Christmas Dinner Menu

[Lwrenagain]

Hi! Can we share what we're cooking? I want someone who shares joy in cooking Christmas food to get excited with!

I budget around £200 for the food for Christmas period, including treats and meals. I really shop around for this.

I make lots of "big" sides because we have open door policy for family/friends/neighbours/colleagues or if any school mums etc need some dinners plating up (we've had that happen when a mums oven broke Xmas day and we were able to drop off some dinners for her) plus DP works shifts, so if any of his colleagues are working over the Xmas day without a dinner we plate them up and he'll do a drop off.

To be cost effective I get loads of veg and tart it up for the mains, plus it lasts days/can be made in advance to help with small oven situations.

Meat - turkey / a joint of ham.
Stuffing - homemade - sage and onion with sausage meat is the favourite for my family but I prefer chestnut and apple stuffing 😋
Pigs in blankets
(I do try to stock in veggie/vegan equivalents in!)

Veg - roasties with garlic and rosemary and lemon
Potato dauphinoise topped with brie and sage
Carrot and Swede mash
Roasted garlic sweet potato mash
Glazed heritage carrots with thyme
Honey and mustard parsnips
Cauliflower, leek and brocoli cheese
Sprouts with chestnuts or pancetta
Braised red cabbage 😋

Homemade cranberry sauce/apple sauce and mint sauce (I dislike my homemade cranberry so I buy ocean spray for me, I just enjoy making it even if its a bit shite😂)

I make the gravy in advance and just use the Colemans bread sauce packets because I've never liked fresh bread sauce tbh.

I try getting all the veg and potatoes when they're on offer at aldi or lidl and to keep costs down I'll make a veggie soup or stew or curry for a few days we need something less rich to eat and also not dead expensive ☺

The meat when it's half price at sainsburys seems to be the best bargain because it lasts ages.

Last year Morissons had a great deal on wheels of brie being half price and some good deals on cheeses and pates.

For the veggies/vegans
I defrost vegan sausages and use them with sautéed mushrooms to make stuffing.

I see what veggie mains I'll see what's being stocked in all the supermarkets, aldi has vegan pigs in blankets etc

Lidl and aldi do nice veggie pastries ❤

Desserts
I'll make mince pies and a Christmas cake with the DC but also look for ideas on the Jane's patisserie blog, I like her trifle ideas ❤

I love stollen/dried fruit/marzipan flavoured puddings, anyone else?
I'd happily swerve chocolate for Christmas flavoured sweets!

Cheese board with homemade chutney (Mary Berry has a terrific recipe) and then some shop bought ones such as quince.
Lots of French stick/crackers/butter etc

We don't drink alcohol in my house but I'll get a baileys and amaretto in for guests, if anyone wants to bring their own booze I'll provide mixers etc maybe someone can recommend a nice bottle of wine for me to keep in for visitors? I'd appreciate that!

Last year was a really crap Christmas so I'm super excited for this one 🌠

Oh almond croissants 🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤

I've also got two boxes of these bad boys I'm saving

Cafe Nero Almond Croissants you say ,,,,,,,,,,,,,, I've only been to Cafe Nero once so a visit is on the cards now .

Hallomi in aubergine sounds 🔥 ☺

I often defrost Linda mc sausages, and mash it, then fry with chopped sautéed mushrooms and onions and garlic, then add loads of herbs and add that to a box of stuffing and it's always better received by meat eaters, who just don't expect it to be so punchy.
I've made it with apples or cranberry as well as sage and onion and it's been fab.

Nigella makes a glaze for sausages with honey and soy and I've also used that for those mini quorn sausages and they're really tasty for a bit of an more exciting/festivey buffet for veggies!

I'm cooking for the first time in a few years and I can't wait. We go across town to my parents' house (DH, 2DC and I) and my brother and SIL come up from 1.5 hours south of us. One of my cousins has been joining us recently although I'm not 100% sure if he's coming this year or not yet.

We always have something a bit different and I'm not joking when I say I have friends all over the world and random people in pubs asking me what I'm cooking each year (and they'll be excited to know I'm doing it again this year). Most of this year's menu are things we've had before though as I didn't want to start doing too many new things this year.

