What are you having for Xmas dinner this year?

[Dos_Box]

I've just picked up a turkey crown from Aldi at lunchtime today as it was on offer for £10 and, as I have kids, know that any deviation from turkey, stuffing pigs in blankets +assorted veg (in/c Aldi roasties in goose fat) will result in a 'This isn't a Christmas dinner!'.

Is anyone else being a bit more adventurous with their Xmas food this year?

Goose? A side of salmon perhaps? Pheasant?

Please let me know so I can try and insinuate to my kids over the next 12 months some other nice seasonal dishes and perhaps acclimatise them over time to other nice things.

[Katy]

Sorry, really boring. We usually have roast beef for Xmas at mum's.

Had turkey with all the trimmings today for school lunch though! Well, I didn't, everyone else did. I picked the bits I like from what was on offer

[hardtailstar]

We have roast beef with all the trimmings but usually for breakfast we have Scottish salmon sent from relatives in Scotland for breakfast.

[caffrey]

Think we're going traditional this year, in the past few years we've always had a theme. One year we had a Mexican theme and another we had an Indian theme

[dhicks]

Goose? A side of salmon perhaps? Pheasant?

 

I think we're having salmon this year rather than turkey. We've had goose in the past - if you're used to cooking turkey (which can take hours to cook and can be quite dry, if very solid) then geese produce a surprising amount of fat when cooked, the actual amount of meat can shrink somewhat (maybe 50%?) by the time you're done. The pheasants you get in supermarkets / butchers tend to have been shot, which means you wind up with bits of lead shot in the meat, which again can be a bit surprising to people if they aren't expecting that.

[HarryMonkey]

We will be having turkey again this year cooked (as we did last year) using the Phil Vickery method. Farewell dry turkey, hello moist succulent flavourful dinner.

 

Phil Vickery's turkey masterclass | Food | This Morning

[elsiegee40]

My kids, aged 22 and 25, rebelled when I suggested change and pointed out that it is only once a year.

 

Christmas Eve: Stilton, port, cranberry and apple filo pie with jacket potato and salad.

 

Ice cream with the warmed port and cranberry juice drained making the pie as the sauce.

 

Christmas Day: Turkey stuffed with sausage stuffing in the body and sage&onion stuffing in the crop. Roast potatoes and parsnips, carrots, sprouts, pigs in blankets, cranberry sauce, bread sauce gravy.

 

Christmas pudding and brandy sauce.

[LeMarchand]

I thought the whole point of Xmas was sticking to the traditional!

 

I'm looking after Aged P this Xmas, but will probably go down the mainly ready prepared turkey and trimmings route after spending all morning cooking and all afternoon explaining we'd already had Xmas lunch and that we wouldn't get in anywhere without a booking on Xmas Day. Mum used to do consommé as the soup starter, which was nice, and gammon as well as turkey so there's be more cold cuts later. I'm hoping to find time to prep homemade nut roast mix for Mme + Mlle LeMarchand, who are staying at home.

Edited December 12, 2018 by LeMarchand

[DJ-1701]

Well, my Parents are going over to my Brother and his Wife's and their house is going to be jam packed, so this will be the first Christmas I won't be eating with family... I might order a curry.

[LeMarchand]

Well, my Parents are going over to my Brother and his Wife's and their house is going to be jam packed, so this will be the first Christmas I won't be eating with family... I might order a curry.

 

Turkey Curry, I hope!

