Alternative Christmas Day menu...

[chalkyc2]

Honestly I don't think I can face the traditional catering this year!

We are a family of 4 with pre teen boys (one doesn't eat roasts so traditional turkey wasted on him). We usually have my sisters family (veggie plus one gluten free!) and my parents (like traditional). I'm thinking whether I could totally mix it up and do something completely different. The traditional turkey is really only eaten by 5 of 9 of us. I then have to find room for the veggie alternative in my regular sized oven and be careful re gluten in the rest of the meal.

Help me think up something festive but easy?!? I don't mind doing 2 alternatives - one veg/one meat but - I dunno - festive chilli or something? The cooking ruins the day for me and it all seems so much effort!!

@jocktamsonsbairn have you ever cooked a turkey breast in the slow cooker? It's not nice!

OP just do the meat the night before. It'll be fine

No but have done whole chickens which came out great so thought it would be similar - obviously on for less time!

Just scrub that idea then op! 😆

I'd go with this too , Indian cuisine lends itself to all , meat eaters , veggie etc or if you don't want to cook order in

Heaven on plates

Loads of ideas! I'd like pretty much any of them. I'm realising how bloody fussy my family is though!! Me and DH will eat anything. Kids are fussy, parents are traditional, sis family veggie and to clarify the GF is also veg.

I've discounted going out because it would just be a waste of money for the fussies.

Nothing quite works for everyone - maybe it never will.

I put my turkey crown in foil and slow cook every year and it's AMAZING

We are veggie... we do pretty much a standard roast/xmas dinner but with with cheesy veg pasta instead of chicken.

It started years ago as an odd craving I was having but worked so we kept doing it, places like Toby Cavery has now started doing Mac & Cheese with their roasts too so it seems like we where a little a head of the trend but nice too know its normal and we arent just wierdos lol.

• turkey not chicken, you can tell I dont eat it that I can get the two bloody things mixed up lol

"I put my turkey crown in foil and slow cook every year and it's AMAZING"

My friend does the same, I couldn't even lie to her at Christmas, it was vile. Neither me nor DH could eat it.

Make everything GF for a start to stop worrying about cross contamination.
Make all the vegetables and sides vegetarian (use veg oil and vegetarian cheeses etc) to avoid confusion.
Give your ds a plate of roast potatoes and sausages ( the supermarket premium ones are generally GF these days).
The meat eaters get a roast meat (if you don't fancy turkey have something else). The vegetarians get a roast celeriac.
So you make 2 lots of sausages, 2 lots of meat/sub and 2 lots of gravy but everyone gets roast potatoes, cauli cheese, red cabbage, sprouts, roast carrots and parsnips.
Lots can be done the night before (or longer and then frozen) and warmed through in the oven while the meat rests.
Better still, get the guests to bring most of the side dishes so you have less to pull together.

I also suggest serving it late afternoon to take the pressure off. It's supposed to be fun, so make sure you do what you can to make it work for you! Boozy brunch will keep everyone going until then!

I love this idea!

Pre order from M&S or Morrisons or somewhere? Get odds and sods, sit back and relax.

I've done Peking roast duck, which DH decided wasn't enough so he did something as a main course which no one wanted, you may be able to buy the pancakes from your local takeaway, we got ours from a Chinese supermarket.

I've also done confit duck legs, dead easy and can be done in advance and the fat is great for roast spuds