No Xmas Dinner

[SausageDogNamedBrenda]

I'm seriously considering not doing a roast Xmas day, is this awful?
There will be 7 adults. This year I had to have a new oven and the capacity is alot smaller than my old one. My kitchen isn't huge and it's so stressful getting it all cooked and staying hot.
But, what can we have? A buffet? We normally have a buffet in the evening?
Are Chinese takeaways open?🤣
Any ideas please?

Do you have a slow cooker? Cook a joint in that, then a tray of roast potatoes tray of roast veg, rest on the hob (make red cabbage the day before and reheat in the microwave even), stuffing and pigs in blankets can be cooked in 10 mins after you take out the veg and potatoes whilst you dish up

As long as everyone coming knows in advance. I’d be pretty gutted to expect a Christmas dinner & get a takeaway. If that was the case I’d want to know to get my own stuff in and maybe do the roast on Boxing Day

Best Christmas diner we had was a pork and cider casserole we put in the slow cooker the night before. It was the year I'd got a newborn plus 3 other young dc, my dying step father & my dm. When everyone was hungry I made some posh mash and dished up. Was such a lovely meal, very little washing up. It was the most chilled out Christmas.

@Seasidemumma77 that sounds lovely and something that would appeal I think .

What’s a “posh mash”?

In our house, "posh mash" is when you make it with cream and James Martin quantities of butter, rather than skimmed milk and a small knob of butter.

Sounds lovely 😊

We go for ease:

• Aunt bessies yorkies (5 mins in oven)
• Lots of pre-prepped veg options (some steamfresh so minutes in microwave and some mixed oven tray ones that you just wack in for say 30 mins)
• Pre-prepped mash (few minute in microwave)
• We do a pasta as the main but you could slow cook a meat or pick something simple like preprep chicken breasts or nice sausages or wellington or maybe even pies etc...

Really I dont understand why people martyr themselves over xmas dinner, its just food it really doesnt have to be hard to do.

People who sit and hand peel 100 carots, 50 parsnips, 5 turnips etc... while sat with a face like thunder about how no ones helping and yet who moan everytime offer of help come (because they secretly enjoy the misery) then spend the whole day 'pot watching' alone unnecasseraly so they can seeth/stew the entire time dispite it being entirely their own choosing to not be enjoying the fun with others are frankly insufferable.

Just do whatevers easiest and relax and enjoy the day.

I applaud you, it’s stressful doing Xmas dinner, you do what’s comfortable for you. We’re all lulled into what Xmas day should be by the fancy adverts by M&S and other retailers, it’s so unrealistic. One year we had creamy prawns and scallops with linguine and garlic bread, beautiful 🤩

We got a local restaurant to deliver Christmas dinner this year. Was so nice to relax in the day as my DC are small. Doing the same again next year but getting a few ready made extras we enjoy like cauliflower cheese etc