What's on your Christmas dinner?

[MummaChristmas]

Every year we go to my parents for Christmas dinner, but I suggested for this year to take a little bit of the load off them, we all bring something with us. So, I'm just interested in what everyone else has (totally not trying to get ideas 😉).

Bonus points for dessert ideas!

Looks nice. I’ll try it. I do try and get a bit of flavour into Xmas dinner just as it can be so bland in some places, but maybe I’m being a bit overkill (my husband puts soy sauce in the stir fried sprouts, I tend to use lots of garlic, there are porcini in the nut roast, and I use herbs, too, so it’s not like we will be short on flavour either).

I'm a big fan of roasting with garlic and herbs as well!

Turkey - legs removed and filleted, stuffed, then rolled in bacon. Sous vide, then brown in a pan and reheat. Breast roasted.
Roast potatoes
potato gratin
cheesy leeks
braised red cabbage
parsnip puree
honey and rosemary roast carrots
steamed sprouts
bread sauce
pigs, with and without blankets,
gravy made in advance with turkey juices added
cranberry sauce.

No one apart from me likes Christmas pudding, so I make ice cream, and probably panna cotta with roast plums or caramel oranges, or trifle.

Bloomin’ LOVE Christmas dinner 😁

Turkey breast from the local farm shop
Chestnut and mushroom rotollo for the veggies
Pigs in blankets both veggie and meat
Nigella’s roasties
Veggie roasties
Honey-roasted carrots
Sprout gratin
Steamed green veg
Yorkshires as per SIL’s request
Tonnes of gravy, both meat and veggie

For dessert Xmas pudding for the parents
Brandy butter
Nigella’s Yule log
MIL’s chocolate crispy cakes (the best!!)

Those who make and freeze ahead, do you have a defrosting and reheating plan? Thats the bit i worry about, big blocks of ice that havent thawed or overheating and ruining something.

i love these threads. Mine never really deviates and has to please a variety of tastes.

Pate and good bread on the table from mid morning

turkey glazed with quince jelly, tarragon and white wine gravy
roasties
thyme and honey parsnips and carrots
Broccoli
Cauliflower cheese
Yorkies
Piggies in blankets
sage and onion stuffing, crispy on top and soggy underneath
pulled ham from Christmas Eve for those who want
mushy peas for bil who hates veg

this year for dessert a huge variety of fancy ice creams, sauces, fruit, wafers and toppings for make your own sundaes. I usually do a trifle but fancy a change.

I made a large mince pie plate tart one year with lattice pastry on top. All mincemeat is too heavy and can be a bit dry though, so you can drain a tin of pears, slice them up and line the pastry case with that first. Then spread a jar of mincemeat over and finish with the lattice and some brown sugar sprinkled on.

We had about 10 for dinner that year though and this time it is only 4 so it will be Aldi Christmas pudding or Yule log.

Toast and pate and melon starters

Turkey crown and a beef
Roast potatoes
Yorkshire puddings
Mashed potatoes
Roasted onions
Carrots
Peas
Brussel Sprouts
Wine gravy

Raspberry Pavlova
Lemon cheesecake
Ice cream and cream

Chess and crackers including
Cheddar
Dulcilata
Gorganzola
Brie
Goats cheese

Mince pies and cream for late afternoon.

Bigger than chicken, smaller than Turkey. It's a good celebration size without having to eat leftovers for 15 months.

Tastes the same as normal chicken, well a nice normal one.

Pork this year , though might do chicken for those who fancy it .
roasties
Yorkshire pud
cauliflower cheese
parsnips roasted in honey
red cabbage
cranberry and apple sauces
gravy
pigs in blankets
cranberry stuffing
carrots
Yule log, chestnut and chocolate cake from Hugh Fernally Whittingstall book
mince pies and cream
cheese board
nuts
after eights

all washed down with something rose and fizzy

Turkey
Roast potatoes
Sometimes mash potato
Yorkshire pudding
Various different pigs in bankets from M&S
carrots
parsnips
red cabbage
gravy
a couple of types of stuffing
gravy

We have a section of puddings and a cheese and crackers in the evening.

