Morning all

My enjoyment of Strictly and ITT is enhanced by the drinks and snacks I have every week 'in front of the telly' while watching. We have got some strictly food traditions going in our house.

Mon to Friday it's no big deal, but the end of Eggheads signals time to make a nice cup of tea and grab some chili crackers (wierd combo I know) and sit doen in front of the fire.... It be the same without the cuppa

Come Saturday, it's 'make sure the fire is lit in time for Strictly' , something alcholic nicely chilled and whst we call 'picky supper' ....lots of little snacky things we can trough our way through

Come the final my brother in law and his wife always dress up (dinner jacket), have champagne AND out come their very own marking paddles made from table tennis bats ! That's the truth!!!

Is it just us or are any of you also so Strictly bonkers you have your own 'strictly snacks and/or traditions'

well i Always watch with my dad ( he's a Jay fan) and i'm a Georgia fan, but i'm pretty sure they both can make the finals.

I'm very rarely without a glass (or 4) of red wine when watching the main show, and if there's cheese and crackers anywhere in the building they'll often make an appearance too.

Results show sees a slight reduction in wine consumption (have to be up early Monday), and there's generally no cheese left to eat, so a ready meal/an easy-to-cook stew generally perch on my lap (and get thrown on the floor if the judges do something stupid like eliminate Pixie).

Usually watch ITT with a glass of chilled white and some nibbles .. usually cheese straws. On Saturday there will be more glasses of white and plenty more nibbles .. poss sausage rolls. At some point there might also be tea/coffee and chocolate.
Don't vary much from this even during the final though I've found that I'm often away on finals night. It's v annoying when you've followed a series closely and then you don't get to see the final live because you've got to go Christmas visiting: :<

Would love to watch it with more people but don't live near enough to any of my other Strictly mad friends/family. Very tempted to go to the pub where Jay's family go to watch it on the big screen

My only real food-related "tradition" for Strictly is that any cooking has to be done after ITT finishes or before/after Saturday/Sunday Strictly starts (depending on start and finish times). This is because we've got an open plan sitting room/dining room/kitchen and a noisy fan oven!

Our routine the last few weeks has been a decent quality red wine from Waitrose and usually my home made curry because I have to have finished cooking before SCD starts. I get really ratty if I'm still cooking when it begins. The curry is bunged in the oven to cook slowly and then it's just a quick plate up.

Then pigging out on all sorts of nibbles that I pretend are healthy but probably aren't. e.g Food Doctor's Roasted Bean mix.

Whaaaaaat???? Jay's family? Pub? Big screen? Are you kidding??? You cant miss that !!!

Big jealous moment

Right that's done now!

Re having family to watch it with mu mum lives alone and quite far away from us.....we often facetime when we are really enjoying a dance and dont chatter, just look open mouthed at each other when we take our eyes off the screen for a nanosecond. If its a less good dance (but not compellingly tragic, which we dont want to miss a nanosecond of either!) , we have a bit of a moan on facetime while its going on.

For me its a programme that brings people together.... Even in cyberspace! 😄😄

Im a fan of both so would be over the moon for them to be in final, along with Anita. But i watch alone because my OH hates Strictly despite loving musicals!!

Yep noisy oven would def be getting deadly looks from me during the show, even uf someone was kind enough to be cooking for me

White wine is my Strictly tradition maybe crackers and cheese or Doritos and dip, if my Sons are home I,ll order a Chinese to come during the show I,ll have nibble on some of the starters.

Two bars of very dark chocolate, one for Saturday, one for the results show. A drink to go with it, anything from Pepsi Max to a glass of chilled white wine.

Well you never know... My other half didnt get it for years and then we had a tv in the kitchen and he started half watching it while chatting to me in there. After Ola and Chris Hollins's show dance in the final ( which was almost universally hated I now understand) he finally 'got it' and we were on our feet dancing about and cheering.

Since then it's been a sort of 'date night *'
that we have reLly enjoyed together ever since.

*"strictly the marriage saver" 😜

( always have been a cheap date, one of my main attractions am told 😁&#128541

Usually watch/listen to ITT whilst I'm finishing off the dishes/doing tomorrow's sandwiches. I have it on in the background and then if a bit comes on which I want to actively watch then I stop what I'm doing and pay attention.

Main show - usually a coffee on the go to start with and then later on maybe a pizza (depending on what we've eaten already) or some snacks and either a glass of wine or a G&T for me and a pint for Mr Alley to go with it.

Results show - coffee time as we both have to work Monday - and maybe a biscuit.

Lovely thread! I feel like I must make more effort from now on! For the main show, we tend to have a glass of wine at the start and then if I get stressed out I often spend Bruno and Craig's comments searching the kitchen for any food we've got in!

Always a quick dinner on Saturday has to be done and cleared away for the start ofthe show. It's the one time in the week when i have a little chocolate, bit of a sucker for choccy buttons, hate the yorkie ones though, I like thin crisp chocolate always from the fridge. During the week routine is Pointless while eating dinner, Eggheads, telly on in kitchen doing the washing up then back in the living room with a cuppa for ITT. Mr F enjoys it too which is nice as we discuss the ins and outs, often support the same celebs. My favourite ITT night is Thursday when they talk about the outfits.

Ooh, I sympathise with the feeling but unless you've got floorboards that's some messy clearing up!

Tea and chilli crackers is an odd combo. I love the sound of your final celebrations! Good for you all.

I've always thought of Strictly being watched by women throwing their Heroes wrappers at the people they don't like on the screen.

ITT is usually watched on a Saturday morning while doing the ironing! I'm not home in time during the week so record it then watch it all in one go (I'm about to start soon).

Dinner is cooked before Strictly on a Saturday - something that can be eaten on my lap in front of the TV. Always accompanied by a bottle of white wine - usually a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

Strictly is the Lambrini of Saturday-night TV.

Well now that you have suggested it...... The Strictly Season will never be the same again! Great idea....those wrappers have to go somewhere! 🎉🎉🎉

strictly countdown....

Light fire - tick
Wine chilling in fridge - tick
Send OH to shops (again!) for strictly snacks supplies now this thread has planted new ideas in my head - triple tick!
Usual fodder - houmous, vine leaves, nuts, cheese, salami, chilli crackers, chocolates...

Now by the power of suggestion from others' 'strictly saturdays'

Cheese straws;
Good old sausage rolls (been looking forward to those!)
Cadbury's Heroes
GIANT chocolate buttons

And i will admit to a drop of port by the fire before the night is over. Roll on Strctly Saturday 😆😆

My other half takes his cue to get me a wine as the Strictly Theme tune commences, then throughout the programme, I'll feast on melted cheese on Doritos with a salsa dip.

Other half pretends not to watch the programme, but occasionally fails badly if I get excited over a routine and he will accidentally comment on what we're watching. He actually said once that he liked the American Smooth as that was a bit show bizzy.

That said, he thought Anton Du Beke was the celebrity dancer one year due to his hosting Hole in the Wall, and said he could be a pro