Jellied eels and lard cobs

M&S dinner in a box here, used to go all out, venison, pork for the gravy, dauphinoise, big bird. Would rather spend the morning playing with the kids these days. Still stuff our faces and loads of cheese and meats for a big buffet supper but 1/3 of the hassle

Nice turkey and baked ham, 2 kinds of spuds, 3 kinds of stuffing (wrapped in bacon, a meat and a bread), carrots, cabbage, parsnips.

We usually have pudding with tea several hours later which is all of my Mum’s awesome baking plus a cheeseboard, cold meat platter etc.

I can’t wait. My boys have never seen anything colder than an Irish summer’s day and it’s the first time my wife and I have been back in Blighty for Christmas for 7 years.

a walk to the curry house with some of the older singles on the parish so they aren’t alone on Xmas day.

This poster is winning so far.

🙂

will be India on MTB trip so it will be curry 😀

Having found that Booths are doing delivery for the festive season, it’s a Booths three bird roast and other bits n pieces.

Mrs JP does not eat meat which means I don’t eat much of it. December means my body starts to shutdown from meat overload from all of the Cranston’s Christmas baguettes so it is a welcome relief to avoid the stuff at home.

Christmas Eve: Shelfish in the evening
Christmas day: Pizza, garlic bread, Rioja and Eton Mess

My daughter is getting Scalextric this year 🙂 I will be buggered if we are spending hours making dinner and washing up

I cook the mains for the far too large family my sisters have generated

Traditional here; turkey, stuffing, brussels with bacon (farts ahoy!), roast spuds, buttered parsnips, vichy carrots, peas, bread sauce, red cabbage and a white wine gravy that i start at the same time as the turkey

Try to plan it so i get the faffy bits out of the way before the G&T’s kick in

Outlaws doing a paella. should be good.
I have a stock of 2/6 project beer, concker spirit & mare gins.

Need more beers… Any ale suggestions for seafood paella?

We have the outlaws coming Christmas day – so I will (reluctantly) be doing Turkey as she started moaning at the very suggestion of something else.
I’m going to buy a small ready prepped Turkey parcel as it only needs to feed two adults and 2-3 kids.
(I hate turkey, my wife and her sister are both Veggies)
For the veggies I’m going to do a savory strudel with chestnuts, wild mushrooms and cranberry.
Won’t do a starter, and desert will be the traditional crap.

Boxing day – my mum and dad are coming over.
I’ll do a garlic tiger prawn risotto as a starter – and swap the prawns for wild mushrooms for the Veggies (wife and my mum)
I’ve already got a nice chunk of Aberdeen Angus topside to roast.
The veggies will be getting a variation on the previous days strudel, this time with walnuts, caramelised red onion and Gorgonzola.
My mum will bring desert, which will be a decent homemade trifle and something else.

I’m quite organised – pigs in blankets have already been wrapped and frozen, sausage meat parcel also in freezer.
I’ve even knocked up a garlic + chilli butter for the boxing day starter.

Its all good – especially if I don’t run the blade of one of my very sharp kitchen knives across the back of my finger like last year…

We have the outlaws coming Christmas day – so I will (reluctantly) be doing Turkey as she started moaning at the very suggestion of something else.

You’re a better person than me: I made it very clear that if I was cooking, I was choosing the menu.

Reindeer filets and roast root veggies

Chocolate and kilted sausages.

The rest is just a distraction.

We have the outlaws coming Christmas day – so I will (reluctantly) be doing Turkey as she started moaning at the very suggestion of something else.

You’re a better person than me: I made it very clear that if I was cooking, I was choosing the menu.

She’s not the nicest (or most rational) of people, my mother-in-law.
The last time they came over I suggested we didn’t have Turkey and she got a bit narky.
As much as I couldn’t care less about upsetting her, I don’t want to cause any issues for my wife, or spoil Christmas for my kids.
So if a £10 Aldi turkey parcel keeps the loons happy then so be it.

She has form for ruining Christmas – few years back they had a huge row and she stropped-off to bed at midday and wasn’t seen again.
I don’t need her doing this at my house.

Boxing day is the main event in my mind – a free hand to cook what I like, and a grateful audience.

Shredded sprouts FTW. Meat will be turkey as it’s a present from the company at xmas time. I will be mainly trying to see if I can OD on pigs in blankets.