Christmas Eve Dinner

[ChristmasCrumpet]

Just looking for some ideas really.

We don't want to to the "Christmas Dinner on Christmas Eve" thing, which does sound lovely, but we'll have the whole family here Christmas Day, and they'll want a Christmas Dinner, and so will the kids.

Christmas Day evening, we put out a late buffet for the adults when the DC have gone to bed, charcuterie, cheeseboard, canapes etc...so don't want that Christmas Eve either.

We don't really want a heavy meal like a Chinese or Indian takeaway either.

I know this is a lot of "don'ts"...

What we do want, is something special, just the two of us, as DC will have a pizza, yet as low maintenance as possible, as we'll be doing the last minute house prep/wrapping and would like to not be faffing with fancy cooking.

Any ideas?

This sounds immense. Might put this on the menu this year.

We always have a Chinese takeaway.

We always have Jamie Oliver's yorkshire puddings with smoked trout pate and a bottle of something fizzy. Really easy and quick to make.

How about a brinner? Eggs, bacon, fried bread, grilled tomatoes, sausages, toast. Yum!!

Actually I think I just talked myself into having that tonight 😂

We go to the local Italian with the kids on Christmas Eve. No clean up to do that evening, kids love it, we love it and it just feels nice to be out.

We then do Christmas Eve books before putting the younger kids to bed, last bit of wrapping is done then we have a quiet evening with either our books or a film with the teenager.

Last year I did oysters, caviar and champagne for me. (DH and the Dcs don't eat much so i made for them what they wanted. But for me I treated myself)

Christmas Eve we always had a take away for dinner. Nice and easy. However both our children worked or still work in hospitality so we have done a Christmas dinner at my mums house the last 2 Christmas Eves as they miss out on a Christmas dinner on Christmas Day .

We always cook a ham and have that with bread, piccalilli, pickled onions, cheese etc.

I doubt that meets your 'bit special' criteria though.

What about an m&s dine in for two meal? Low effort but always nice.

We always eat out on Christmas Eve but my go to for a quick date nigh supper with a film is always seafood.

Chorizo, cherry tomatoes, king prawns, creme fraiche and a squeeze of lemon all done in one pan with dressed rocket and watercress salad and toasted sourdough OR
chorizo, scallop and rocket linguine 🥰.

We have a silly tradition where everyone gets their favourite meal on Christmas eve. So DS has spaghetti bolognese and DH has lamb shank with mash, and I have a takeaway pizza late at night whilst swearing over the wrapping!

I make bolognese most weeks, so I just freeze a portion week or so before for DS, and the lamb shanks go in the slow cooker so no actual cooking apart from the mash and some pasta.

We have that for Christmas Day @PosyPrettyToes 😊 everyone chooses their ideal meal about a week before. Everything’s easy enough to prep and freeze or otherwise organise! I ended up with a steak sandwich with all the good bits, DH had steak and chips, dd1 had pizza, dd2 had pasta and ds had a bit of everything! Then we put out a couple of pre made dessert platters and played an epic tournament of Let’s sing!

My mum always slow cooked a joint of beef on Christmas Eve and then we had hot beef baps for tea. My dh loved it so much he has now made it our tradition too.

Beef casserole & jacket spuds which cook while we are at the teatime Christingle service, and then around 9pm we might have cheese & biscuits and some pickles. I usually cook some mini sausage rolls as well, or little kebabs, or veg samosas.

Fish is traditional in a lot of places.

What about a kedgeree?

😋 💯

I like this idea very much

We always go out to a pub for Xmas eve lunch. Then by kids bedtime all they want is a toasted sandwich etc. we then have posh snacky bits later on eg crab on toast, sashimi etc later on.

Delia's smoked fish fish pie. Prefer it to Christmas meal!

DH makes seafood pancakes on Christmas Eve. Started from a tradition of having seafood pancakes as a starter on Christmas Day but over the years it just got too much, nobody could eat that and then a full lunch. We now live in Aus so seafood pancakes with salad on Christmas Eve is perfect.

We are doing a raclette and hot stone meat / veg cooking thing for lunch this year and then a snack in the evening with a lovely Sauvignon blanc and green salad.

That's what we do....I almost enjoy it more than Christmas day itself. Coques St Jacque and a spot of fizz or something similar.

For us it's a Camembert, loaf and crisps

God this thread has made me hungry

Same. This is my happy corner of Mumsnet.

That's my Christmas Eve dinner sorted if there are just the two of us, thank you!