Christmas Dinner

West Ender · 12-12-2006, 21:53

When we were a family of 5 I used to spend all Christmas morning in the kitchen preparing the traditional turkey dinner. Luckily, I like cooking and I'm a good cook, though I sez it as shouldn't.

Nowadays there's just me, my younger daughter and my granddaughter. They don't eat meat. Christmas Day now is a bit different and this year we will be having salmon-en-crout (courtesy of Sainsburys) followed by cheesecake. On Boxing Day my son and his wife and my elder daughter, son-in-law and grandson will all come with us to a local pub where we'll have lunch. In the evening I will provide a buffet. We will, as usual, be playing daft board games and getting very mellow on the wine and champagne I always get for Christmas from my brothers.

I love my Boxing days, all my family here and no real effort on my part apart from defrosting the buffet food and warming up the vol-au-vents and mince pies, but I rather miss peeling mounds of spuds, carrots and sprouts, making the bread sauce and thickening the gravy. I miss basteing the turkey. I miss making my (very) alcoholic trifle and my husband insisting on scraping out the custard pan - woe betide me if I put it to soak before he'd had the spoon in it - and steaming the Christmas pudding while I added loads of brandy to the white sauce.

What do you do on Christmas Day? Do you carry a steaming bird, proudly, from the oven or do you let a good restaurant take the strain?

slinky · 12-12-2006, 22:16

Christmas day I awake to the sound of 2 little elephants running into the bedroom informing that Father Christmas has been.

We go down stairs and watch the children open their pressies ( which takes approx 10 minutes). We have a good look at whhat they have got, then me and Ginger open all ours.

Then Ginger will retire to the kitchen where he will stay all afternoon preparing a scrummy Christmas Dinner for me and the ankle biters. I stay in the livingroom with a lovely glass of wine entertaining the children ( or should that be the children entertaining me)

I love christmas day!!! The T.v is usually great.....usually a great plot on all the soaps to watch......and the children are kept entertained by new pressies all day.

shillelagh · 12-12-2006, 23:51

Last year for the first time i cooked christmas dinner for me & my bro because for the last roundabout 15 years i went to my sisters and my mum went to my other sisters. One sis did smoked salmon for starters, then turkey and all the trimmings and xmas pud and whisky cream which was alcoholic enough to put you over the limit. Which to me is christmas. The other sis does near enough exactly the same except roast beef instead of turkey and her alcoholic trifle instead of xmas pud. Didnt go to my sisters last year because she went to india and no matter how i tried talking her out of spending xmas there she wouldnt and came home new years day. So i did xmas dinner well it turned into xmas tea by the time i had cooked it got one of them turkey breasts because there was only me and bro but did all the trimmings. This year sister is at home so thats were im going.

garinda · 12-12-2006, 23:59

We have a family rota as to who is doing the traditional Christmas lunch.

Happily because I lived away for so long, I wasn't on the rota.

If they put me on the rota I would do turkey swizlers and micro-chips.

Life's too short to stuff an olive or a Parson's nose.

LancYorkYankee · 13-12-2006, 00:23

We usually have a nice leg of Lamb with squash, potatoes, cranberries, and bisquits!

Brian

SPUGGIE J · 13-12-2006, 00:24

I might have to work so no plans as yet. If they leave it too long it will either be stay in bed then if feeling up to a bit of cooking will do myself a small meal. Otherwise I aint a clue.

entwisi · 13-12-2006, 06:52

A couple of years ago we went next door to the old dears and had a nice curry. It was a nice change tbh. However I love cooking Xmas dinner. And I love picking on the left over Turkey afterwards as well. This year we should be having a nice Goose as I setup the wireless network for a big Goose farm near where I work, Payment was to be a nice big goose at Christmas time

We usually have my Mum with us as shes on her own and my sisters both live overseas, then we will visit Julies Mum and Dad and Grandma, home for some butties at tea time.

This year will be extra special as its the first Xmas where Siobhan will know a bit of whats happening. We are both really looking forward to watching her open all her pressies.

jimmi5bellies · 13-12-2006, 07:42

Going to mums this year. Starter will be Prawn Salad (she usually does home made lentil soup, yum, yum). Turkey with all the trimmings and sherry trifle. Then comes the coffee with the cheese board.

When you walk through the door you are greeted with a yummie Port and Brandy mix.

Last year Mum and Dad was away so it was just me, Alec and Antony. I did Pate on toast to start with, all the turkey trimmings and for pudding was sherry trifle.

Boxing day, im not sure what im cooking, feel like a bit of lamb but have you seen the price of it !

entwisi · 13-12-2006, 08:19

I buy a full lamb when they are in season from the local farmer and freeze it. It works out a darn site cheaper than buying it all year round and it tastes a heck of a lot better as well. Plus you know your cash went to a local farmer rather than ADSA's coffers

lancsdave · 13-12-2006, 08:50

My daughter is having Christmas dinner with her mother for the first time this year so it looks like microwave meal for one from Asda and the pub

jimmi5bellies · 13-12-2006, 09:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by entwisi

I buy a full lamb when they are in season from the local farmer and freeze it. It works out a darn site cheaper than buying it all year round and it tastes a heck of a lot better as well. Plus you know your cash went to a local farmer rather than ADSA's coffers

Which local farmer ? lol
I take it you have a big freezer ... mines only small.

entwisi · 13-12-2006, 09:33

Get it through Cornthwaites, I have an old secondhand freezer in the garage which we bought for £40 about 7 years ago. I tend to buy all meat in bulk, it works out a lot better value. e.g I got 5lbs of Chicken Breast for a tenner, I get 5lbs of minced steak for under a fiver etc. Plus you can buy stuff when its in season(and usually at its best) and store it for when you want it.

Whittakers Butchers on Bburn Market is quite good, but we've recently started going up to Bury market instead.

lancsdave · 13-12-2006, 09:40

I get all my meat at cost but because I don't have time/can't be arsed to cook meals I feel cheated

grego · 13-12-2006, 09:44

I cooked Christmas dinner for the first time last year, bought a turkey crown though, no waste, did all the trimmings and really enjoyed it though I think the wine and champagne helped, this year we are going up to my sisters which I'm looking forward to, my 4 year old daughter is really excited this year so I cant wait to see her face on Christmas morning.

lettie · 13-12-2006, 11:35

I work on Christmas day and am doing the night shift (again) this year. The one advantage to working is that you never have to do the dinner. Like Grego, I am also going to Sammy's (our sis). All the family will be together so it should be a bit noisy. However, I will have to leave early and stay sober in order to go to work.