Xmas Eve Dinner

[atalost]

What does everyone eat for dinner on Xmas Eve?

All kinds of different things! This year we're having celeriac and apple soup, with crispy ham and crème fraîche, roast lamb with potatoes boulangère and roasted tenderstem broccoli, followed by rhubarb and custard traybake with clotted cream.

Fish and chips from the chippy. We don't actually have it that often so it's a treat and by that point I'm utterly fed up with meal planning and food shopping and cooking. Plus we get to drive around looking at people's Christmas lights on the way!

Slow roasted shoulder of lamb is one of my favourite dishes though. So I'd happily eat that if someone else made it!

Chinese takeaway

Madhur Jaffrey's spicy mince and peas.

We do a ‘bits’ dinner. Homemade aga soda, homemade sausage rolls, cheese parcels, Welsh rarebit, puff pastry nibbles, cheeseboard etc.

We normally order a takeaway. Kebabs for me and DH, pizza and chips or nuggets for the kids.

Kebab

Either fish and chips… or since we’ve had small children, a buffet: homemade sausage rolls and sourdough, Camembert, Yule log, prawns, spring rolls, dips etc.

When we have a crowd, it's hot pork baguettes with stuffing and apple sauce, sides of coleslaw and sweet potato fries, whilst watching a film.

Probably only two of us this year, DH has asked for fish pie.

Something with fish/seafood.
And it is most likely to be seafood in "pink sauce" aka passata and cream with nice pasta as it is done in 20 minutes and can be rehated.
DH loves it and children tolerate it.

Seafood platter, champagne.

We used to get a platter but now just buy three bits we each really enjoy. Such a great slide into Christmas.

Brie en croute, party snacks and a fruit platter here.

We always have a roast ham with honey and cloves which we eat cold for a couple of days then finish off in a turkey, ham and leek pie a couple of days after Boxing Day. Delicious!

It's trad in our family to have pasta and ragu. Spag bol for anyone who wants meat or aubergine, lentil and chestnut for veggies.

That sounds gorgeous. I want it now!

Spicy mince and peas was the first proper curry I ever tasted in 1970s at an Indian friend's house. I loved it and nagged my mum to make it so she bought Madhur Jaffrey's book and did it properly - frying the spices and grinding them herself. It was so good. Haven't had it in years.

It's dead easy to make, @SereneCapybara - you should definitely give it a go some time!

And your meal sounds delicious too (both versions).

I always do homemade sausage rolls and soup for lunch and for dinner a big side of salmon, potato dauphinois and veg. This year I also bought a beef joint as some people don't like salmon.

I like something simple but tasty. A favourite is prawns and spaghetti with a tomato and chilli pesto and rocket. Literally takes 5 minutes as buy fresh pasta and a waitrose pesto

Ours is Chinese (ish). One year we actually got takeaway (my attempt to get freeloading family to actually offer to pay for a meal while staying with us, which backfired 😂) and now it’s become a tradition. Now I make it myself (with a bit of help from Tesco party food for prawns and prawn toast). We are having:

Korean BBQ wings
Salt and pepper chips
Tempura prawns
Prawn toasts
Cucumber salad

Mint vienetta (also xmas eve tradition) for pudding

We're popping out to the local Thai restaurant for late lunch/early dinner. Mr Eer and I have been going out for Christmas Eve since we were teenagers 😃

Blimey, I can't believe all these meals being cooked for Christmas Eve...are you all cooking again Christmas Day?!

I'm just cooking the ham first thing in the morning and putting on a bit of a lunchtime buffet...then going to the pub 😂

We’re going to have fish pie followed by chocolate

Yes for 2 days I cook constantly then Boxing Day we eat leftovers and a few days after that I don't cook.
It's only 2 days and I do it for the kids, luckily I like cooking

I actually make a Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve for my DH and kids. We go to my in laws on Christmas Day and it's become a tradition that I do my own one on Christmas eve. The kids love it!