Christmas brunch nibbles instead of roast

[ThreeWheelsGood]

For various reasons, we won't be cooking a traditional Christmas roast this year. (We will have one with other family at new year!)

4 adults, 2 primary aged children.

Instead we had the bright idea of having a big Christmas brunch/nibbles table. Can anyone help me with suggestions for food?

So far we have:

Cheese board
Pizza pinwheels (made by the children)
Pigs in blankets
Eggs
Pancakes
Yoghurt
Fruit
Croissants

Olives, pickles, crudités, mustards, nuts

Sliced ham

Yes olives are a good shout.

Wondered if I missed anything special or particularly tasty. Might do baked camembert in addition to the cheese board.

Not to be rude if it's not the suggestion you're looking for - but it all sounds a bit depressing and uninspiring for a Christmas dinner, especially for kids. Yogurt and fruit for Christmas lunch? Maybe think about going a bit bigger?

I'm assuming you're maybe welcoming a family member out of hospital or something and don't want them to be too overwhelmed by lots of food?

The items you've listed don't really go together on a plate.

Pizza, pancakes and eggs?

Either choose a breakfast type buffet with pancakes, pastries and eggs or do a lunch/dinner one with pizza, cheese, nice breads, salads and meats.

Pain au Chocolate
Chocolate Chip Brioche Rolls
Those part baked bread rolls that you finish off in the oven (would be lovely with butter)
Garlic Bread
Mini Sausages (with ketchup to dip)
Crisps - various

I was going to say this also.

The food you have listed just don't really go together?

I'd definitely stick to something that all can go together on a plate etc

Very strange combo. They are all items of food rather than a party spread and don't go together.

Maybe get some ideas looking at the supermarket party foods.

I’d let everyone choose two favourites and take it from there. We did this one year and it was an eclectic mix-
Pate and toast with cranberry sauce
Chicken nuggets
pizza
chicKen skewers and peanut dip
mini spring rolls
corn on the cob
and parsnips.

🤣

We have our traditional Christmas dinner on Xmas Eve. On Christmas Day we have a big buffet brunch of bacon sandwiches, bagels and smoked salmon, pastries, fruit, yoghurt etc.

Nuts, sweets, chocolates etc available to nibble throughout the day.

Then a buffet tea of leftovers from Xmas dinner, breads, cheeses (including a baked camembert), crackers, olives, crisps, dips, etc etc.

But this is pretty rude, really - obviously I'm posting here precisely because I need help working out what to assemble. If I knew what to serve then why would I post here?

And yes, "various reasons" is a nod to family/household circumstances. I'm not very well.

I really appreciate the constructive replies with more solid suggestions. I've got lost thinking about it as a buffet rather than brunch so need to concentrate on the breakfast/brunch theme. Thanks for that.

Pancakes
Eggs
Bacon
Sausages including pigs in blankets
Cheese
Bread
Croissants
Jam
Fruit
Yoghurt

This could also be a fun option 😜 Maybe at some point over the season. Thanks for the idea.

Good idea to stick to brunch , can do cheeseboard buffet spread for tea time?
For brunch, M&S do super thin bacon American style , is awesome with pancakes or with avocado on toast. Also for brunch can get cinnamon rolls that you slice and bake

Brunch is great.
Waffles, crispy bacon, crispy chicken and honey sauce.
Hash with chorizo
Breakfast burrito
Smashed avocado and poached eggs

I think your brunch spread is a great idea!

For the kids I would have a stack of variety pack cereals, especially the chocolate/ sugary ones they’re not usually allowed.

I’d have bagels with smoked salmon and cream cheese.

Oh and really nice posh muesli/ granola, Greek yoghurt, fruit compote

Fruit compote is a good shout can be used as topping on lots of things.
My dc love the squirty cream that you can get in the UK.

we do this every year! May I suggest everyone picking their absolute favourite 5 things, (one dessert item and one drink included), we ended up with a splendid (if a bit random) buffet table. I added in a couple of fillers and a fantastic local cheeseboard which only I ate. Everyone ended up with their favourite foods and lots of others. It works really well!

I think people get a bit lost in traditional v enjoyable… sometimes traditional is really enjoyable but a lot of the times enjoyment comes out of the new traditions that circumstances make.

Ooh this will be so much fun!

I'd go large on dips and crudite, things to dip
That pecorino one from Waitrose, guac.

All the crackers and chutneys/ pickles for your cheeseboard. Pickled walnuts,
olives, grapes.

Would anyone appreciate smoke salmon horseradish blinis? That's super festive.

Chicken nuggets/ goujons and cranberry sauce

Coleslaw

Either a quiche or quails eggs,
Sausage rolls

Picard on Ocado do mini burgers which are expensive but amazing and so simple

Waitrose do roast beef and horseradish in mini Yorkshires which are actually my fave festive canope

You can usually get cranberry and cheese spring rolls - can't remember which cheese or where from but I've had them at people's houses -or a filo tart.

Crisps.

Depending on what you like for pudding I'd do trifle or eton mess (or a chocolate style trifle) in individual glasses ready to have out but look fun + all the chocolate.

I'd definitely embrace the party food sections of wthe major supermarkets although perhaps that's still juggling oven times and being in and out of the kitchen.

Sorry you’re not well. I like the idea of the original menu - we are planning something fairly similar this year. I think we’re going to start off with some kind of yogurt/fruit/pastries late breakfast, as my DC are heathens and too young for/uninterested in bacon (though my older one may push for pancakes).

Then my plan is a buffet early dinner with lots of “nice things on trays”, ie the posh canapé stuff you find in M&S/Waitrose at this kind of year. Hot canapés for us, plus pizza, crisps, veg, maybe some dips, little sausages, etc. Whatever minimises work for me that the kids will enjoy is a winner (and we will have Christmas dinner on another day). Plus Yule log and trifle. And a cheeseboard for later in the evening, obviously 😊

Sounds lovely. Lots of different things work on a breakfast / brunch buffet just thinking of all the options on a nice hotel one.

I’d do:
Fruit salad, yoghurts, granola
Cheese and cold cuts platter
Pigs in blankets and cocktail sausages
Mini scotch eggs, devilled eggs, ready to eat quail eggs or a frittata or quiche
Savoury tomato and cheese pinwheels
Crusty baguettes and soft rolls
Butter croissants
Basket of muffins - blueberry, lemon, banana bread
Pancakes
Dish of butter, jam, chocolate spread and maybe syrup for the pancakes
Assorted chocolate oranges unboxed and piled high.

As you are not well OP can someone else not step up and provide a meal , even assembling buffet food is hard work .

I was thinking that it still seems quite a lot of work although it sounds lovely too. Good luck!

Brunch type wouldn't be enough to keep everyone going all day here. I would do a lunchtime one instead, cheeseboard, pickles etc, cold meats, pigs in blankets, roast potatoes (we always do these even with a buffet), pizzas, quiche etc.