What to cook on Xmas day with young kids and guests

[heedlesschicken]

What do you make for Christmas lunch and also for general meals/options across the festive period if you also have small kids and host?

we have never hosted before but will do this year. We are only having two extra family members staying from 24-26th so I’m not catering for the masses but we have three young DC and I’m worried about missing all the magic because I’m so busy preparing food and meals all the time. DH does all the cleaning up but I am resident cook. Guests are quite elderly and would expect a traditional Christmas dinner so something like pizzas or curry not really an option. I’m a bit overwhelmed thinking about what to buy and make as well as needing to have a clean house to host as well as all the usual Christmas admin/gift buying etc. Ideas please!

Go to Cook - the frozen food place. No hassle, just all in the oven and done!

M&S pre made food perhaps and a few nice picky bits for the period. Consider a takeaway - we do this every Xmas eve (a curry) and it’s so great!

As ways done Turkey and trimmings. Mainly following Delia. I’ve had up to 17 and everyone happy.

We do different starters for DC - prawn cocktail for us (usually!!) and crudités (eg breadsticks, carrots, humus) for them. Then traditional Christmas dinner for all. But if any DC just want the turkey or just want potatoes and gravy that’s 💯 fine with me. As long as there’s pigs in blankets everyone will eat something! Oh and a bottle of appletise for the table.

Cook Xmas meals are very good, as are M&S. We stopped buying full turkeys years ago, and generally now go for the pre-prepared, easy to cook varieties. M&S pre-prepared roasties are also really nice. We generally get a mix from both, with the other basics from Waitrose or our local farmers market.

You can get so much pre-prepared now, as long as you go for the most expensive, and best quality you can afford, there are no nasties, just the same as you would make at home.

Get the grandparents to watch the kids, if they're able (you say they're elderly, so I don't know if you mean they can't) so you and your husband can do it together.
You can use lots of cheats and still do the traditional dinner-do all the prep possible the night before, and only make stuff from scratch if you really want to. There's lots of prepped veg etc now that just needs chucked in the oven.

Xmas Eve we always do buffet food, I buy frozen platters from Iceland and add in crusty bread, pate etc.
Xmas day brekkie is pastries.

we eat the turkey around 3/4 with all the standard trimmings.

cheeseboard in the evening if anyone is hungry.

gammon on Boxing Day plus leftovers from day before.

I would prepare as much as you can in advance.

Roadies, Yorkshire puds, gravy etc can all be done days/weeks before and that takes a load of stress off.

My friend has M&S Christmas lunch every year. Neither her or her Dh enjoy cooking and this makes life very easy for them and they have never been disappointed.

I used to really feel for MIL who was in the kitchen half the time missing out on the grandchildren and that was only putting a few trays into the oven for a hot buffet.

Lots of things can be made ahead, lots of videos on YouTube on how to do this. I would choose the easiest route and get pre-made in as much as possible or prep ahead as much as possible.

I'd prepare as much as you can now and freeze or at least make things a day ahead of time. Any allergies or things to avoid?
I believe roast potatoes can be blanched and frozen, likely the same for parsnips and carrots. OR, buy those frozen ones which normally come out very really. I 'think' you can freeze gravy too.

You don't NEED to do a whole turkey, unless you love it. A crown is a good alternative or 2 meats- duck, capon, gammon etc. We normally have rib of beef.

Chicken liver parfait or this entree can be made a day ahead of time https://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/individual-smoked-salmon-terrines-for-christmas/

Again, dessert can be made beforehand or at least parts of it. Crumble, self saucing pudding, pudding, meringue etc.

I do lots in advance e.g. veggies, stuffing, pudding etc. Have a look at someone like the Batch Lady who plans a couple of things a week on December so the actual day isn't madness and you don't miss out.

This will be our first year of being at our house with 3 young children (a 2 year old and 6 week old twins). We will definitely not be doing anything fancy!! I'm thinking a slow cook gammon, as DH and I both prefer gammon to Turkey, and slow cooker means minimal hands on time. Roasties and pigs in blankets because what is Christmas Dinner without those?! Some ready prepped veg. We may have some grandparents staying, not making any plans til nearer the time. Or it will be oven pizzas if I change my mind nearer the time. I'm having a very low standard this year!

I would do most things the day before or even more in advance.

