Christmas Lunch - what are you having/recommend?

MrsJ2008

Hi All,

My boyfriend & I are having our first christmas on our own this year and can't decide on what to have for Christmas lunch. What are you having?

Have thought of trying Goose or Game but haven't tried either & would like to know what they taste like and which are nicer?

Any other tips on where to buy, how to cook or sites for receipes would be gratefully received too!

Happy Christmas to you all x

Sola

We're having roast leg of lamb, pigs-in-blankets, stuffing, Yorkshires, roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, roast parsnips, mashed swede, cauliflower cheese, broccoli, peas, carrots, gravy, mint sauce, mint jelly, cranberry jelly. Basically all our fave bits from the various roast dinners I do - catering for 7. As I'm working on Christmas Eve, as much of the meal as possible will be bought frozen - I normally prepare veg from scratch but won't get a chance this year. Pudding if we have space is homemade trifle - swiss roll, fruit cocktail and bananas in jelly, tin of custard, fresh cream on top.

I did goose one year but boy was it fatty. The flavour was nothing to write home about either. I've never had game but I vividly remember a friend's father hanging a pheasant in the garage for a couple of weeks for it to get 'high'; disgusting smell.

MrsJ2008

Sola, looks like we are coming to you then!!!!

Thanks for the tips x

MrsJ2008

We're having rib-eye steak with mushrooms followed by fruit salad made with pineapple and Cointreau. Our tradition for Christmas Day is: breakfast of smoked salmon and scrambled egg, then church. We have a nice meal for Christmas Day lunch. Margaret[/quote]

That sounds lovely Margaret, unfortunately my other half is allergic to all seafood & fish so I'll have the salmon & he can have a good old banger with his eggs instead!

aurora_borealis_2

Sola wrote: »

We're having dresssed and stuffed duck, turkey, pigs-in-blankets, stuffing, Yorkshires, roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, creamed parsnips, mashed swede, cauliflower cheese, broccoli, peas, carrots, gravy, bread sauce, mint jelly, cranberry jelly.

^^ edited to fit me

We had goose last year - it was delicious. Thoroughly recommended.

Sola

Of course it would last you that long, margaret - I'm cooking for 7, not 2! I'm not one for tradition - I'll serve what everyone fancies and, as I said, everyone's had a say in what their fave bits of a roast dinner are. I've never had Yorkshires as a first course; must be a North-South thing. I'm mainly doing it for Mum; she cooked all the time when we were kids and now she's retired, I'm returning the favour. It's the only time of the year the whole family gets together. Even if people only have a half-spoonful of the various veg, I like to give them the choice because everyone likes something different. And I do get a kick out of coordinating the various cooking times, serving dishes etc.

Stephen_Leak

Hmm. With it being just the two of you and your first Christmas together (sigh), I personally wouldn't recommend risking anything you haven't cooked at least once before. Keep it simple. Isn't it better to go for the traditional Christmas dinner and do it well, than try something experimental and have it go wrong? However, as there will be just two of you, I'd even say to go for a really good quality chicken, rather than a turkey or turkey crown. They are just so big and, IMHO, turkey is a tricky meat. When done well, it is excellent, but it is just too easy to get wrong.

However, my Christmas gift to you both is my recommendations for wines for a traditional Christmas dinner. Both the wine for the main course and the Christmas pudding need to be able to survive what I can only describe as an artillery barrage of flavours. For the main course, Valencia Dry, a dry yet robust white wine. It can stand up to all those flavours, yet not overpower them itself. For the Christmas pudding, Moscatel de Valencia, a honey-sweet white wine. This wine, combined with all the rich flavours of the pud' (and even the cream) is simply amazing: it is one of those instances where "the whole is greater than the sum of the parts". Neither of these wines are exotic or expensive: I usually get mine from ASDA for about £10 for both.

Emms

No idea what were having as the MIL never tells us till its on the plate!

Emma

alwaysonthego_2

I am with Magaret on freshly made yorkshire puds (I am yorkshire too). They only take a few minutes to make, I also add vinegar to my batter, seems to work.

aurora_borealis_2

Sola wrote: »

Of course it would last you that long, margaret - I'm cooking for 7, not 2! I'm not one for tradition - I'll serve what everyone fancies and, as I said, everyone's had a say in what their fave bits of a roast dinner are. I've never had Yorkshires as a first course; must be a North-South thing. I'm mainly doing it for Mum; she cooked all the time when we were kids and now she's retired, I'm returning the favour. It's the only time of the year the whole family gets together. Even if people only have a half-spoonful of the various veg, I like to give them the choice because everyone likes something different. And I do get a kick out of coordinating the various cooking times, serving dishes etc.

With you all the way - but, since I'm not working on Christmas Eve, all of mine will be fresh :cool:

aurora_borealis_2

We have yorkies every Sunday - with the meat