Christmas Day Food - What should I cook?

[Christmasiscoming2025]

We go to Toby Carvery for Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve and I make a party food buffet on Christmas Day but I was thinking it might be nice to do a mixture of a party food buffet with some Christmas Day dinner foods such as a prawn cocktail, turkey, gammon, Yorkshire puddings but I don’t know what would work best and it’s only for 2 adults and a 4 year old so it needs to be smallish things or things that will keep in the fridge for a few days afterwards so it doesn’t go to waste 🤔

I wouldn’t do a buffet for a small family meal. If you want an easy Christmassy roast that is flexible, I’d buy a nice piece of smoked gammon, as roast gammon is good hot or cold. Serve with Cumberland sauce and whatever else you like (roast veg or salad etc)

When I roast gammon I always boil it briefly first, remove the skin, score it with diamonds and stud it with cloves and cover it with mustard and Demerara sugar.

I would do a prawn cocktail. I wouldn't do gammon as i couldn't eat it cold. I think that your best bet is turkey as it is just as nice when it is cold.

I wouldn't bother going to the trouble of cooking a turkey or gammon. The first year we had dc, I went to the deli counter in the supermarket and bought some nice big slices of turkey instead.

You cannot possibly have a Christmas Day buffet without pigs in blankets.😁

Following

If I were in your shoes I’d go to my nearest posh food shop (Waitrose / M&S) just before going for the carvery and just see what they’ve got on the yellow stickers. I bet you could get some amazing things for rock bottom prices!

I would do a small roast. I would cook chicken, sstuffing, roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding and veg of your choice. We’re having sprouts, broccoli, green beans, carrots ans parsnips.