ideas needed for christmas eve lunch for the GPIL please

[sweetheart]

This year we are having dh's granmother and step grandfarther (plus father in law and step mother in law) for lunch on Christmas eve. We don't see them very often (maybe once or twice a year) and in 10 years this is the first time I will have prepared a meal for them. They are very traditional (think bone china tea cups and saucers) and GF is quite fussy about what he eats - nothing exoctic or adventurous - strictly limited to good old fashioned british food!

So please can you give me some ideas of what to do for lunch. I don't want to do anything too complecated as we are also having 10 for dinner on Christmas day and I want to make sure I am organised and not in a mess come last thing on Christmas eve!

Dh said to do a buffet but I think they can sometimes be hard work! I suggest a ploughmans of sorts - ie cold meats, cheese, nice bread and pickles etc but dh isn't too keen! I did also consider a gammon or something but I'd love some ideas if you don't mind...........

I think if you're going to do hot food and they are quite fussy, you need a good, classic winter lunch:

A Christmas ham with roasted root veg and braised red cabbage?

I am doing this for Xmas Eve dinner. Nigella's ham in coke + desiree potatoes / carrot / parsnip / squash / swede / red onion roasted with rosemary + braised red cabbage (easy to make yourself, or buy a couple of packs of the readymade one from Waitrose, which is lovely!)

A shepherd's pie or fish pie with steamed veg?

Beef wellington?

We always do either:

Sausage & Mash with fab gravy or Shepherds pie with veg.

I would do fish pie with peas and maybe broccoli and/or carrots too on the side, buy a nice tart for afters or do baked apples with custard/cream. Make the fish pie filling simple and traditional with just white fish and prawns in a white sauce with a bit of parsley.

If they are traditional I agree with shepherds pie or lasagne with salad and baked potatoes ( easy to do and they fill people up!)

agree with all of the above..personally I would go for cooked ham with mash and parsley sauce. Can't get much more traditional that that!

Ham/beef/egg on open buns,salad,ie stuff they can pick and choose? Cake for after...my parents are in their 70s and this is the sort of plain traditional stuff they like for lunch.