and green vegetables.

Desert will be Christmas pudding or homemade Black Forest gateaux

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