Xmas Dinner - Plate up or Self Serve?

Well over the years I have tried both plating up and people serving themselves and have found plating up to be the easiest and fastest so that everyone's food remains hot.


It does depend on how many you are cooking for. The least I have cooked for is 12 and the most 16. It is difficult having serving dishes for large amounts that have to be passed along the table as it means by the time everyone has helped themselves food is getting cold.


We have some meat eaters and some vegetarian so we know how many plates want meat, how many want the veggie option. Everyone likes roast potatoes, Yorkshire puds, stuffing. Non veggies with sausage meat and then I just ask if everyone wants the different veg.


Have also tried putting veg, potatoes etc in a hostess trolley and people helping themselves from that but that takes too long too

We always serve ourselves from the table and have never had a problem with the food going cold - warmed plates and bowls may help but everything seems to hold its heat until all have been served their meat and beyond. This is what is normal in our house, I probably havent had my food plated up for me since I was 4 or 5.

Self serve. Warm the plates first (and the serving dishes) and encourage the people who are served first with meat to start taking veggies etc. That way, nothing goes cold and everyone gets to decide for themselves how much of different things they want.
We always have meals this way and I've never had a problem with things going cold. Obviously if you don't warm the plates then you are more likely to have issues.

Almost always self serve in our house for any kind of roast - certainly will be on Christmas day. Warm your dishes and plates through and you'll be fine!

nickyhutch wrote: »

I'd hate to have my food plated up for me and would hate to do it for someone else. I want to choose what I want and how much, and I'd want my guests to feel free to do the same. I'd feel like I was back at school.

Warm your serving dishes and plates, and food wont go cold.

I don't see the problem with having the food plated up. That's what we do at Christmas and just about every other day and certainly don't feel like we are back at school!


Even with warm or hot plates and dishes the food does go cold. Maybe with a small number of people it doesn't but with larger amounts it does. As I say, I have tried different ways over the years but, to me, the only way to ensure none of the food is cold is to plate the meals