Christmas Lunch - what are you having/recommend?

Sola

notakid wrote: »

My Mom thinks croquettes from Iceland are the height of cool. Mashed potato in breadcrumbs.

I remember these being a staple midweek tea ingredient in the mid-Seventies; gosh we must've eaten tons of them with baked beans. We never really had potato waffles though. My Mum thinks I'm avant garde for adding onion to the roasties!

Vampgirl

Not really sure what we'll be having veg-wise, will probably do a good selection (left over veg is always good for using as leftovers). I'm actually cooking two christmas lunches this year and it'll be turkey for one of them and rib of beef for the other.

Roasties are compulsory, as are stuffing, pigs in blankets and will probably do parsnips too. Yorkies (with the meal, to dip in the gravy) are not negotiable...maybe they're not traditional in the purest sense, but if you can't have your favourites on Christmas Day, when can you?

margaretclare

Sola wrote: »

I don't think this thread really needs a cooking fundamentalist, margaret - it's very rude of you to criticise and get all hoity-toity. Not sure why you feel so threatened by all this. It may not be done the way it was in your youth but so what? You're not invited to our houses.

I am not invited to anyone's house, and that's fine. Nor am I inviting anyone to my house. I am not feeling 'threatened' by anything - what can you do to me, after all?

I am simply pointing out that what you wrote about 'what's all this about Yorkshire puddings not being part of Christmas dinner - it's traditional' is wrong. It may be YOUR tradition which you've created, but in the usual sense of the word 'traditional' i.e. time-honoured, handed down, it's not.

Yorkshire puddings are a very simple, working-class dish, easy to make and, provided you get the oven hot enough, no reason why they should be 'pants'. I can't imagine how you freeze them beforehand. It has been said that they were served because of the meanness of Yorkshire folk - those who ate most pudding ate less meat, so the meat went further. I think that has much more to do with poverty than with meanness. Christmas Dinner was a very special once-a-year meal when - hopefully - thoughts of poverty were put on one side for a day.

Making Christmas puddings and Christmas cake was 'traditionally' (that word again!) done on Stir-up Sunday, which is the last Sunday before Advent. I think that only exists now in 'The Archers'.

I've rather got out of the habit of making Yorkshire puddings but next time we have a piece of roast meat, as we did last Sunday, I'll make some. And serve them as the first course!

Margaret

margaretclare

PasturesNew wrote: »

Pigs in Blankets

While we as a family have never ever had them, we aren't bacon/breakfast eaters.

But, they have been a part of every "traditional Xmas dinner" I've seen right through from school dinners in the 60/70s, through to many a pub offering Xmas Dinners for company meals, and pubs putting on Xmas meals ... until the last 10 years when a lot have gone a bit posh.

Also, most magazines with articles on cooking Xmas Dinners were always having these things as part of the meal in the 70s/80s at least.

I have seen chipolata sausages included, but I've just never heard the term 'pigs in blankets'. Must ask my grandson, who's a chef.

Margaret

Stephen_Leak

Emms wrote: »

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

Emma

Can't anyone recognise what it is?!

alwaysonthego_2

Magaret I am breaking the yorkshire tradition. We are starting our meal with melon for dh and dd's. and prawn cocktail for me. Main meal is going to be roasted beef, roast potatoes, stuffing, yorkshire puds, broccoli, carrots, peas, swede. All will be freshly made except the stuffing!

For dessert will be xmas pud and custard for dh and me will be chocolate pud and dd's will have fromage fraise. Merry xmas everyone!

margaretclare

I looked up this under 'traditional Christmas dinner'.

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/Xmas/dinner.html

As you can see, they mention 'tiny sausages....' but don't call them pigs in blankets.

They also don't mention Yorkshire Puddings as part of this meal!

No, we're not having turkey. As there are only the 2 of us, even a 'turkey crown' is much too big. We're not all that keen on the taste of turkey, anyway. Organic turkeys are difficult to get this year because of the avian flu - Waitrose emailed me that they will not be having any, although they do have free-range turkeys.

Next year, when I feel more up to it (still recovering from surgery 2 weeks ago) I might go to the farm we get our meat from and get an organic chicken, and do the menu as on the link above.

We may have a piece of roast meat this Sunday, and I'll let you know how the Yorkshire Puddings turn out!

Margaret

pepsicola_2

margaretclare wrote: »

IMHO far better to be less ambitious and do it well, than to include everything that others say they want and do it badly.

And what, for goodness' sake, are pigs in blankets?

Margaret

I'm sure Sola will cook her meal beautifully

pigs in blankets are kilted sausages

seven-day-weekend

We will be having a traditional turkey roast and Christmas pudding at our favourite expat resaurant on December 25th . We may also do something on January 6th, which is when the Spanish celebrate Christmas.

Phirefly

MrsJ2008 wrote: »

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?

Snap!

I'm of Austrian descent so we celebrate with my family on Christmas Eve, then we're off down to Mr. P's family on Boxing day, leaving Christmas day all to ourselves. I can't wait

Why not seek out your local farm shop or farmers market and splash out on some locally produced, organic meat? Seeing as its just the two of you, you could get a smaller amount so as not to break the bank. Then it'll be much more of an event than trolling round your local Tescos for force-fed, intensively farmed rubbish with all of the other drones. I love our local farm shop, especially at Christmas, it gets me in the festive mood!

Have a good one