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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

Original poster

Christmas Eve dinner inspiration

44 replies

Hereforthegoss · 15/12/2025 04:42

What do you have for dinner on Christmas Eve? I’m looking for some inspiration of something easy but a bit special and also suitable for young children

OP posts:
Nevergotdivorced · 15/12/2025 04:50

Fish pie always goes down well in our house.

Forgottenmyphone · 15/12/2025 05:09

We’re having salmon and prawn lasagne with tenderstem broccoli

Mumtobabyhavoc · 15/12/2025 06:02

Lamb chops;
roasted veg;
scalloped potatoes.
Am not 100% sure on dessert yet, maybe stollen, some chocolates.

hattie43 · 15/12/2025 06:04

We are going out for a meal but a previous Christmas Eve we had sirloin , dauphinois potatoes , green beans and maple carrots .

TemporarilyCantDoMyself · 15/12/2025 06:16

Home made pizza, by which I mean bought pizza bases and then whatever people want on top: plain cheese and tomato for a little one, heaps of extra onion and mushroom available, extra cheese, prawns. With green beans and broccoli for people who want veg.
Easily adapted timing. Ice cream to follow.

Whichone2024 · 15/12/2025 07:35

Home made soup and those part baked rolls you finish in the oven…
M&S finger foods

Cadenza12 · 15/12/2025 07:36

Creamy Festive Mushroom pasta. Ai found it for me

MyMelody123 · 15/12/2025 08:24

We always have a little buffet spread on Xmas Eve with a few drinks. Cheese board, posh crisps etc.

EmilyWeather · 15/12/2025 10:16

Ooh I love Christmas eve dinner! We do a big cheese board, fruit, crackers, pastries (a bit of a "party food" vibe, very easy to prep). We also tried last year turning off the lights and lighting a bunch of candles instead, sounds a bit silly but it actually made it feel really special and different! Out of reach of little hands, of course.

Original poster
Hereforthegoss · 16/12/2025 05:05

Love these ideas, thank you!

OP posts:
WonderingWanda · 16/12/2025 05:07

We have lasagne because I can make it ahead and don't have to spend two days cooking all day.

Jammeroo · 16/12/2025 05:17

We used to have something easy like steak pie and vientta (childhood fave) as Christmas is so busy anyway. Shove in the oven or make stew in the slow cooker and cook pastry separately. Can put sausages in it too for kids.

Laterly we have a picky tea with party food. Teen kids love that as do elderly relatives who can't eat a big meal.

Baconking · 16/12/2025 05:55

Cadenza12 · 15/12/2025 07:36

Creamy Festive Mushroom pasta. Ai found it for me

Can you share a link please 🙏

EndorsingPRActice · 16/12/2025 06:38

I cook a massive gammon and we have warm ham baguettes, the rest of the gammon gets eaten on Boxing Day.

Hagnumber4 · 16/12/2025 06:41

I'm pretty sure DH is making a beef wellington this year! I'm so excited as he doesn't often make them

Simplelobsterhat · 16/12/2025 06:48

We've sometimes cook gammon and have it with cauliflower cheese and baked potatoes. We then have leftover gammon to go with turkey on boxing day. We often also say we'll have leftover cauliflower cheese with Xmas dinner but in reality there isn't usually any! I think it started because gammon and cauliflower cheese are both things in theory we'd like with Christmas dinner but in practice it's just too much to fit in oven on the day and we have so much other food we appreciate them more separately!

Not decided if we are doing that this year. Tempted to do buffet / party food.
DH has made a salmon en croute before too which was nice.

springautumn · 16/12/2025 06:48

We always do party food picky bits

Ladyymuck · 16/12/2025 06:53

We have a seafood platter with langoustines, lobster, smoked salmon honey roast salmon, seafood sauce, melted garlic butter, salad and frites. We only started doing this in the last few years and it’s so delicious and easy to throw together.

TaffyandTeenyTaffy · 16/12/2025 07:29

Chicken fajitas ... cooked in the slow cooker. Easy meal for when we get back from a carol service. Bowls of prepared salad, grated cheese and guacamole....help yourself x

HopelessHannah · 16/12/2025 07:50

Macaroni Cheese with salad.

KitKat1985 · 16/12/2025 07:55

We do party food / a buffet. The kids love it and there's always leftovers which are good to pick at on Christmas day / Boxing day.

Ilovemyshed · 16/12/2025 08:00

Either a posh fish pie, a lasagne made with venison or a proper beef pie with chestnuts.
Otherwise an interesting party food buffet.

Pistolpunk · 16/12/2025 08:03

I'm doing a honey roast ham and cheese board, pickles and salad type picky bits with crisps/dips and xmas cake etc. Usually put it out at 3 pm ish and later on in the evening we just pick at the bits that's been put back in the fridge and make our own plates up with sandwiches whenever we feel like it.

Ozmumofboys3 · 16/12/2025 08:09

We usually have a buffet tea, but this year we’re going to have an Indian takeaway instead 😊

blizymitzy · 16/12/2025 08:26

We do hot dips ( Mexican sweetcorn and spinach and artichoke) with tortilla chips,canapés and cheese board with crudités,focaccia with oil and vinegar and lots of wine !
only adults here now as the kids are all grown up.
we always had nigella’s ham in Coke with chips,fried eggs and baked beans when they were younger.