Christmas Food - buying ahead?

moggins

I've already bought Cranberry Sauce from Lidl and it's a really big jar with whole cranberries in it, lovely!!

We have a christmas pudding left from last year (not home made) and I will be emptying one of the kitchen cupboards out soon to start stocking up on stuff.

finc

I got my turkey a couple of weeks age in Asda. A huge frozen turkey crown reduced to £5 :T

I've not bought much else as we always end up eating it. I do intend to make my Christmas cake next week though to give time to feed it.

nicki_2

kingshir wrote:

Am I the only one looking forward to cold weather, hot filling meals and wearing long skirts,boots and cosy sweaters, and snuggling up in bed (am sick of hot, sweaty nights)

Your not alone. I prefer cooking in the winter as I can get creative with stews and casseroles, puddings and baking is appreciated :rotfl:I also love feeling all wrapped up in jumpers, thick socks and my workman boots :snow_grin There's nothing like snuggling underneath a blanket on the sofa with a mug of hot chocolate and a good Christmas video especially if it's a Muppets one :rotfl:

Back on topic, I really should go and find my notebook I spent last night writing out a list of recipes from a book I've borrowed from my SIL called "A Taste of Switzerland" and there are some delish ones I want to try out for Christmas gifts I love having foreign friends at times who bring us wonderful gifts over when they come to visit. Now if they could just stop bringing me chocolates :rolleyes:

sammy_kaye18

Well we were that bad off alst year we had to have our Xmas dinner donated to us by my MIL so this year i will be well planned in advance i think!!!!!!

Im thinking of making a special breakfast fro Xmas this year so i can get in the routine especially with little one being that bit older.

Dinner

• Chicken (not fussed on turkey
• new potatoes
• roast potatoes
• carrots
• sprouts
• caulifloer
• gravy
• sausages with bacon

Pudding

• might make a sponge cake this year for pudding as im allergic to cherries and nuts so cant have christmas pud
• custard

Other

• mince pies
• apple pies
• crisps
• mini chedders
• choccies to nibble on
• popcorn
• crackers
• and other nibbly stuff

but quite a few of these thigns i can get in advance so imgith do that
plus we tend to live off turkey for ages afterwards as we are only a small family - me, bf and 2 year old.

Sallys_Savings

errrmmm I can't buy any food early as my family seem to demolish it
but I make lots of lists ready

jcr16

i have never had to cook an xmas dinner. we always go to my in-laws on xmas day and then grandparents on boxing day , and next set on grandparents on news years day.

but i am thinking of cooking a special meal for everyone on xmas eve. so i am going to get lots of tips from here to help me organize it.

please keep the tips, hints and ideas flowing.

starlite_2

If it's for lots of people, and as it's christmas eve so people will get all the stodge the next day you could just do a really good buffet.
We tend to when we have a large group of friends over, this weekend we were catering for 13 and had
a huge cheese platter
various breads/crackers/breadsticks
lots of different cold meats i.e hams, salami, chorizo, cold beef
greek salad and green salad
tabbouleh, beetroot and quinoa salad and a roast veg cous cous
skewered chicken pieces, some wrapped in bacon, some in mango slices
skewered roast veg
roast potato wedges
various dips and salsa
picled pepers, beetroot, olives, chillis etc

It went down a storm and the beauty of it is you can make it all earlier and actually enjoy it yourself rather than dashing around the kitchen cooking whilst everyone is there.

benjacksmum

oooh - you lot are getting me all excited about Christmas now!!! Didn't think I'd be overly bothered about it as last year I spent Christmas in hospital seriously wondering if I would ever see another Christmas again, I missed out on my boys waking up Christmas morning and everything and even though I have thankfully now recovered, if anybody has mentioned Christmas since then, I was very aware that I didn't feel the same buzz and thought my spell in Hospital had turned me into a Scrooge but NO! You lot talking about Christmas morning and all the wonderful food has pulled me right back into my old Christmas loving self. I might have thought it would have been food that would have pulled me back round - I LOVE FOOD - probably why I am a 'big girl'!!!

Definitely gonna pull the stops out this year to make up for last (apparently it was a let down at home too). Going to have a special breakfast, probably with Bucks Fizz, Pain au Chocolat (any recipes anyone?) and the obligatory Bacon butties - for starters! That's all I have 'planned' so far as Xmas lunch will be at MIL's as usual so will be watching all your plans with interest to see what I can copy the rest of the time . Probably do something nice Christmas Eve this time as it's never been anything special before and hopefully that will give us some left overs to make into a little buffet for us on Christmas night.

Great idea about the Christmas notebook - will find a spare notebook when I have finished this.

PS I have a Christmas Pud from last year which never got eaten (my fault for being ill :rolleyes: ). It has a Best Before date of June 2006 - will it still be OK for this Christmas or should I buy/make another one?

Ang xx

Lillibet_2

Xmas eve will be a oriental duck with pancakes & hoi sin sauce for hubby, Spud & I. will buy as soon as I see reduced & freeze. The trouble with this is resisiting the temptaion:o

Xmas breakfast will be crossiants & apricot jam for me, porridge for Hubby who eats it every day come rain or shine:rolleyes:. From then onwards my parents will be here, lunch will be

Beef Wellignton Butcher will supply meat nearer the time
Yorkshire Puds Afriad I will be buying ready made as I don't have a yorkshie tin or space in my oven on the day.
Roast spuds
Roast veggies i.e carrots, parsnips, red peppers, courgettes, fennel. From now on I will be buying all these kinds of veg in the "posh" format liek the very small stuff, as I see reduced, blanch & freeze for the day.
Sausages in bacon. Butcehr will supply nearer the time.

Pudding will be something fruity like a summer pudding, I know horiffically expensive but not so much if you pick/buy the fruit now & freeze it. It only takes a few minutes to make on Xmas eve. Serve with Double Cream

Eveing will be spring rolls, samosas, onion barjies, prawn toasts, salad & apple pie, mostly eaten over baord games/cards. I will buy the ready made packs as I see them on special offer & freeze.

Boxing day will be

Bacon sarnies & fruit salad for breakfast

Sandwiches, HM quiche & salad/leftovers for lunch

Chicken pie or chicken chasseur depending on what mood I am in for dinner followed by lemon meringue pie or similar. Butcher does fab packs of 10 organic drumsticks for £1 every few weeks, perfect for this sort of thing. If a pie I will make ahead & freezze, if chasseure then will go into the slow cooker on the morning.

There will be HM sausage rolls & Mum's HM Xmas cake & HM cheese straws floating around for snacks etc, plus my mum always makes a delish iced cherry & choc-chip ring cake at Xmas:D

None of it is terribly traditional, last year was the first time I "did" Christmas at home & I majorally overspent & over catered, this year will be much more refined on the catering so that we don't end up wasting loads. I somehow still have pleanty fo spirits left from last Xmas so will only need to stock up on wine & soft drinks nearer the time. I know wine purists will slay me, but we tend to use wine boxes for big occasions like this as they work out so much more economical;)

Heth_2

I'm really excited about christmas this year, as it is our first in our own house and we are hosting it (parents, in laws and sister coming). I won't start stocking up until much nearer the time though, no space, but will probably followthe timescales for making pudding, cake, mincemeat in a delia christmas magazine I have, and if we have some money spare in the food budget in the next couple of months we'll start buying some alchohol. We'll probably make tons of food as we need to combine traditions from both families, so will end up with things like bacon rolls and sausages wrapped in bacon, and 3 types of stuffing so everyone is happy. Will be aiming to have everything homemade, none of the ready made stuffing, bread sauce, pudding etc... stuff my mil serves