Six adults for Xmas hols (+2 children) what to cook?

[moragbellingham]

I'm having a houseful for Xmas (2 weeks) and need some ideas about what to cook for evening meals, maybe some that I can cook in advance and freeze.

Other then spag bol, chilli and curry I'm struggling to come up with anything other than beef/lamb casserole.

Any ideas please.

Try Delias cottage pie - make in advance and freeze - only need to do veg fresh with it.

Hungarian Goulash soup (again, Delia) - make the main up in advance, and stick the dumplings in when you are reheating in oven. Just add crusty bread.

Also - fish pie with potato topping.

Lasagna.

Hope that helps

Buy this - its got loads of ideas for feeding people at Christmas, apart from Christmas Day, and gives advice about prepare ahead.

i made a really yummy moroccan lamb tagine at the weekend

it was gorgouse, spicey but not hot, and im sure would be great frozen
we had it with cous cous

roast a ham and serve with potatoes

can then be a cold sandwich filling

TAFFETAAARRGHHH!!

I have - 2 whole minutes ago placed an order with the Book People. I could be cheeky and ask them to add to the order as an Xmas present for myself.

Ha, forgot to mention the dietary restrictions.....no cream, no cheese

Goulash sounding very good and ham (but that was my Xmas day dinner idea).
Cottage pie always a winner - with festive sprouts.

Yep, tagine, yep!

Guests for two whole weeks!! Wow. To make it more manageable I'd draw up a little planner for the fortnight with the nights listed - then I'd slowly block in the meals I know I'm going to do e.g. Christmas Dinner on Christmas Day and a buffet on Boxing Day, say. Then you can see and get a better idea of the "flow" of the meals if you see what I mean, and you can look at how cooking something on one night could be stretched/reused the next night. I'd also block in some evening meals in a restaurant or takeaways out of the 14 nights. That might take you down to about 10 nights cooking from scratch at home, then you take out Christmas day and boxing day, then you are just down to eight evening meals and that doesn't sound nearly so bad.

Nigella does some nice dishes that can be marinaded and then just cooked in a big pan like her maple chicken and ribs - dead easy and everyone likes it served with a salad.

How about a nice big salmon side one evening? Or a beef wellington? I'd also try and make sure at least a couple of the meals were veggie as it can feel a bit like being Henry VIII at times at Christmas with lots of meat. Also don't forget a few nice puds. I think you can make a simple meal like bread,cheese and soup feel like more if you do a nice pud like a crumble to go with.

Good luck.

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you won't regret it. I promise.

Sarah Raven coming my way

Cool

FWIW, I have made and can really recommend:

Mincemeat
Mince pies
Banbury cakes
Cranberry and orange compote ( this is to DIE for )
Apricot and apple chutney
Very cheesy biscuits
Sea breeze
Mullede cider
Danish glogg
Sorrel egg pots
Bread sauce
Pecan apple and celery stuffing
Pear chutney
Iced berries with hot white choc sauce

I want to make this year:

Roast partridge with cobnut stuffing
Blood orange sorbet
Pork and pancetta stuffing
Thai noodle soup with spinach
Smoked haddock chowder
Nasi Goreng
Loin of pork with fennel and cider

There are also some great ideas for bulbs and flowers. She's a very stylish and clever lady, IMO.

I hope yr guests will bring food! Or deffo help constructively. I freeze soups and soup bases that you just add stock and dumplings to. I second the 'going out to restaurants' idea.

Boxing day - cold meats, bubble & squeak (plus fried egg optional)

Turkey stew the day after (with crusty bread)

Try The Kitchen Revolution website (can't do links on phone but easy to google for).
Their Two for One recipes should feed eight and will freeze (the theory is that you eat half and freeze half but that's to feed four). Some pretty good recipes in there.

If you make the most enormous vat of bolognese you could turn some of it into a lasagne (we promise we won't tell anyone if you use cheese sauce from a jar).

Curry? You could make a nice curry and freeze it and then just cook the rice on the day.

Baked all-in-one things like chicken, potato, carrots, onions, herbs, maybe some sausage

Loads of snacky things so they don't want massive meals lol

No, my guests won't bring food as they are family (from overseas).
They will ALL probably want to get involved in the kitchen at the same time so that's why I want some some things to bring out of the freezer. They will undoubtedly be very helpful with veggies etc.

Loving the idea of lots of snacks to reduce the huge evening meal thing and I think they'd appreciate different interesting soups for lunch.