What to cook - family gathering week after Christmas.

[Deliveroo]

I’ll be hosting 16 adults for lunch/dinner on the 30th, and I need ideas for a starter, main and dessert.

What would you be excited to eat after Christmas?

As little as possible :)

However my post Christmas big family meal is usually Jamie Olivers Leak and Turkey pie - or I make a curry

The pie makes the question of how to use up the turkey question totally obsolete, the curry opens up so many ideas of getting loads of veg and fresh flavours in

With the pie - it being a turkey dinner so to speak ( do go look it up, its lush ) I would then go traditional and have the prawns for starter but then make a really simple dessert - eaton mess or a cheesecake using mincemeat

Curry - then sod starters, pile of popadoms then a sorbet or a any dessert that's cold and cooling , even a tiramisu or Lemon posset

I always want fresher and more spicy things after Christmas. We did a big Vietnamese feast type thing, lots of crunchy salads, summer rolls, banh mi rolls etc.

Were veggie so you'd you'd have to add some meat dishes in.

For starters I'd do canapés and a glass of fizz.

Mains I'd go tapas. Couple of different salads, flat breads, hummus and zalouk. Then various platters of falafel, halloumi, pattas bravas and aoli, creamy garlic mushrooms, broadbean, feta and mint. That kind of thing.

Dessert, maybe make a coupke of cakes? Orange or pistachio. Maybe something chocolate.

Although. With the tapas, I might just do a platter of baklava and chuck on a tin of heroes or quality street and some after dinner mints.

Or even make some barfi.

Lots of fruit and vegg

liike ideas of tapas or spicie food
do you have a preference on cooking in advance or on day

goatscheese salad with nuts and raisons
lisagne with roasted veg maybe brochette with tomato and garlic

fruit with dipping chocolate and other sauces or a big fruit salad with mini deserts on the side

french onion soup

rich slow cooked meat with duches potatoes and veg

fruits withnice icecrean
japanese style

Starter - give a choice of soup or melon

Main - meat and a vegetable lasagna or chilli. With help yourself salad, coleslaw, jacket potato halves, garlic bread

Dessert - cheese cake, fruit platter, tarte au citron

Really helpful. I was struggling to just think there. Tapas and spicy food sounds tempting and I’m tempted to become vegan if I can move in with @ThroughTheRedDoor

I think for main I'd go for a homemade tomato and lentil soup with a part cooked roll for a starter, fresh salmon in lime juice with mederterain vegetables and garlic bread for main. Raspberry Pavlova dessert because that's my favourite.

Mexican type food always goes down well - chilli with rice, wraps, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, salad, taco shells, salad, salsa, etc. and most can be made in advance. Serve as a buffet with wedges of lime and margaritas. Do something like key lime pie with spicy dark chocolate curls for pudding. Just do a bean chilli for vegetarians and vegans.

My go-to for any Boxing Day/27th/28th entertaining, is a buffet with big piece of gammon, cooked at home, usually glazed with honey and mustard, a big macaroni pie, plenty of coleslaw (homemade) plus baked potatoes, bread, cheese and pickles. Plus of course any still-presentable looking turkey (sliced), cranberry sauce, etc.
Any leftover pigs in blankets always go down v well - I have been known
to make more specially.

Delia’s Christmas dried fruit compote is a v nice make-ahead pudding, super quick and easy to make, too.

A big gammon joint, cauliflower cheese, roast potatoes, stuffing, mustard sauce. Could also have bread rolls and salad.
Pudding I would make a summer fruit pudding with frozen berries and a few flavours of ice cream.
Starter I’d go retro and serve melon for ease!

Definitely prefer the tapas/mezze or Mexican options, my heart would sink ever so slightly to be served turkey or gammon or any sort of Christmas leftovers as I’ve had enough of them after Christmas Day.

I’d prefer the Middle Eastern options, falafel, home made dips, filo and feta straws, houmous and baba ganoush, tzatsiki, toasted pitta bread, a few more things, followed by a light pudding, lemon tart, or pavlova, fresh fruit, but baklava would be lovely to and perhaps more in keeping.

I have done a Mexican style help yourself buffet and it is really easy and also goes down well.

Chilli con carne and a vegetarian version if needed and then bowls of potato wedges, tortilla chips, chopped jalapenos, chopped coriander, spring onion, sour cream and grated cheese so everyone can help themselves and choose what they like.

For dessert I'd want something fruity....a passion fruit pavlova or something like that.

If you need a starter just do canapes. Little crackers spread with pate are easy. I tend to go a bit retro and do the Ritz small crackers with either mackerel pate or mushroom pate and get DDs to hand them out.

A middle eastern feast would be delightful to me.

I would not bother with a starter.

Finish with a lemon tart, persian love cake or orange syrup cake.

You can prep a lot of it in advance too.

Middle eastern mezze is a winner and ticks lots of boxes.
Caters for veggies well and most can be made ahead. No need for starters, just a big spread and everyone helps themselves.
Hummus & baba ganuj type dips,
spread out on plates topped with different toppings such as toasted nuts etc. Piles of Flat breads on boards, torn at the table.
A chick pea stew or tagine, some grilled kofte for meat eaters, a big turkish salad , spiced roasted cauliflower, seasoned yoghurt for drizzling.. some borek or spanakopita. Pretty much everything can be made ahead.
For desert, buy in some good quality mango sorbet and some lovely fruit