Best Christmas Food please!!

[ChristmasSlacker]

This year rather than me slaving all bloody day doing Christmas dinner we’re going out to a restaurant on Xmas eve for our dinner and on Xmas day we’re going to get loads of easy, party buffet type stuff that we can throw in the oven as and when people get peckish.

I can’t bloody wait!

So please - throw me your suggestions/recommendations! Savoury and sweet! Thank you!!

Sainsburys slow cooked pork ribs with maple
Waitrose honey and rosemary chipolatas wrapped in bacon

M&S Sausage Roll Wreath
LIDL Deluxe Macarons

President Camembert baked with cranberry sauce (added in the last 5 minutes of cooking), served with Waitrose bacon wrapped honey and rosemary chipolatas

I’m probably in the minority but I love cooking Christmas dinner, in the kitchen with Christmas tunes and a glass or two
of Prosecco😊

M&S Brie and cranberry parcels 😍

I’d probably find putting lots of different bits and pieces in the oven a bit of a faff too, although not as much faff as making a Christmas dinner I can see!
if I wanted an easy cooking day I’d probably do jacket potatoes and although I’d probably serve alongside a veggie chilli, I might do a turkey curry if I wanted something more festive. Could make the filling the day before or put the ingredients in the slow cooker earlier in the day.

Definitely the M&S Brie and cranberry parcels, I’m sure they do a mini steak bake bites as well.

We did a buffet for the last two christmases and people all brought something. This was my list… and I allocated people different items to bring… and it worked!

A
M&S Smoked Salmon Terrine
“Charcuterwreath” (deli meats, rosemary, cheese)
Sausage and cranberry rolls/plait
Dips
Cheese
Crèmant

B
Sausage rolls* *
Bread
Salad

C
Chutneys
Pickles
Cheese

D
Roast Ham
Pigs in blankets
Some cheese

E
Pork Pie
Pâté
Soft drinks

F
Crisps
Bread
Crackers

Christmas pudding & custard - B
Ginger and Orange Trifle - A
Mince Pies - C

There were definitely other things included too, but this helped me to cover most bases.

-You can often get camembert with a packet of topping that all gets baked from aldi/lidl nearer Christmas. Depending how many guests you are serving, I'd get 1-2 of those and also those bake at home baguettes to cook fresh on the day. I personally find bake camembert very filling, especially with bread. If not the ones with the packet of topping, then just slit to cheese top and add slithers of garlic before baking.
-Antipasto platter with cheeses, meats, grapes, membrillo, olives, pate, crackers etc. Last year aldi did a vintage cheddar which was very strong and delicious. It was something like 5yrs aged from memory. It sold our quite early though and I wished I'd bought more.
-Sausage rolls. Personally I make them from scratch, and I'm sure you can make to a point and freeze, then just bake on the day.

Sainsbury's do some really nice pre prepared entertaining food. Love the idea of a buffet,we have two young kids so Christmas eve we are just doing a party buffet (sausage rolls, party rings, sandwiches etc). I'm sure you're will be much more elegant 😋

Did you not consider someone bringing cheese?

😂

Brilliant thanks all!!

I’m the same. I prefer cooking a Christmas dinner to all the different bits as I find them more of a faff (although do them for Christmas Eve instead). With a roast I can just chuck it in the oven and go and sit down again until the next part needs sorting 😊

I’m definitely going to be looking in M&S this year for some bits though.

Another one who loves cooking a traditional meal,and often find that buffets are more effort so watch out for that. But in answer to the OP:
I would love stuffing balls and pigs in blankets to pick at if I wasn’t having Christmas dinner. I adore pork pies and home made sausage rolls so they would feature.
A bowl of prawn cocktail.
lots of cheese, pate, bread and crackers.
I’d make a big vat of root veg soup on Christmas Eve (or the day before) to have as your ‘other meal’ on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (am now imagining myself dipping stuffing balls and pigs in soup).
I love things like mince pies, stollen, Lebkuchen etc but am always too stuffed on Christmas Day, I’d do a big selection of those and lots of chocolate.

I am now talking myself out of a traditional dinner!

We always have a buffet on Christmas Eve which must include smoked salmon and cream cheese blinis, mini duck spring rolls, sausage rolls, Brie and cranberry pastries and bread, cheese, crisps and dips. Various other bits are added but those are the main elements that everyone expects in this house!

Yes! We do our big meal on Xmas eve and chill on Xmas day. We love it.

One of our favourite buffet foods is the waitrose chicken ham and pork pie from their entertaining section

I tried this for the first time last year and it was amazing. We cooked Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve. Christmas Day was so relaxed and fun!

Over the day we had:
M&S crab claw and Prawn ring
Leftover turkey sandwiches
leftover piggy blankets
Melon and Parma ham
Cheese, crackers, chutneys, grapes, olives, salami, prosciutto on a board
Figs with goats cheese, honey and pistachios
Nigella’s cola ham
A Colin Caterpillar for dessert

Omg I’m starving now! 🤣

Charcuterie board! Takes about 20 minutes to do, then just top it up as you go along.
Cooked meat, cheeses, olives,dips,pickles,crackers,anti pasti, part baked rolls,pork pie,sausage rolls etc. Did one last year and it went down really really well!

I spotted these earlier and thought they looked different (expensive but different)

Placemarking as we are hosting a big Boxing Day buffet this year.

Same here

😆 I was thinking the same!

A quick tip - ChatGPT will give you a range of items which cook at the same temperature for the same time. You can ask it to include/not include certain food stuffs too (e.g no fish, gluten free etc)

It’s been a game changer for food planning!