What's everyone having for Christmas?

[Westi]

I find Christmas Day a bit busy & would be happy to treat it like another day menu wise, but Mr comes from a large family who made a big deal of it. My family went to the beach BBQ's for Xmas & cooked prawns & snags & maybe the odd 4X or two. The council built proper BBQ's along the popular beaches & you can book them, just remembering to take enough coins to start the gas for cleaning up from the last users & cooking yours, but expect this is by card now!

Obvs this is not a viable option over here so to play the game I decided on prawn cocktail to start for a hint of nostalgia, just a turkey crown, not the full bird & Mr can have Xmas pud & custard....! What's everyone else planning?

[Geoff]

Son requested this as a starter.

WhatsApp Image 2023-11-27 at 22.12.31_2709ff7e.jpg (234.49 KiB) Viewed 112632 times

Then it's duck with lots of stuff from the garden. Not sure if we've settled on a pud yet, won't be heavy Christmas Pudding.

[Colin2016]

Turkey for Er indoors, Bass for me & bit of both for the dog. Roast homegrown spuds & carrots & frozen sprouts. Will have peaches in brandy or tiramisu for pudding if needed but suspect wil be used later on in the week. There will be a bottle of champagne to wash it down.
After all this a snooze in the armchair.

[Primrose]

Family gathering this weekend so just the two of us on Christmas Day. We don't like Turkey much and even a chicken is too much. We got fed up with wasting as we usually have something different on Boxing Day so Mr Primrose now roasts just two chicken breasts wrapped in bacon with pigs in blankets. & stuffing. And a small glass fizz to wash it down. . i Find the mini Prosecco bottles are as much as I can manage these days.
Oh and of course the compulsory Brussels sprouts.!

We used to laugh at my now deceased dad. He loathed sprouts with a vengeance . Every year he had just one added to his plate (for the sake of tradition) and it became a competition to see how he could most sneakily manage to make it mysteriously disappear without having to actually consume it !

Geoff. That looked a delicious starter but if I was served that my appetite wouldn't cope with a main course s well. I guess this will be significant Christmas for you if your son is emigrating. Hope it,s a happy day.

[Stravaig]

Hey, Westi. I was just about to post this exact same topic but you beat me to it. We're not traditionalists, and there's only two of us, neither of whom are very keen on turkey. So, we've not had turkey for many years and even then generally only when we have several guests for the main meal.

Quite often we've had a Sunday roast style of dinner with roast pork and Yorkshire puddings. We do like all the trimmings, though - pigs in blankets, etc. Some years we've had fish, including Arbroath smokies souffle. That was good!

This year I'm thinking of doing Japanese. We don't celebrate Christmas as such but I'd not like to think of everyone else in the coutry having a special meal but not us. Still haven't decided on a menu.

[retropants]

I was going to make a veggie wellington, but we both have the flu and it’s hanging around like a bad smell. Ironic, as I’ve lost my sense of smell and taste . I’ve no idea if I will be up to cooking a roast, but hope to.

[Primrose]

Bad luck Retropants!
Take it easy, plenty of bedrest, sleep and vitamin C if you can and hope you,re both feeling better by Christmas Day.

Guess the restrictions on who gets a free flu jab this winter may be taking its toll.

I don't know whether any regulars on this forum are going to be on their own on Christmas Day but it would be nice if we could all tune in for a couple of moments for a quick friendly greeting to say Hello just in case.

[oldherbaceous]

Evening Retropants, me and Cook have been really suffering for 2 weeks now, so can sympathise with you! It seems to be clearing up one day, then comes back with vengeance…..

Turkey and Gammon for us…..and the Turkey won’t be cooking for long, so should be lovely and moist….remember my Mum used to be up at 4am putting the Turkey in the oven and it was still in there at 12 o’clock….

[Geoff]

But have the sprouts been on since September?

[Myrkk]

We celebrate Yule so had our festive meal today. It changes every year depending upon how many people we have over and last year was wild boar with all the bits that go, the obligatory prawn cocktail starter and I made mandarin curd tarts with a meringue topping for pud, but this year we had the house to ourselves, bliss!! We had a lovely chicken with all the trimmings and a bottle of Prosecco. Have everything to do prawn cocktail starter and even a pud but just didn’t feel hungry enough. We’re not big eat for the sake of it people and Mr has his second cold of the month so is poorly. Just enjoying not running around after people this year.
Sitting sipping some Bai Mu Dan and have used my dinky little one person tea pot that was a gift. It’s the simple things.

[oldherbaceous]

Sounds just perfect, Myrkk….not the cold though!

[Primrose]

Agree about the simple things and good food cooked well.
I,ve been regaled by various more mobile friends than I am now relating stories about their various disappointing pre Christmas meal gatherings in restaurants this year Poor service, expensive or badly cooked food. . It,s no fun running a restaurant these days with high costs and labour shortages. I'd personally opt for a simpler but well cooked meal at home.

[Primrose]

Geoff. I smiled about your comment ver the sprouts being cooked since September. My husband always swore his mum put the veg on to boil shortly after putting the Turkey in the oven so my tendency to cook certain veg only al dente was quite a revelation.

His mum always mashed the swede and he loathed it and wouldn't touch it After we got married, the first time I cooked it in thin slices with a knob of butter he asked "what veg is that? I,ve never sen it before"
'Swede"
"No, swede is vile yellow mashed stuff.which i never eat. Can I try a slice?

He was amazed, actually liked it and thereafter ate it regularly. But I don't think my mother in law ever quite forgave me for his conversion!

[Myrkk]

lol Primrose, we always smile when we visit relatives and get 1970’s boil it until it submits veg. I do quite enjoy a mushy sprout on occasion though