Cold starter or soup and homemade bread

Roast turkey (or beef)
roast potatoes, parsnips and carrots
sprouts with pancetta and chestnuts
mashed swede
cauliflower cheese
stuffing (sage and onion, sausagemeat)
pigs in blankets
yorkshires if having beef
cranberry sauce (horseradish for beef)

cheese and biscuits

Christmas pudding and cream
separate dessert for children

coffee and chocolates to finish

Popadoms with the dips etc
bhuna prawn puri
chicken tikka chilli masala
Peswari Naan

Turkey and ham
Two types of stuffing. One onion and sage, one lemon and bacon.
Gravy
Pigs in blanket
Roasties
Red cabbage
Sprouts
Bread sauce
Cranbury sauce.

Puddings are all home made
Xmas pudding
Xmas cake
Mince pies
Trifle

Any leftover cakes from Xmas eve which has included...

Pavlova
Ciprese cake (chocolate almond torte)
Lemon posset
Tart au citroen
And many more

I usually make Delia’s Christmas dried fruit compote, which is delicious, very easy, and can be made well in advance. It uses dried apricots, figs, etc.

Starter - Prosecco
Main - Roast beef, roast spuds, carrots, parsnips, sprouts,red cabbage & roasted peppers & onions. Loads of horseradish. Maybe a Yorkshire pudding if we remember.
cheese - expensive collection chosen by DH eaten steadily between breakfast on 25th & beyond (May stretch to NYE)
pudding - Christmas pudding with cream usually around June or July the following year or year after?

We have some canapés with drinks instead of a starter. Some homemade( smoked salmon blinis etc)

Roast turkey
roast potatoes
spiced red cabbage
roasted parsnips
Brussel sprouts
stuffing
bread sauce
cranberry sauce
gravy
Used to have pigs in blankets but don’t bother now- too salty.
All homemade

Pudding is often homemade tiramisu.
Always have cheese board too but it often gets left until Boxing Day.

A seafood platter - prawns, maybe a bit of lobster, smoked salmon, cold hot smoked salmon, smoked trout, smoked mussels with a token nod towards salad for dm. Served with Marie Rose and lemon. Cucumber and cheese for dd as she hates seafood and isn’t bothered about starters. She would probably prefer garlic bread but the oven will be in use so she gets that on Christmas Eve or at lunchtime - we eat about 1730.

main:
Turkey crown
sage and onion sticfing
some sort of chestnut stuffing
yorkshires
roasties (with the M&S roast potato seasoning and done in duck or goose fat)
M&S potato croquettes
m&S gravy
raw carrots for DS
roasted carrots (for everyone else)
roast parsnips
Brussels with bacon and chestnuts
bacon and chestnuts for me as I hate sprouts!

a selection of pickles such as pickled red cabbage, beetroot and pickled onions (mainly for dad!)
and not forgetting copious amounts of pigs in blankets
some cranberry sauce for about 2 of us!

for dessert:
Christmas pudding for those who want it
dm usually gets a mini amaretto almond and raspberry trifle made by dd
vienetta for ds
ice cream and sauce for dd or hot chocolate fudge cake

my dc sound like small kids but they are in their 20s! They are allowed to be indulged in Christmas Day!

Turkey Crown & Roast Pork both M&S
Ribena Red Cabbage
Clementine Carrots
Honey Parsnips
sprouts with chestnuts and pancetta
Roast Potatoes
Mash Potatoes
Cauliflower Cheese
pigs in blankets
proper stuffing
jamie Oliver’s get ahead gravy

Haven't decided what starters and puddings I’m doing yet!

Thank you👍
Ive never heard of one being eaten, if I’m honest!, and I wouldn’t know where to get one! We have no independent butchers left here, mores the pity😟

I had to look Dakos up as I’d never heard of it - it sounds lovely - would you say it’s a bit like an Italian bruschetta?

Used to have one on Boxing Day at a relative’s house. Was nice; a tasty , bigger chicken.

honey roast gammon
chicken
homemade pigs in blankets
brussells with bacon
parsnips
stuffing
yorkies
peas
sweetcorn
broccoli
roasties
mash
cauliflower cheese
red cabbage
swede
plain cauliflower

Starter is normally a couple of packs of M&S party food nibbles with bubbles while we open presents as the turkey finishes cooking.

Roast turkey
bread stuffing.
roast potatoes
roasted roots (carrots, parsnips, red onion, garlic, possibly butternut squash, in a mandarin juice, balsamic vinegar, honey and thyme dressing)
steamed Brussels sprouts
possibly another veg
gravy

steamed plum pudding
ice cream

cheeseboard, crackers and port

sorry - very traditional

"Two types of stuffing. One onion and sage, one lemon and bacon."

I'm intrigued by the lemon and bacon. Do you have a recipe?