[witch]

Christmas Eve - family get together - now with rude games such as Cards Against Humanity

 

Christmas Day - depends which child (and partner) and other assorted rellies are with us. This year we have mrwITch, Witchsister, Witchniece, and Witchson no 2. Two carnivores (one who hates turkey) and three veggies

So - vegetarian wellington, small turkey breast and a gammon is what we will be having

[mikeprice]

There was much discussion this year - not about the content which is fixed at the traditional (plus mushy peas which wife's family insist is traditional?????) but on location

 

a) Mother-in-law is getting old and the stress is getting too much for her to have it in her house - even if her 2 daughters do all the cooking

b) Sister-in-law has had a serious and uncomfortable operation so should really be doing it

c) We have a bigger house, bigger table, more chairs and more pots, pans, plates etc etc etc (due to us recently having a house each) and I would like to do the cooking

 

 

so clearly the best solution is

to go to mother-in-laws as usual and sister-in-law and wife do the cooking - as usual

 

families are complicated

[AJWhite1970]

Working pretty much all of Christmas Day this year helping the OH prep several horses that are going out early on Boxing Day so will eat something out the fridge or freezer on the fly at some point during the day

[mikeprice]

Working pretty much all of Christmas Day this year helping the OH prep several horses that are going out early on Boxing Day so will eat something out the fridge or freezer on the fly at some point during the day

 

Ok - I suppose it's up to you - but eating horse on Christmas day is a bit unusual in this country

 

anyway - how do you prep them - must take loads of stuffing

 

[SpuffMonkey]

We did goose a couple of years ago - its very fatty and the one we had was pretty chewy too - not a success. In our famine years when we were on the dole (as it was then) - we had "Leopard Pie" once - which was just nasty undercooked vegetables in a pastry case - not a great festive lunch.

 

Like @mikeprice above, we are hosting this year for the first time (at my age!) - great I thought, at least I don't have to drive to visit the aged rellies on the busiest week of the year...but what do I find - my suster who was bringing my Mum down from Southport can't come, so I have to go and get her and my father-in-law has lost his license due to medical stuff and I have to get them from Chichester. so I have all the hassle and expense of hosting and TWICE as much driving as I have to fetch and return them all too. Merry bloody Christmas!

[sippo]

McDonalds

[Sonic007]

I love honey glazed parsnips so they will be definately on the menu.

 

Mulled wine definately needed and then I love chestnuts so Ill do some of those.

[clareq]

I have no idea - my daughter's hosting and doing all the cooking. I'm very happy - she's a better cook than me. She usually themes Christmas Eve - last year was a Mexican feast, traditional for Christmas dinner, though she does do three separate stuffings (last year, apricot and pork under the skin, sausagemeat in the crop, and sage and onion in the cavity) and cold cuts and salad on Boxing Day. I expect to wake from my food induced coma around the 28th.

[MrMat]

Steak for lunch! Om nom nom.

 

Unfortuantely though, I'm at the In-Laws this year so I can't have my usual evening Calzone (Kebab meat, chips, garlic mayo, chilli sauce and cheese - It's disgraceful and yet oh so good) from the chippy (delivered as well. Legends!).

[TomHD]

I am planning on Vivera Veggie Steak with roast pots, stuffing, roast sprouts, asparagus and sprouting brocoli with my homemade gravy (250g of vegan butter, 1 tablespoon of Marigold stock powder, 1 teaspoon of marmite, add 500ml of water and then thicken with cornflour)

 

Only cooking for 4 people and will be able to prep most of it the day before which is handy as I don't come back from my holiday until midday on the 24th.

[Reboot_IT]

As long as there is a cheese board afterwards, I'm happy!

[Sonic007]

As long as there is a cheese board afterwards, I'm happy!

 

Cheddar cheese with caramelised Onion Chutney. Heaven.

[foofighterjim]

We are going off the norm this year and having Christmas dinner at a local Indian restaurant, so I'll either be having a Lamb Curry or a mixed meat Biryani.

[Sonic007]

I saw a Colliflower Wellington in the shops the other day.

 

I'm sorry but if someone served me that I'd be sending it right back and the chef would need a good slap. It is Beef Wellington for a reason.

[MrMat]

We are going off the norm this year and having Christmas dinner at a local Indian restaurant, so I'll either be having a Lamb Curry or a mixed meat Biryani.

 

Our local curry place does the same. Always quite fancied it but never been!