Go for a boneless Turkey crown, they take far less time to cook. Last year I cooked one on Christmas Eve morning (for 17 people), rested it and sliced it up. I laid it in foil with a little bit of chicken stock drizzled over it to keep it moist - it was laid out in single layers on a couple of large trays so was very quick to heat back up in the oven.

Veg - roasties and Carrots/parsnips were par boiled chilled ready to go in the oven xmas day, and cauli cheese/stuffing balls was also done the day before. Gravy I actually made two weeks prior using roasted chicken wings and froze it.

On xmas day all I did was put the roast veg/pigs in blankets/stuffing in the oven, reheat the Turkey and heat the gravy.

If you didn’t want to make all this stuff from scratch you could buy a lot of the stuff ready made and just do the Turkey?

I have two young DC and I promise it’s possible to miss none of the magic OP!

Firstly - disregard DC for actual Christmas dinner. It’s usually at a weird time for them if they’re very young, kids are often over stimulated by lunch time, and they might not even like roast dinner. Don’t expect or put pressure on them to sit down for the whole thing or eat it and then it’s a weight off your mind. Let them have a snack plate if that’s what they want.

Secondly, meal plan and then scale DOWN. The festive season is about excess for sure, but simplify where you can. That means removing a component sometimes, or making stuff ahead, or buying a ready down version. There’s just as much festivity in a home roasted ham for Christmas Eve, made easier because you’re serving it with baked potatoes and bagged salad or ready made mash or whatever.

thirdly - Rarely will my house guests actually be up for three massive meals a day. Pick one meal that’s more “involved” per day, and let the others be easy options. My DC love helping me cook, and that can be part of the magic, but not three times a day.

For those days, my rough plan is usually:

24th: Breakfast is normal like cereal. Lunch is some kind of shop bought fancy quiche, jacket potatoes and salad. Dinner is roast ham, served again with the Christmas dinner, with macaroni cheese I’ve made in the weeks before Christmas and frozen, and peas.

Christmas Day: breakfast is toast, and shop bought pastries. Lunch is Christmas dinner, with as many elements either made ahead as possible - mine largely is pulled from the freezer on Xmas eve night, the only thing I make truly fresh is roast potatoes and gravy. Supper is turkey sandwiches and leftover desserts.

Boxing Day: breakfast is a full English with bubble and squeak. Lunch is chocolate as no one would eat lunch after a massive breakfast, dinner is soup from the freezer with a sandwich or likely a cheeseboard or party food set up.

I would also consider a take away xmas eve, or something really easy you can cook in advance and freeze like a casserole/soups. Plus loads of cheese/picky bits. Won’t either of the visitors help out? You could ask them to do starters/desserts.

Encourage breakfast and everyday lunches to be self-service. Stock up on bread, bagels or wraps and sandwich fillings, and makes batches of soup (nothing wrong with a cuppa soup either).

Plan for dinners to be one-pot dishes. Cook are great for this as they do large lasagnas, pies etc that serve 4 or 6 or 8. Add easy sides like jacket potatoes or rice plus salad or a veg.

Buy a turkey crown of your choice, and the veg and trimmings pack if you like, or maybe just the sides that are a faff like red cabbage. Aunt Bessie parsnips etc are easy too. Readymade gravy.

Buy a pudding and a Yule log, make a cheeseboard, roast a gammon. I have been known to send someone to get chippy chips to serve with slow cooked gammon!

Choose what you want to spend time doing, and buy in the rest. Tinfoil dishes are good. I save the ones from ready meals through the year to use then chuck over the holidays.

Put someone in charge of the bar and make sure they keep your glass filled.

Simple roast here. Turkey crown and sausages in bacon and sausage meat stuffing cooked in the tray. Plain carrots and peas. Roast potatoes. Plain sprouts. Delia's red cabbage which freezes well and gets microwaved. It's adding in extra roast veg that make it a pain.

Last year I bought a reduced Christmas dinner in a box from Sainsbury’s not expecting much, but it was great. A couple of those, extra sausages and Yorkshires and you’re good to go

Normal dinner day of - my kids would never accept anything else! Christmas Eve either takeaway or something like pasta - nothing too taxing to make. Boxing Day we have roast ham and just change the sides. Other meals are sandwiches made with leftovers. I don’t cook anything different no matter what the age.