I haven't fully finalised the menu, there will be more sides as everyone likes something different and it's mostly served in a "take what you want" way but this is what I've got so far:

Starter 1

Arbroath smokie pâté with oatcakes

Starter 2

Seared scallops with nduja, seaweed, and smoked garlic butter

Main

Duck three ways: spiced duck bacon, pan-fried duck breast, duck leg bonbon

Sides

Orange glazed carrots
Pickled carrots
Chestnut purée
Asparagus and Hollandaise
Duck fat roasties
(More to be added, probably more veg, another type of potato and another sauce)

Dessert 1

Tonka bean pannacotta with chocolate soil and mango curd

Dessert 2

Clootie dumpling with custard (not sure if this will be normal custard or if I'll make a flavoured one, currently tempted by a Drambuie custard)

That is a beautiful cake.

Watching for ideas
I too may have a broken oven , and prevail on your good natures

Wow! Is cooking your profession or are you just incredibly passionate about cooking?

That menu sounds like masrerchef professional level final meal 😋

Brazenly place-marking, will come back with my offerings when settled in front of the computer!

Roast goose
Roasties cooked with the fat that comes off the goose
Twice-cooked creamy mashed potato
Home made bread sauce
Home made orange gravy
Home made stuffing (forcemeat with applies and goose liver)
Roast parsnips
Brussels sprouts
Shop bought apple sauce

Pudding will be shop bought and type to be confirmed. We don't have starters.

Wow! Is cooking your profession or are you just incredibly passionate about cooking?

That menu sounds like masrerchef professional level final meal 😋

I just love cooking and it's the only day of the year I go all out. It takes me a lot longer than you'd get in a professional kitchen or on TV though, I try to prepare as much as I can in advance so I don't have to cook too much actually on the day but some previous years I was in the kitchen for hours. (I have a dodgy back now so I couldn't do that anymore).

If I ever went on something Masterchef I'd be asking for a chair for regular breaks, at least twice the time of everyone else, and wanting a large glass of wine while I was cooking and I doubt they'd allow that.

I don't know if I've posted on here already.

This year we are 3 adults and our main course will be raan(slow roast lamb Indian style) I've convinced DH to buy the sides from the takeaway Christmas eve and reheat them. We usually have garlic and chilli prawns so it's either that or try to tie them in to the theme.

DS usually does the pudding so I'm not sure what it will be as he refuses to think about Christmas until after his late November birthday.

This sounds amazing OP! Do you have a huge kitchen, or do you do a lot of prep in advance? PS can I pop round for a plate? I work in hospitality and am usually wiped out by Christmas day!

@glassconcreteandstone you absolutely can! Where are you based? Anywhere near Merseyside or Cheshire and I'll deliver you one!

I do most in advance and just reheat it Christmas day.
The dishes is the draining part 😂

And I have a really small house but the kitchen is massive! The house is really meh but a good size kitchen! 😂

@Lwrenagain can any of your veg be made in advance? It's the one thing I struggle with only having a small oven and an array of dietary requirements to fulfill. They sound delicious much nicer than the plain veg I usually serve.

Absolutely yes! When I get some time this week I'll let you know how mine gets done! But 100% and actually I have always find next day roasties shite, but recently I made loads for a pal who's cooker broke and I tested them in the air fryer the next day, worked an absolute treat! Only needed about 2 mins!

Hi all! I hope you had a truly wonderful Christmas and enjoyed your cooking and meals were appreciated. All the best for the new year x

Our meal went almost to plan. We ended up with 7 rather than 9 because my brother and SIL ended up with Covid.

Some parts of my menu did change so we ended up with Arbroath smokie pâté as a daytime snack then we ate Christmas dinner in the evening so just 3 courses. I forgot to plate some of the main sides (everything was meant to be plated apart from the two potato dishes which were for people to help themselves to) so the bits I forgot ended up shoved on the side too but at least I didn't find them hours later like I've done in other years.

Starter was pan-fried scallops on chorizo with roasted garlic and seaweed butter and celeriac crisps.

Main was duck three ways: home-cured duck prosciutto, pan-fried duck breast on chestnut purée, and a confit duck leg bonbon on celeriac purée. Served with orange glazed baby carrots, pickled carrots, pickled chestnuts, asparagus with Hollandaise sauce, duck and red wine sauce, torched orange segments, duck fat roast potatoes and Brussels sprouts colcannon.

Dessert was tonka bean pannacotta with chocolate soil and mango curd.

Absolutely lush 😍

Thank you! I love doing it but I'm glad it's once a year at the most and I don't do it every year now either.