Christmas food-what are your must-have items?

[AutisticLegoLover]

The dc love After 8 Mints, Pringles and various sweets but there's nothing in particular apart from the Christmas dinner itself and whatever we bake. I'm wondering what to buy to brighten up our very boring diets (sensory issues) so please tell me what your Christmas favourites are. We are veggie but tell me everything as I'll tweak recipes and ideas.

For me Christmas wouldn't be the same without Quality Street but this year is the last time I'll buy them because they've changed the wrappers and the chocolate gets worse each year. They were our family Christmas tradition from when I was tiny so I'm really disappointed.

Orangettes, vinsanto and shortbread, eggs Benedict for breakfast with proper Hollandaise, chocolate marzipan, half a dozen types of cheese.

So many lovely things to add to my shopping list, thank you. I'd completely left out having anything for Boxing Day and Christmas Eve. I wanted to do something special for Christmas Eve but I've no idea what. Buffet food always appears more exciting than it is. The reality is a greasy mass in my stomach that makes me feel sick. I might do cheese and crackers and grapes and the two chutneys I got from Waitrose. Dcs will eat crackers with Philadelphia or primula. Mum and I will be all about the Wensleydale with Cranberries. That should do us then a snack before Christmas Eve Mass to keep them going.

I like the idea of a box of drinks outside the back door. DS can't have fizzy drinks past lunchtime but he will be sure to make the most of them before his cut off point. He's requested a bottle of Dr Pepper just for him bless him.

If you like chocolate marzipan from Lidl, try these, they’re yum.

Aside from Christmas Day -

Chocolate marzipan (used to be Niederegger or Anton Berg now converted to Lidl)
Chocolate covered orange rind
Devils on horseback
Delia’s cranberry relish
Roast nuts
Fresh chestnuts
Ossau Iraty cheese
Ash covered goat’s cheese
My sister’s spiced plum chutney
Chamonix biscuits
Speculaas
Ricciarelli biscuits
Mulled wine
Vegetable crisps

Cheese! - Brie, Camembert, goats cheese, Boursin
posh condiments - red onion chutney, fig jam, cranberry sauce
fancy crackers!
homemade comfort soups
after eights
salmon and cream cheese Bagels With lemon
bread sauce
nice red wine
bucks fizz
Pringles (salt and vinegar, prawn cocktail)
peanuts
pretzels

Delia smith's curried nut roast. Absolutely essential!

Satsumas
Terrys chocolate orange
Quality Street
Roses
Champagne
Cheese footballs (harder and harder to find!)
Brie and cranberry filo parcels from M+S
Pret Xmas sandwiches
Bread sauce
smoked salmon
little cocktail sausages with honey and mustard

After eights
Potato and apple stuffing
Bucks fuzz
Pavlova
Home made spiced nuts

WinterLobelia wow your ice cream recipe sounds amazing! It will just be me and my young son this Christmas so I’m starting a list of nice treats to have😊

Homemade Yule Log
Pigs in Blanket - I am German and never heard of these before, the Germans do miss a trick here. DD is obsessed with them, she complained she only had "one tiny one" at her Scout camp's Christmas dinner, so I better stock up.
Port - DH gets heartburn but it's a must at Christmas
We buy lots of Stollen, Lebkuchen and Spekelatius from Lidl and get some stuff from Germany hopefully in time for Christmas.

Buffet food 100%

I bought more Terry's chocolate oranges today-the popping candy ones.

Not a menu, but must haves: home made sausage rolls, walkers shortbread, Quality Street choc (agree with previous poster that they are no longer the same but tradition is tradition), roast (home grown) leg of hogget with the trimmings either christmas eve or christmas dinner, BBQ with garlic prawn skewers, pavlova, ham, little potatoes with butter and sour cream, green salads.. going to try a new home made dessert as I have lots of rubarb, so sliced on puff pastry and put in the oven, i think had a melted butter topping but I need to check on this..

Nigel Slaters Stilton Puffs.
They are part of my Christmas morning cooking. Just right for a nibble with a glass of wine while waiting for the main event.

At Christmas we always have the cocktail sticks with little blocks of cheese, pineapple and a cocktail pickles on them. Also ritz crackers with primula cheese and a cocktail pickles.

For chocolate we always have after eights, matchmakers and ferrero rochers.

Oh they look delicious and so easy to whip up.

Gonna pop them on my list.

Quality Street
Mince pies
Trifle (home-made)
Bailey's

Walkers Christmas shapes Shortbread
Clementines
Divine chocolate coins
Turkish delight
Mince pies
Brandy butter
Stilton and apricot
Baked camembert
Trifle
Smoked salmon
Mulled Wine

Christmas dinner has to include:
Sprouts
Braised red cabbage
Pigs in blankets
Roast parsnips/carrots
Sage & Onion stuffing
Cranberry sauce

@timtam23 my husband likes the plum version of the Lidl marzipan. Sadly not vegan otherwise I would be munching away myself. Instead, I settle for their marzipan logs and the tiny little bars of marzipan in a long box.

Many cheeses and posh pickled onions

Quality Street (Orange and strawberry creams).
Lots of lovely cheeses
Trifle

Hackney gelato do mince pie ice cream - it is amazing.

My daughter is also obsessed with the gingerbread one.

Snowball! Yes! I've been sat here trying to remember what the flip they're called! Also, what is the orange component of your hot orange and amaretto?! A dash of squash? Sounds lush!

Homemade shortbread on boxing day afternoon - Really simple to make and it just warms me. I love it.

This is a good thread - Lots of ideas!

Hot fresh smooth orange juice. Enough for a small mug, then a generous shot of amaretto.

Hot cloudy apple juice and Southern comfort is also lovely as a warm winter tipple