Any alternative Christmas lunches that will bring joy to toddlers? Turkey and veg isn't thier idea of a treat!

[padboz]

My little ones will be happy enough to eat the inside of the roast potatoes, the chicken and could be persuaded to eat the carrots but the whole roast dinner thing is certainly not a treat for a 2 and 3 year old who would rather have fajitas or pizza or something like that.

Any ideas for something festive thats exciting to toddlers?

They tend to like stuffing and strangely dd loves sprouts

Couldn't you give them the same but arrange it on the plate in a santa/clown face? Less cooking for you then.

I could.... they'd like the clown face... then they's ask for something else for lunch.

Do you cook chipolatas and rolled up bacon to go with your roast? My DS found them to be a great treat when he wasn't that bothered by the roast dinner in general...

I wouldn't cook them something different. I have a friend that does this, her life's a nightmare because of it. She spends all her time cooking and regularly complains about what she's got herself into!

Do a face out of mash, peas for the eyes and mouth, carrot neck, turkey hat and some cranberry sauce for the bobble at the end of the hat. If they eat enough then they get pudding.

I am lucky my 2 of the same age will request a roast dinner over anything else but they must have yorkshire puddings, whatever the meat

TBH christmas lunch is for the adults, they will have loads of pressies probably already be full of chocs, so if they will eat some of the dinner I wouldn't worry about giving them a treat especially as they are so young.

BTW a family friend started this when her children weresmall and now cooks everyones favourite dinner, so may make 4 different meals on Xmas day - not a path you want to take

Chiplatas and rolled up bacon make fantastic earings

why cookt hem someting different? if they like roast potatoes and chicken give them that.

the pudding is the treat surely

I don't normally go in for cooking them something else and its just the 4 of us this year so I want it to be lovely and calm as weel as being as much fun for them as me and thier Dad. I like a roast dinner but I wouldn't miss it so I was thinking of making something different for all 4 of us but can't think of anything that feels Christmassy.

I was wondering about one of those table top Raclette grill things and cooking at the table - that might have enough theatre and prolong the meal a bit without them fidgeting.

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one of these... I sort of like the idea of little strips of steak and the fondue bit ...

then again it might just be a good way to burn my house and children on Christmas day

I'll be doing mini toad in the hole, cooked in a muffin tin (instead of seperate yorkshire pud and chipolatas) so that DS2, food refusenik, can find something he likes on the table.

And some sort of chocolate sponge pudding as well as xmas pud.

padboz I LOVE raclette, be careful though as the plate gets very very very hot, just imagining two toddlers wanting to put their own food under it would not make for a relaxing christmas meal...