So for Christmas .. what are you 'allowed' to cheat and what must be made from scratch?

[Twiglett]

mince pies
cranberry sauce
bread sauce

(I'm considering buying in a pud too... eek)

I'm buying pud too.

If you're my mum then you cheat the whole thing, if it's not aunt bessie's you won't find it on your plate (boke)

Depends on how many you are feeding and other circumstances.

Does anyone really eat the pud anyway?

Our xmas dinner now features Aunt Bessies roast potatoes instead of proper homemade. Because MIL still insists on doing the cooking and now she's 89 she can't be faffed with parboiling. (she used to make the best roast spuds)

I am going to be trying to making a pud this year, hopefully tomorrow.
Wanted to do it on the proper day but DS1 decided to smash his front teeth out instead. Needless to say, didn't get there in the end.
Will make the mince pies as they are easy and I always do.

I used to make flaky pastry for mince pies and sausage rolls, but after realizing that Jus-rol do a frozen one with identical ingredients - butter and flour - and nothing else added, I buy that. Much easier.

What is bread sauce?

make:
mince pies (shortcrust)
bread sauce

cheat:
pud
cranberry sauce

I always buy cranbwerry sauce, and in previous years ahve bought a lovely sausage, cranberry and apple stuffing from the local butcher. This year it is the 4 of us, I'm working Christmas Eve and Boxing day and will be cheating on a lot of it

I buy ready-made frozen pastry too (puff is better for sausage rolls imo)

Bread sauce is very easy to make from scratch.

I always buy a pudding.

I thought you did baking twig? I would be expecting you to make your own mince pies. I have even made my own mincemeat. 'Tis easy for me though because I don't have to cook on Christmas Day so can do faffing around the edges.

Do have quite a crowd on Boxing Day though and need to decide what I do there. Do I do a buffet and if so how many iceland type packs for opening? Or do I do casserole type affair?

I do bake .. I'm not fond of pastry though .. I'm making truffles and cake though

I have no idea what bread sauce is tbh .. has never been a staple of christmas before but as we're doing it this year DH has decided it's a requisite

bread sauce is a piece of piss.

stud an onion with cloves.

bung it in milk

add breadcrumbs

season

cook for a bit

er - there may be something else I'm forgetting. I love it [carb frenzy]

cranberry sauce also easy

cranberries
water
sugar
splash of orange juice

cook for a bit

Delia's bread sauce

We make our own cake, pudding, mincemeat, mince pies (sometimes buy puff pastry for the lids), sausage rolls, stuffings, bread sauce, cranberry sauce, brandy butter...
Don't really see the point of cheating because none of it is difficult or takes long to do.

Starting to feel quite hungry now!

We have bought a pudding this year which I never normally do but in my defence DS2 won the school comp to design the label (great excitement) so we had to, really.

I buy things like posh biccies and chocolates. DH would like me to buy Paxo to stuff the chicken but I refuse. I even make the choc swiss roll for the choc log - in fact need to be getting that in the freezer....

I might buy fondant icing for Christmas cake tho as it is all trans fat free these days. Buy a huge pork pie for Christmas day breakfast (for DH, not me - I like choc croissants thanks v much. Oh I buy those too).

bozza (an emoticon we sorely need) at making own mincemeat. I have never dared since a pal in my student house made some and it went all fermented....

Anyone who is working Chr Eve and Boxing Day is allowed to get M&S to deliver the lot ready made I reckon.

Do people really eat bread sauce
It look like sick.

I'll buy in mince pies and pud (would like to make own one day but Not Good at puddings)

Everything else home made.Why buy cranberry sauce? As HM says,takes 2 mins.

you can't cheat brandy butter. i mean, it's so easy to make!

mince pies. well, i buy the mincemeat, but make the shortcrust for the pies.

i make my own Christmas cake from a recipe someone posted on here last year.

Christmas pud is the boak, however, and thankfully we all hate it so we skip it.

we eat ham for Christmas rather than turkey.

but teh stuffing is Paxo from a box.

Bread sauce is the best bit of Christmas.

Funny how everyone has different ideas. The mincemeat was very easy to do - I used Delia's recipe. And I always make a cake. But as we are at MIL's for lunch I imagine quite a lot of things will be cheat versions.

So what about boxing day buffets? What should be served up? What would you buy and what would you make?

cheating on christmas pud and mince pies
making cranberry sauce and proper gravy
and proper roasties

Our Boxing day food tends to consist of left-overs from Christmas Day!

So sausage rolls, cold meat, salad etc. But last year I also did ham in coke which went down well.

Good idea Bozza, some Boxing day ideas would be useful.

Bread sauce is the only reason for eating turkey. Home made is best but the expensive packet ones aren't bad - particularly Schwartz (who you wouldn't expect to do a decent packet bread sauce)

yes I was thinking ham in coke was a good idea. We are out all day Christmas Day but will probably have about 8 plus us on boxing day.

For Boxing Day I would do Coronation chicken/turket, cold meats and cheeses and lovely salads (carrot,raisin and pinenut, roasted peppers and fetta,marinated mushrooms, blood orange,red onion and olives) and good bread.

overheard in Tesco today:

(old lady to ollasy)

'there doesn't seem much pointing making a Chrsitma cake this year, seeing as I've only got one leg'

(sorry had to post that somewhere- here seemed good as anywhere LOL)
'

lmao