Going out for Christmas Day lunch?

[ErlingHaalandsManBun]

Moved to a new area and we have a lovely gastro pub 5 minutes walk away offering Christmas Dinner.

I am seriously considering booking in for myself, my DH and our 20 year old DD as it will only be the 3 of us.

The thought of no cooking, no washing up, no day being taken over preparing lunch really really appeals to me this year.

Anyone done this or do this regularly?

Any pro's and con's?

Definitely planning this year now we are back in UK.

We used to do this before kids and we plan to do it once they’re grown and we have Christmases alone again.
I love it

We e gone out for years. Normally a curry. We have done English last two years but back to a curry this year. We actually always book last sitting, guess it's personal choice but there's definitely no rush to be out as your the last sitting. Plus we have time to get up and ready slowly. We still have teens. I do a brunch after presents opened to see us through.

I've done this for the last 5 years - admittedly out of necessity rather than wanting to; I'd stay home and cook it myself ideally but it's not an option for me unfortunately!

It does eliminate a lot of work - especially if you need to collect multiple people and logistics of that mean cooking a meal is virtually impossible.

I think it's a great idea if it's all adults.

You need to book now if that's what you decide to do. I booked our Christmas Day Dinner in early July - it's now fully booked!

It's nice to get dressed up on Christmas Day too!

I worked Christmas day as a young waitress I was still done by 5:30 and my family did an evening Christmas dinner instead, I earned a fortune in tips and double pay and had a really fun lovely time with my friends/colleagues at work. No need to feel sorry for me!

Yes last couple of years. Enjoyed it very much. First sitting. 3 of us and my Mum then back to Mums for present opening and games. Back home in the evening for watching TV. We do for practical reasons eg cooking in Mums very small kitchen and she can’t come to us. Food in the pub was about £80 each. This year we have decided on an Indian meal and they are about £45.

Just make sure you get some nice buffet food in for Xmas Day tea; I'd miss turkey sandwiches while watching telly later on!

We went for a curry last year! Me, dh and kids (11 & 17 then), it was great because the kids are not huge fans of roast dinners but love a curry and I didn’t have to spend hours cooking something that no one was really bothered about. Doing the same this year.

I've done this several times in the past when my parents were alive and it was great. I live alone so not having leftovers didn't bother me but it was lovely not to have to shop, cook, and clean up after the meal.

My son and his in-laws did this until one year the pub forgot to cook their food. They had to wait for it to be cooked, luckily they'd done the turkey just not the sides. The pub gave them free drinks an apology and the adults all got rather drunk, the kids were tiny and fell asleep. After hearing that I dont think I'd risk it. (Plus they never do enough types food for me to eat because I can't eat a lot of things for medical reasons)

We went out for Christmas last year. Not sure if we were unlucky but we had really bad service, and annoyingly the pub was showing stuff on large TV screens (like films) which was really distracting and not what we wanted for a family meal. Food was pretty good but the overall experience wasn't great. We did a meal at home on Boxing Day using Cook stuff and it was much more enjoyable.

Actually you've got a point. Turkeys have gone right up past couple of years

Partner is a Head Chef wish they closed pubs, restaurants Christmas Day the same as other businesses so do leave a decent tip.

We did it last year and it was amazing! Booked again in June for this year! It only has one sitting so no stress about having to leave! Great food and arnosphere! The hotel has 2 dining rooms and the one we were in only had tables of up to 4, so no big groups!
The only downsides are no leftovers! But we got some nice nibbly things in and it was expensive to go out! But worth every penny!
We have lost my father and a sibling in recent years and we felt the need to do something different! Worth it all!

I love it and have done it in the past but my family don’t like it and would rather stay at home.

I wouldn’t do it at the current age of my children (7 and 10) but I think I could be tempted when they’re older.

The thing I do like the look of is those hotel house party type Christmas events. I probably wouldn’t do it on actual Christmas but the new year ones sound quite appealing to me.

I think it depends on how many they are planning to serve on the day.
With the exception of carveries I have only heard stories of delays, cold food and complaints as the restaurants had over stretched themselves.

Sorry to hear of your losses OP. In that case,I think its perfectly acceptable to start a new tradition💐Just double check the place is a good'un!

Some other things to think about
Cons
Food may be fab normally but it can often drop in standard on Christmas Day. I assume its down to unusual high numbers of diners, the pressure to do two seatings rather than than staggered timings like you have on a normal day, food sitting around for longer due to staff being rushed off their feet etc.We once ate at our local and v expensive restaurant and all I could hear was the ping of the microwave!

You may feel like you are sitting in on other peoples Christmas dinners. Ive had to listen to cartoons on IPads, tales of peoples bowel habits, and a family argument!

You might feel rushed or sat around waiting. I think its very difficult for places to get timings right.

This is a bit niche, but eating out makes me miss the Xmas of old. I know all days are in the past, but it’s particularly poignant when you think about people missing from the Christmas table. Maybe its just me being soppy.

Pros

I cant think of any that havent already been mentioned ! I do like not having to shop, jiggle stuff around the freezer and worry about keeping everything hot though!

We are doing it! 10 adults and three babies! Get booked asap is my advice because it’s very popular

@ErlingHaalandsManBun
We did this last year for the first time (I'm 60)
It wasn't anything like a gastro pub just a local pub that serves food.

Seriously, game changer, no prep, no sweating in the kitchen and no washing up.

The meal was surprisingly good, three couses for £45.

We had lots of Christmassy food at home, cold meats, cheeses, pickles, bread, crackers, desserts, chocs so we didn't feel we'd missed out on anything.

Had a late supper of the above and the rest on boxing day.

Go for it would be my advice

Have done this for the past 4yrs, expensive for one day but ideal. This year we are having a change, still eating out at a local curry house. Looking forward to it

Why not give it a go if you’re all on board?
Not something I’d ever consider, we have a roast at home most weeks (variations on it in the summer of course) and dh makes the best roast potatoes and Yorkshires and the meat is always exceptional.
We only go out for a Sunday roast when it’s a family occasion and we are invited out for one, even in the nicest places the potatoes are lacklustre at absolute best and nothing else quite lives up to expectations. It’s all just a bit disappointing.
So there’s not a chance I’d be giving up my home cooked roast personally, (and we don’t eat turkey anyway, most of the Christmas meal options are turkey understandably or a veggie option) we are big food people and end up with a table of upwards of 20 people for Christmas dinner. It’s a bit of a mad blur but it’s lovely to get everyone together, feed them a decent bit of dinner and collapse in front of the fire before the evening guests come!
I would like to have an hour for a walk though, now that part is appealing!
If you’re all up for giving it a go, get it booked asap, the best places around here get booked really quickly once reservations open.

We did this and unfortunately what we knew to be a decent pub was anything but on Christmas Day. We were served our food before we’d even been asked what we’d like to drink and staters were coming out at the same time as mains. It was a total mess and at £100pp definitely not worth it

We have done it in the past (pre dc) and always enjoyed it ( usually had curry or Chinese food). We regularly discuss doing it again now dc are adults (they are both still at home), but it is vetoed by ds who is very fond of a roast dinner.