What's Everyone Eating on Christmas Eve? ...

[MissWooWoo]

... I need inspiration for a very fussy (adult) eater!

Won't eat seafood (prawns/smoked salmon etc), cheese, any kind of pickle/chutney, salad, mince pies, christmas pudding. Last year she ordered a takeaway which I thought was very unchristmasy and also very rude!

She says she can't eat wheat because it upsets her stomach but will eat bread/pastries/pies when it suits so I never know if these things are ok or not and so if I offer sandwiches/sausage rolls she is likely to make a fuss

Fried food and chocolate are her staple food groups with the odd bit of fruit and veg chucked in. She likes meat. Not keen on "exotic" foods.

I would really like to provide something nice for her and was leaning more towards buffet than full on cooked meal. Any ideas?

Tradition in my house is usually a litle winter soup (carrot or parsnip etc) followed by slices of baked ham, a light sauce, some cranberry on the side and a few simple veggies. Dessert is also something light - home-made icecream, for example. But this year we're at my parents' house so it could be anything from beans on toast up :)

She sound like a pain in the arse and you are very lovely for wanting to cater for her! I'd be doing a normal meal to cater for the rest of the guests and letting her pick her way through/eat nothing if she was going to act like a toddler about her food. My attitude is somewhat ifluenced by sharing a house for a year with a girl who ate nothing but chicken nuggets, pasta and mild cheddar.

We are having curry this year. Kids will eat fish fingers/whatever they fancy as a treat, watch Christmas Shrek/something on TV if suitable and go to bed then the rest of us will eat curry and play board games.

at Indith to be honest I'm not that nice, I just don't want to give her an excuse to stink my house up with greasy chinese food again. It has it's place but not in my house on christmas eve!!! It really upset me last year - how ridiculous is that?!

I like the soup and ham idea, I know for sure that she'll eat those things. We can all have that and then if she doesn't want any of the other stuff she can stuff her face with chocolate

I'm trying to imagine how rude someone has to be, to be a guest in someone's home and order a takeaway! So I'm guessing this is some kind of close relative with enough issues (real or imagined) that prevent you from giving her the telling off she richly deserves. Fussy eaters, in my experience, are attention-seekers, nothing more. They like watching you tie yourself in knots trying to please them.

And no...if someone has a serious intolerance to wheat, they don't eat pastry. And you might want to point out that swallowing down large amounts of fatty food and chocolate will give someone a serious dose of the shits all by themselves. I'd limit her access to both - just to be kind, you understand. ;)

Another vote for soup (and baked potatoes).

Soup sounds good. I'm with Cogito on wondering how rude some people can be though. As an adult you should have the capacity to understand and implement basic social skills (this being MN I shall add a disclaimer to say I do not include adults with SN, Aspergers etc in that!). If osmeone is serving a perfectly normal meal then you suck it up, act politely and eat at least a modest amount. If someone is serving up fried snails and locusts on a bed of mushrooms then I'd forgive you for saying "I'm sorry I really don't like that do you perhaps have some bread and cheese?" but otherwise turning your nose up at things is just plain rude. I'd always cater for vegetarians, for allergies and for the odd particular dislike (almost everyone has something they really hate. If someone served me goats cheese I don't think I could manage to eat it) but not for stupidly fussy

Well, we shall be having a takeaway curry, as we do each year! There is enough faffing in the kitchen the next day so no cooking either side of christmas day for us !

You've hit the nail on the head Cognito she has lots of issues surrounding food both real (lactose intolerant) and imagined. Unfortunately she is morbidly obese so as you can imagine saying anything about food is a mine field. She eats lots of things that are very bad for her and yet is in denial about why she constantly gets the runs. Both I and partner have tried talking to her about it but to no avail. I appreciate how hard it must be, I'm no skinny minnie myself but I do try and achieve a reasonable balance. As it's my partner's sister he very much likes her to feel at home so didn't raise any objection when she suggested takeaway last year - I was putting dd to bed but had I have got a say I would definately have said something even if only in a light hearted way.

What really riled me was not so much getting a takeaway but the fact that there was lots food in the house already.

It is rude isn't it? I thought it was just me being over sensitive and wanting christmas all my own way.

I agree it is rude but also its her Christmas too. Its such an emotive time and people like to please themselves at Christmas.

I think if it were me, I'd tell her I'd really like to be able to provide her with something and it made me feel like a bit crap as a hostess her having to order out ( whilst this isn't true necessarily it makes the point you don't want her doing it ). With this in mind, what would be her ideal Christmas Eve dinner that you can provide?

she'd probably say "chinese"

I know she like homemade soup and I know she likes ham. We all like these things and they're christmassy!

I think I would rather say look this is what we're planning to have on christmas eve, let me know if you don't like any of it and I'll get you something else in. I don't want her to dictate the menu (that's my job

WE ARE EATING IN THE CHRISTMAS SECTION

Well dh and I have a Chinese whilst last minute wrapping so I'm not use

oh maybe I should just get over myself.

We're still having soup and ham

Or you could send her and yr partner out to a restaurant (we all do that on Xmas eve in France admittedly where it's traditional ) it's great no washing or clearing up the meal!!

And no cooking so it leaves the sink free for prepping the veg. for xmas day!!

Make what you're going to make and say to her to pick and chose from that. Honestly if she can eat bread 'sometimes' then I think the only thing wrong with her is a touch of hypochondria!

I'm out of inspiration for the main course, but you seem to be sorted on the soup/ham idea. I have a suggestion for pud. I make Nigella Lawson's chocolate brownies quite a lot for entertaining and have served them on Xmas Eve. In her Feast book there is one for Snow-Flecked Brownies, with white chocolate chips. Easy to make (just don't over cook) and you can pre-make the mixture and whack it in the oven to bake whilst eating. They come out warm, squidgey and gooey, and all you need is a good scoop of vanilla ice cream. Best thing is that left overs can be stored in an air tight container for the rest of the festive period, and you have an instant dessert on hand - just re-heat for 15 seconds in the microwave. They make a nice (if slightly rich) alternative to mince pies/Xmas pud - plus if she likes chocolate then that surely will appeal to her?

that, QueenVictoria, is an excellent idea and would certainly be a big hit with my dd too. I don't have any of Nigella's books but I'm sure I could scribble down recipe quickly from copy in whs find the recipe somewhere

misswoowoo

here you go

Oooo! thanks wheredidiputit

Yum! If I wasn't on WW I'd make them tomorrow

We always have hot roast beef sandwiches on Xmas eve.

Anthony Worrall Thompsons brownies are divine!

Just realised the link is American measures: here are the metric conversions if you need them. Oven temp is gas mark 4/180c
375g unsalted butter
375g dark choc
6 eggs
350g caster sugar
1 tbsp vanilla ex
225g plain flour
1 tsp salt
250g white choc buttons/chips
2 tsp icing sugar for dusting.
You will not be disappointed. Last time I cooked them I was told they were 'out of this world'! My big tip is always undercook so that they stay gooey in the middle. I'm baking a batch for a christmas party we are having and cutting them into bitesize pieces.