When my kids were small, we had stockings in bed when they woke up, then I got the turkey in the oven, the veg prepped to go on, giblet gravy on the go and only then did we all sit down and do the tree presents with an easy breakfast (croissants and Bucks Fizz) - otherwise I would have felt that I was missing out.

Do as much of the prep beforehand as you can, I try to make the stuffing the night before, we always have braised red cabbage and that is best made in advance anyway (and freezes well). Other people can help do the sprouts, peel the spuds, carrots, parsnips, swede etc. We have an easy starter of smoked salmon or soup.

If you want to buy stuff in, do that and don't feel guilty!

I've also finally cured myself of making something "special" on Christmas Eve, it's always crazy with last minute present wrapping here and we also used to go to the crib service in the early years. I am thinking of getting a couple of Charlie Bigham's lasagnes this year.

Boil or roast a nice joint of gammon before Christmas kicks off. It makes a good buffet centrepiece and most people appreciate it. Then get a takeaway Christmas Eve like curry or fish and chips. For Christmas Day just buy everything from M&S. You can get turkey, stuffing, roast potatoes, gravy, parsnips, red cabbage, bread sauce, pigs in blankets - the works already prepared and usually in tin foil containers ready to bang in the oven. So you don't even have to wash it all up. Just cook some (ready trimmed) sprouts. Sort out a cheese selection whilst you're there so you can do a cheese board for Christmas Day evening and also one for Boxing Day with the gammon, some salad and a few other bits and bobs to your taste. Buy in some of those part baked baguettes too, they are really delicious served warm from the oven.

Ok you need to plan by day and meal. And also add in drinks and snacks,

so they are coming 24th to 26th

do you need lunch on the 24th? When will they arrive? If so I’m a fan of picky bit lunches, buy some lovely tiger bread, some ham, beef, coleslaw, chicken slices, avocado, may, potato salad, and leaves, onions, toms and cucumber, make some sandwiches up. Add in some bits like samosas etc, markies are great for it.

make dinner on Xmas eve easy, a big cottage or shepherds pie and veg, shove some garlic bread on the side. Mince pies for afters with thick cream

get snacks, olives, chocolates, crisps, nice biscuits. Fruit.

get drinks. Soft drinks. Red and white Wine, bubbles,tea cofee milk, and fruit juices.

xmas day, breakfast, croissants, smoked salmon, scrambled eggs, pate, pastries, and some bubbles and fruit juice,

elevenses or lunch, get canapés from markies. Watch your cooking time, and then other things like mini pork pies etc.

bubbles ( and I keep saying bubbles as I don’t know if you want champagne prosecco or cava)

stockings for the kids, remember the crackers.

lunch, normal stuff, turkey, stuffing, pigs in blankets, veg, gravy , drinks to go with,

pudding, Christmas pud , sticky toffee and chocolate log. Get lots of thick cream

snacks, have lots of lovely bread for anyone who wishes sandwiches with the left overs. Buy enough you have left overs.

26th, breakfast do rolls and bacon and egg. Cup of tea. Any left over pastries.

biscuits to go with tea

lunch, depending on when they leave , a mix of left over sandwiches and picky bits.

I would just buy a load of stuff you just need to put in the oven. I've always done the traditional dinner this way since kids, and it's so much easier, and pretty tasty.

Haven’t read all the replies yet - thank you! - but realised I hadn’t included all relevant info:

• catering for two vegetarians and one DC who is gluten intolerant so will most likely do a meat option and a veggie option that doesn’t need to be gluten free
• DC will normally eat a roast dinner and would have ice cream or something chocolatey for pudding. Older relatives wouldn’t eat chocolatey pudding though.. so will need to do two puddings as well
• we are slightly limited on oven space although not massively - we have one single oven, a microwave combo oven (so can either be a microwave or an oven but not both at the same time) and a small air fryer
• I do have some freezer space available
• budget will not stretch to everything M&S pre-made unfortunately.

Oh god I also forgot that we are hosting two more guests on Christmas Eve!!

so:

Christmas Eve lunch for 6 adults 3 kids
then light dinner/evening snacks (two guests will have left before this, only staying for lunch)
Christmas Day itself 4 adults 3 kids
Boxing Day will have the two guests there for breakfast but not sure about lunch depending on time of departure