What do you do for Christmas dinner?

Justamum

TBagpuss wrote: »

Everything was home made (except I cheated and used shop bought pastry to save time for the beef welington)

As Wellington pastry is usually flaky it's not cheating to buy it - I don't think chefs bother with making it themselves these days!

We were discussing our Christmas dinner the other day. We don't normally have more food than normal as we wouldn't be able to eat it! The consensus was to buy a Redwoods Celebration Roast (cheatin' turkery, sausages and rashers) with roast potatoes. Only DH and I like Christmas pudding, so I'll be doing a chocolate sponge for the children. When I was younger (from about 14) I made and iced the Christmas cake every year, but as my children don't like dried fruit(!) I haven't botherered for years.

mrs_motivated

No kids for dinner this year, so there will only be 3 adults (the BIG family dinner will be on new years day) so no turkey for us!

Christmas Day

Starters
Garlic mushrooms on brushetta (SCRUMMY YUMMY)

Main Course
Stuffed Crown roast of Lamb (usual trimmings)
honey glazed carrots
Green beans
Sprouts
Goose fat roasties & parsnips

Dessert
Lemon & ginger syllabub

NEW YEARS DAY
Starter
Smoked salmon terrine with quail eggs and watercress dessing

Main Course
Forerib of beef
Yorkshire puds
Roast Parsnips / potatoes
spouts with bacon / chestnuts
carrots
pea puree

Desert
brandy snap baskets with fresh cream raspberries and raspberry coulis

to drink - champagne to start - white wine probably a good chablis with starter, chateau neuf de pape with main (and who cares after that )

misscousinitt

Usually go to MIL's but we provide most of the food.

Free Range Turkey Crown from local butchers. Always order a large organic veg box from my veg man and prepare all the veg (except potatoes) on Christmas Eve so MIL doesn't have to do it. Tend to keep an eye out for reduced 'seasoning pack' in Waitrose over the next few weeks (as they always over order and end up reducing some) and wang it in the freezer - so Waitrose pigs in blankets, chipolata sausages and stuffing.

Usually too full for pudding straight away - we usually have bought choc trifle - though may make one this year!

All your menus sound very nice....can't beleive we are talking about Christmas Dinner already.



Go back home about 7ish and have nice cheese and pate with DH (its will be our first married Christmas this year) and open the rest of our pressies and have a bottle of wine.

MrsE_2

Justamum wrote: »

As Wellington pastry is usually flaky it's not cheating to buy it - I don't think chefs bother with making it themselves these days!

We were discussing our Christmas dinner the other day. We don't normally have more food than normal as we wouldn't be able to eat it! The consensus was to buy a Redwoods Celebration Roast (cheatin' turkery, sausages and rashers) with roast potatoes. Only DH and I like Christmas pudding, so I'll be doing a chocolate sponge for the children. When I was younger (from about 14) I made and iced the Christmas cake every year, but as my children don't like dried fruit(!) I haven't botherered for years.

You're right, all the telly chefs say don't bother making it.

I think I will push the boat out on some days maybe 5 (xmas eve, xmas day, boxing day, NYE & NYD) & be a good girl the rest of the xmas season:A

I'm off to google a Redwoods Celebration Roast because I've never heard of it.

tinksy

i'm excited by this thread, this year we are going up north to see the inlaws at christmas as its there turn to have us so I am having my nanny and partner over along with my mum on the 5th for an early christmas. I am actually going to see my nanny over christmas as we will pop over one evening but she will have my cousins there who are loving referred to as 'hells children' and me and the hubby decided we are sick of spending loads of time and effort with their present only for them to be unable to enjoy opening it thanks to my cousins. my nanny is always dashing off to cook etc and I wish my uncle would realise that age 75 it should be her turn to sit down and relax at christmas not his!!!!!!! even two years ago when she had a chest infection my uncle STILL let her do everything and that means cooking for 14 people!!!!!
So we are having her over for a special meal to give her and partner their presents (which this year is a homemade food hamper) and doing an early christmas lunch. We are cooking them duck as every year they do turkey because of the volume of people and the fact that the others wont eat anything else and figured it was a nice treat. Me being a veggie and cooking a duck should be entertaining!
I'm going to do all the trimmings etc and making apple and mincemeat tart and cheesecake for pudding and generally making them feel special x

Olliebeak

This year I've decided that we're having a decent sized Free-range Chicken on Christmas Day - but with all the trimmings, of course - wouldn't be Christmas without those .

Still got two puddings from last year - so don't need to buy another, BUT may get some kind of Ice-Cream Dessert.

Already bought, blanched and frozen sprouts (Organic 25p on whoopsie :j).

When there's space in the freezer, I'll do some mashed carrot and swede and put that with the sprouts.

Thinking of doing Duchesse Potatoes - so those can also be done in advance, frozen after piping and then stored in a lidded container.

At this rate, I won't need any pans boiling away :T.

My biggest Christmas Catering event is when my kids/partners/grandkids/mum/sis&family come round. One heck of a buffet gets prepared.

A couple of days later, OH's brother/sis&husband+2nieces visit and it's buffet time all over again.

Don't do anything special for NYE but back to a whoop-de-doo lunch for NYD - usually Leg of Lamb or Roast Pork.