Christmas Lunch Hacks

HoneyRoastedParsnip

Just looking at Christmas food to order. Some seems very exciting and unique but the rest seems over priced. Why get a massive turkey when we are four people? I'll just get my usual chicken and save some money for a nice dessert I can't be bothered to make from scratch. I saw a french trimmed rack of lamb which had a breadcrumb crust - I do the same from a cook book with a normal rack and takes no time. Another example is Christmas tapas platters - crazy expensive for what they are. Marketing.

I've advised my wife to buy if it saves a lot of time or is something special only available at Christmas which we'll enjoy significantly more than the non-Christmassy equivalent. I'm trying not to be bah humbug but can't see the point in paying extra for Christmas packaging!

Any MSE ideas or advice to share to upscale or hack Christmas? 

Rosa_Damascena

Invest in yellow sticker goodies you wouldn't normally buy now, they'll still be good from the freezer in 3 months time.

MandM90

We are now vegan but I used to buy smoked salmon trimmings and blitz with cream cheese, herbs and a touch of lemon for a 'pâté'. 

I'm due a baby on the 12th so am currently trying to eat down the freezer stocks and will make and freeze most bits in advance. Christmas cake will be made next week (actually cheaper to buy but mine will be much nicer and a lovely family activity!), I'll make the 'centrepiece' (in our case a sort of posh mushroom Wellington) from scratch and freeze until the day, fraction of the price of the supermarkets branded meat free offerings. Ditto for gravy. Then will wait til last minute for parsnips, spuds, sprouts etc ..everyone always seems to panic and every year they're either 29p a bag in Lidl, get yellow stickered or (last year in my local Tesco they were) given away for free on Christmas Eve! We will buy a short time before Xmas and I'll get DH to prep the night before.

It's only one meal really and probably doesn't need vast amounts of planning.

HoneyRoastedParsnip

Definitely not doing a 'mum' who panics and frets over it all day! We are moving house (and town) 20-21 Dec so just going to get a delivery 21 Dec to simplify our lives a little. 

Rosa_Damascena

HoneyRoastedParsnip said:

Definitely not doing a 'mum' who panics and frets over it all day! We are moving house (and town) 20-21 Dec so just going to get a delivery 21 Dec to simplify our lives a little. 

Then you will do well to have a day of rest on the 25th! I'd have a low-key celebration or be accepting an invitation out in your position.

I was unpacking boxes for weeks and am in the same position now my home renovation is done. Its the small bits that aren't often used that are taking up my time, this is my first weekend in 5 months not working and I'm inclined to chill instead of spending it on housework.

Floss

The marketing is aimed at selling the "perfect" feast to those who cannot/ don't have time to prepare their own.

I think I'm hosting, and am planning an Italian-style meal, with antipasti to start, a porchetta roast served with polenta roast potatoes, broccoli and roasted carrots & parsnips (and probably Yorkshire puddings & pigs in blankets for the traditionalists!). Then it will be tiramisu and some of a small h/m 2020 pudding for those who want.

The porchetta, eggs for yorkies & tiramisu and bacon & chipolatas for the pigs in blankets will be Gloucester old spot from a local rare breed pig farm, the veg will be from the local veg farm, both within 5 miles of home so food miles will be low and flavour high.

annieb64

HoneyRoastedParsnip said:

Definitely not doing a 'mum' who panics and frets over it all day! We are moving house (and town) 20-21 Dec so just going to get a delivery 21 Dec to simplify our lives a little. 

We are hoping our new house will be ready in early  December so am in a similar situation.  Fortunately  my family aren't  fussy. Half of them hate Turkey  and Christmas  pudding anyway so will probably ask DD1 to buy me a piece of beef and put it in her freezer and for once will buy a pudding and cake.

My main concern is that until we get a definite date we can't order a new sofa but I'm  sure we'll  manage and if we are all together it will be an improvement on last year when we couldn't  see either

HoneyRoastedParsnip

Floss said:

The marketing is aimed at selling the "perfect" feast to those who cannot/ don't have time to prepare their own.

Ah yes "perfect" - the enemy of good enough.

HoneyRoastedParsnip

Rosa_Damascena said:

HoneyRoastedParsnip said:

Definitely not doing a 'mum' who panics and frets over it all day! We are moving house (and town) 20-21 Dec so just going to get a delivery 21 Dec to simplify our lives a little. 

Then you will do well to have a day of rest on the 25th! I'd have a low-key celebration or be accepting an invitation out in your position.

I was unpacking boxes for weeks and am in the same position now my home renovation is done. Its the small bits that aren't often used that are taking up my time, this is my first weekend in 5 months not working and I'm inclined to chill instead of spending it on housework.

Luckily we have a full pack service and it is our 6th move in 11 years. Hopefully be the last for a while too (moving from rental to own home which we bought in May). I know we will spend 6 months plus getting things in their place but we should have a liveable space by Christmas. 

Wraithlady

It is insane what is touted as 'the proper/ultimate/perfect' Christmas Dinner - not helped by cookery magazines pushing their over-engineered, mucked-about 'twists' on the actual meal to boost sales. I won't mention the 'ice-palace' themed cake or whatever other cake-decorating daftness occurs to them - I'm not a pastry chef, and life's too short.

We swapped from a free-range turkey (there's only 3 of us, and MIL has a very small appetite) to a free-range capon last year, think it's a change we will stick with. Stuffing is a recipe from the '30's - basically breadcrumbs, suet, lemon rind, herbs, seasoning, a splash of milk and an egg - no pancetta/chorizo/chestnuts/exotic fruit or other 'palaver'.

I have been told that 'it's not Christmas dinner without sprouts' - yes, it is, I am indifferent and OH hates them. If there is the much- rumoured shortage of 'pigs in blankets', buy chipolatas and streaky bacon and make your own - even easier, forget the bacon and just cook and serve the sausages. 

As to hacks? I would say ;
Prep everything ahead of time (I would say freeze as much as possible, but if you're moving house, that may not be feasible),
Don't bother with a starter
Buying stuff ready-made like the cake or cranberry sauce is not an admission of failure and
Unless you are aiming for Instagram stardom, don't aim to impress the other diners - as long as everything is cooked, warm and tasty, that is all you need.

Just remember, it's merely a slightly more elaborate Sunday roast.

And maybe leave the Xmas pud til the New Year? 

Brie

HoneyRoastedParsnip said:

I've advised my wife to buy if it saves a lot of time or is something special only available at Christmas which we'll enjoy significantly more than the non-Christmassy equivalent. I'm trying not to be bah humbug but can't see the point in paying extra for Christmas packaging!

But will she listen?  Should she listen?????  

Frankly I'd be happy to wait until 4:30 on the 24th to buy what's been discounted and take what we can get.   There will be some very very posh stuff that no one wants down to 20p and if I had to have chicken or salmon or pork instead of turkey I'd be perfectly happy.   And hopefully all the brussels will be sold out so I won't have to even think of eating the retched things.  

Nicest thing I've bought for Christmas in the last few years was a incredibly expensive (for Aldi) piece of cheese.  It was extra expensive as it was artisan made (!) presented on a tiddly piece of slate with a small jar of chutney and all the fussy packaging.  Think it was a fiver or more but reduced to about £1 as they had zillions left.  As I recall the cheese was great and we still have the bit of slate on the dining room table as our salt and pepper holder.