Xmas Dinner - Plate up or Self Serve?

springdreams · 8 December 2014 at 2:47PM

BAGGY wrote: »

We have 15+ for xmas dinner. We serve ourselves in the kitchen from the pans and there is extra spuds, pigs in blankets and suace along with gravy are on the table.

This is what we do in our family.

The person who cooked also needs a rest, and is not a personal server .... If people want their food plated up they can go to a restaurant and pay accordingly.

Sally22_2 · 8 December 2014 at 3:30PM

Parents and In Laws both put all the food in serving dishes on the table and everyone helps themselves.

At my parents house its a free for all, its a bit more civilised at the In Laws ha.

My mum has a hostess trolley which helps with keeping everything warm.

Buzzybee90 · 8 December 2014 at 3:42PM

catkins wrote: »

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

I've only had my food plated up for me as an adult at one particular place - they gave me veg I don't eat/ too much/too little of something. I'm perfectly capable of choosing what I want.

goggle · 8 December 2014 at 4:28PM

when I was younger & Christmas dinners were 6-8 people, everything went in serving dishes on the table & people helped themselves (adults plated for small children) but now that it's just the 3 of us, we plate straight up from the stove/pans to save washing up! We know that we all eat the turkey, brother doesn't like much broccoli, Dad wants extra roasties etc

nickyhutch · 8 December 2014 at 4:29PM

catkins wrote: »

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

That's ok, each to their own :-)

ibizafan_2 · 8 December 2014 at 4:44PM

I have a kitchen diner, and find it easiest to plate up in full sight of guests sitting at the table, so that I can ask them how much they want on their plate. This seems to work well, and gets the food to the table quickly. From what I remember, when I was living at home, Mum always had serving dishes for the veg and gravy, although the meat was always put on the plate for you.

ciderwithrosie_2 · 8 December 2014 at 8:58PM

I carve the turkey and ham just before we're ready to serve, then get everyone seated with a plate in front of them and dish up the meats, then bring the rest of the dishes to the table and everyone can either help themselves or ask for something to be put on their plate. We haven't really got a big enough table to have it all in the middle along with glasses of wine, crackers etc. so once everyone's got enough it gets put on the sideboard within reach if seconds are wanted. I'd hate to have no say in how much of everything went on my plate.

PasturesNew · 8 December 2014 at 9:04PM

We've always had it in bowls on the table, help yourself. Those not doing the dishing up get a head start, so they've pretty much filled their plate before the last dish has come to the table.

It does take a bit of pre-planning - and having the right size/shaped dishes. Round dishes are pretty useless as there's so much wasted space between them.

I liked to ensure things were served up in lasagne/similar dishes, with small portion items in good sized soup bowls. Meat is carved/sliced/portioned up and put into a dish, depending on the size that could also have chipolatas in a corner, or a foil wrap of stuffing.

I would stack the Yorkshire onto a regular plate, a big Yorkshire cut into 8 slices. Some things can share a dish, e.g. all veggies can go into the same dish, except peas which can go into a big mug or a soup bowl.

Just need to think ahead what's going into what dish really....

PasturesNew · 8 December 2014 at 9:08PM

ibizafan wrote: »

I have a kitchen diner, and find it easiest to plate up in full sight of guests sitting at the table, so that I can ask them how much they want on their plate..

In our family it wasn't about what they wanted, or how much of it - but individually which part they meant... and if you get it wrong/misunderstand what they say, then there'd be somebody having a huff.

e.g. Yorkshires, corner or a middle bit? Roasties, which one, which shape, shiny or crispy, how well done, got your eye on that big one in the corner? or the two crispier/small ones underneath. Stuffing - foil covered/sloppy, or foil opened and just the crusty top part?

It's all too hard ... people like to spot the bit, sausage, roast spud, etc that's caught their eye and just how they like it.

In our family we even had to have different shaped carrots....

Can't get it wrong, it's CHRISTMAS!

Kim_kim · 9 December 2014 at 6:36AM

I like food in bowls in the middle so people can serve themselves, but you need a lot of table space to guest ratio to do that & it might not be possible xmas day when people are usually squeezed in a bit.
Giving everyone a small portion to start & then putting the remaining food in bowls sounds like a really great compromise.

Xmas Dinner - Plate up or Self Serve?

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