What Christmas treats are you going to miss and what are you having instead?

[SnugglySnerd]

I'm 22 weeks pregnant. Have just done the supermarket shop and the shelves were piled high with treats like Baileys, mulled wine, Prosecco and nibbly things involving brie.
It's left me feeling a bit grumpy about missing all my delicious favourites over Christmas.
I might have a small glass of fizz or cup of mulled wine and I've been dropping hints about Hotel Chocolat to DH.
Just wondered if anyone else has some nice pregnancy-friendly Christmas treats planned?

NHS website definitely says stilton is ok!

It will be duck and orange pate for me sob
Not too fussed about the drink but I do love a bit of pate at Christmas!

Oh I know art I just want it with the rare steak

It's the booze. All the booze!
I'm going to be trying out lots of the suggestions on here though. Good work my sober, cheeseless, pate denied friends. My word we are going to hit the pimms at the Summer bbqs!

The festive edibles I'll miss the most are champagne and pate, but I think I'll also miss red wine on cosy evenings by the fire. Also New Year's Eve we usually have roast beef and I'll have to have a well done end bit of the joint rather than nice rare meat

(I've been eating smoked salmon throughout this pregnancy, and runny poached eggs.)

Whatever's wrong with eating Parma ham? (as mentioned in a pp). I'll miss the copious BOOOOOZE but we're on holiday in Japan for Xmas so I'll limit myself to a nice cold small draft beer on Xmas Day and a thimble of sake on New Year! If I could actually get my hands on any decent cheese living in Asia I'd probably have a little bit of everything - it's been cheddar, Philadelphia and Parmesan only for months

Cured meats liked parma ham are a known haven for bacteria, including listeria and toxoplasmosis.

Interestingly, I was chatting to a microbiologist a couple of years ago who told me that knowing what she knew had put her off cured meats (and she wasn't pregnant). At the time I had a compromised immune system due to medication and she told me that I should most definitely not be eating it! I think I carried on eating it though.

I've never known anyone be ill from cured meats (but then maybe that's because people never suspect the cured meat they ate yesterday when they're throwing up).

A decent alternative to pate is ham hock terrine. I love it, but find it really hard to find in supermarkets...

Not sure I can wait out until Pimms season, I might have a drunken Easter!!

The risk from cured meats and rare meat is toxoplasmosis, if you freeze them for 4 days first they are safe to eat so you can go ahead and enjoy rare steak and Parma ham with a bit of planning.

Really - so I can have a nice rare sirloin as long as it's done time in the freezer first? That is a revelation!

I will miss the booze - wine with nice meals and a lovely dry Madeira while watching festive telly. And liver-based pates. And Camembert.

Hurrah for runny eggs though! I will also be enjoying the odd bacon roll (brown sauce not red ) and anything with salted caramel in the name. And clotted cream instead of brandy butter. Ooh yes.

Oh no! I hadn't even thought about brandy butter! I love brandy butter. I might allow myself a little - there's not that much brandy in a teaspoon of brandy butter.

No there isn't - problem is that I am rather heavy handed with brandy butter

I will miss booze, although I'll have a glass of wine. I'm not avoiding any food, the risks are so minimal in my view. I've been eating lovely cheese, rare meat etc throughout. I have limited liver though because of the vitamin A. I have a constitution of iron and think I'm more likely to get sick eating sweaty quiche off a buffet.

Before I got pregnant I thought I would miss alcohol but I haven't at all, although a mulled wine around Christmas would have been nice!

The thing I've been missing the most is soft cheese like Brie, Camembert and goats cheese.

I've become lactose intolerant thanks to pregnancy (it's a family thing apparently, I have an aunt and grandma who both had the same happen to them) so not only will I be missing the alcohol and pate (sob!) I also can't have ANY cheese, chocolate or my absolute favourite, cheeselets
Have just found out that ready rolled puff pastries are mostly dairy free so I'll just have to stuff myself on homemade mince pies and sausage rolls instead

Birdlet - check your local Sainsburys as they have lots of yummy dairy free treats. Also Hotel Chocolat do good dark chocolate. And don't forget goats cheese is low in lactose.

Sadly can't help about the Cheeselets :(

Will miss pate and obviously the alcohol, especially a glass or red, not that I am a big drinker anyway but I am starting to fancy a glass or two.

Most of all I'll miss copious amounts of coffee. Trying to stick to one or two cups a day, but it's hard I admit!

Think I'll make up for it with After 8's.....🍫

Haha Peach the cheeselets are the one thing that's really broken me! Tried goats cheese and I can't even handle that unfortunately. All over the Sainsbury's free from range though - the chocolate brownies especially

My heart is breaking for Stilton!!

Stilton is ok as it's a hard cheese

polkydot are you sure about steak that's been in the freezer? I know that applies to cured meat, but wasn't sure about steak.

I will miss the alcohol on Christmas Day. I'm going to allow myself 1 glass of Champers, which is the welcome drink for our Christmas Day lunch, then stick to zero alcohol. Hubby is already driving me mad by purchasing Malibu! God, I could drink a bottle of that just by myself, sooo tasty!

It is tortuous going to the supermarket and seeing all the bottles of lovely fizz. I haven't missed drinking at all up to now but I think the festive period will be a struggle.

I'll miss the fizz too!

Would it be terrible to have half a glass on Xmas day if I'm only 8 weeks by then?