What do you eat Christmas Eve?

[Magnalux]

So I always host Christmas dinner, I’ve 22 to cook for this year! Needless to say I don’t fancy cooking much on Christmas Eve, I’m also doing some prep for the next day. I’ve a DH and three teenagers to cook for.Just wondering what kinds of meals you serve up on Christmas Eve that are low effort but still nice ! Looking for inspiration. Thanks

We have a buffet every Christmas Eve around 4pm. We spend the evening grazing and watching Christmas films. Low effort and DC love it. We usually have a selection of meats, cheeses, crackers, chutneys, olives and pickles, fresh bread, selection of pringles and nuts, sausage rolls (warm), pork pie, prawn cocktail, salmon and a chocolate log as the centerpiece for pudding, with cream or ice cream.

Something slow cooked usually. Pulled pork with baked potatoes, lamb with couscous, nigellas Boston baked beans with ribs. I like having something in the slow cooker in the morning knowing that it’s waiting when we are ready at nighttime.

We buy frozen Peking crispy duck, pancakes and sauce from a local Korean supermarket. You can keep it in the freezer so it doesn't take up valuable fridge space. Then I serve with thinly sliced cucumber, peppers and spring onions. If there's a lot of us I sometimes add Chinese party food like mini prawn toasts etc.
If we are having a pudding I make the Waitrose orange, pistachio and honey blossom salad. It's lovely and fresh and balances out the fattiness of the duck.

For as long as I can remember we’ve had The Christmas Ham with chips and/or crusty bread for dinner on Christmas Eve.

I’ve always cooked the ham on Christmas
Eve anyway, and get a much bigger one so we can have it for dinner - my mum always did the same too. We sometimes have a fried egg with it and it’s delicious! One of my favourite meals of the Christmas period.

Pizza picnic on blankets in the living room as the table is always set by that point

Take away curry.

Chinese takeaway if we’re at home, or pub grub if we’re out. I never cook on Christmas Eve

We make our own pizzas.