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The Perfect Christmas Dinner????


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Old 11-04-2008, 16:30
JOHNOR
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what is your idea of the perfect christmas day meal? starter, main, pudding and beverage?
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Old 11-04-2008, 16:32
Rhino Horn
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not turkey

can't stand it

i love xmas pud though
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Old 11-04-2008, 16:43
Orangebathwater
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not turkey

can't stand it

i love xmas pud though
Agree, I can not believe people like it at all - such a mean tasteless meat.

I love goose so much, even duck is better.
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Old 11-04-2008, 16:44
grassmarket
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Ah, 11 April, the perfect time to thinking of Christmas dinner. This last few years our family have been having really big pieces of roast sirloin on the bone. Absolutely excellent.
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Old 11-04-2008, 17:02
JOHNOR
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^ haha! i like to start early
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Old 11-04-2008, 17:13
Victoria Sponge
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Starter - platter of mixed cold meats. The usual salami, parma ham, etc. Green olives, hummous, pitta bread.

Main - I am greedy. I like to have to or three meats on my plate (not including the sausages/bacon/stuffing). One year I had a chicken breast/beef fillet/gammon combo, and another year I had a leg of lamb/chicken breast combo. Both were scrumptious. I am not a great fan of turkey. Sweetcorn, savoy cabbage, Yorkshire puds, roast potato AND mashed potato, brown gravy and bread sauce. Sage and onion stuffing and...I can't remember what the little sausages wrapped in bacon are called!

Dessert - I hate dried fruit. No mince pies or Christmas cake for me, so I normally have a cheese board and apple pie and chocolate gateau.

Beverages - Freshly squeezed orange juice, pineapple juice, cranberry juice, apple juice, Malibu, Baileys and hot chocolate.
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Old 11-04-2008, 17:50
Elanor
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My mum's Christmas dinner is the best. I can't imagine ever having anything different. We tend to get very traditional and almost always have the same thing - none of us really like change, it would appear.

We usually open champagne around 11.30 and have that while we open presents. Last Christmas we also had smoked salmon blinis then too (in the past we have always had smoked salmon as a starter before the meal, but for once we fancied a change). Then after presents and so on, we have the main course:
turkey (bronze thingy etc, no sausages/bacon, because none of us like them)
stuffing (usually one chestnut and one other)
roast potatoes
roast parsnips
peas and carrots
chestnuts and sprouts
gravy (my mum's gravy is the BEST in the world EVER)

my father and I drink that nice fizzy red wine, my mum and my granny drink something soft like Schloer.

For dessert we usually have something light like fruit, maybe with ice cream or cream or meringues, or a combination of all. We have mince pies (my mum's are wonderful) on Christmas Eve or on the evening of Christmas Day, and cake is for Boxing Day in our house.

Ooh, and all through Christmas I drink lots of ginger wine - it's definitely a drink I associate with Christmas.
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Old 11-04-2008, 18:11
Taboo
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^ haha! i like to start early
Plus it gives us time to get the sprouts on LOL
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Old 11-04-2008, 18:19
sirpipe
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Has Father Christmas arrived at Debenhams yet?
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Old 11-04-2008, 19:24
elke21
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my father and I drink that nice fizzy red wine.

That just sounds soooo wrong. Nice + fizzy + red wine in the same sentance? I adore red wine, but have never seen or heard of it
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Old 11-04-2008, 22:11
Sallysally
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We always have the same starter - avocado and crabmeat mousse served with salad leaves. Originally, ie 40 years ago it was just boring lettuce, now it can be rocket or watercress etc.

Pudding is always Xmas pud (I buy mine now - life is too short to spend hours making them) with home-made brandy butter.

Main is always accompanied by boiled gammon, sausages, really crisp bacon, homemade chestnut stuffing, carrots, peas, sprouts, roast potatoes.

So really, the only variation, ever, is the main meat. Main alternates between venison and goose, so even that is limited!

Wine is always a white Burgundy like Chablis or Pouilly Fuisse for the starter, a good Margaux for venison or a lighter red (usually a Savigny les Beaune) for the goose and champagne or Vouvray for the dessert. Sounds a lot of booze, but there are at least 8 of us for dinner, so unless we open lots of bottles, usually it is only 1 glass per person per course.

Actually, I like Christmas dinner - I never have to think about it - as it is the same every year. Hurray!
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Old 11-04-2008, 23:31
3 Second Memory
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My Starters and Puds are different each year.
Last year we had ...
STARTER: Homemade French Onion Soup with Gruyere Cheese and Garlic Croutons or Champignons A La Creme (mushrooms sauted in garlic and cream)

MAIN: Roast Turkey stuffed with homemade chestnut and cranberry stuffing and also stuffed with Sage and Onion (bought) Stuffing Balls out of the leftovers.
Pigs in Blankets
Roast Potatoes
Boiled New Potatoes (scraped)
Cauliflower
Carrots
Frozen peas! (love these)
Sprouts
Homemade bread sauce and homemade gravy
Tescos lovely Cranberry Sauce.

For another guest who doesn't eat poultry
Sirloin of Beef cooked Rare and homemade yorkshire puddings and all the veg as above but he doesn't like gravy, so none of that!

DESSERT: Homemade Lime and Mango Ice Cream with a Homemade Lime sauce and of course!! Homemade brandy snaps
OR
Banoffee Toffee Cheesecake ( HM of course) with a Toffee Pecan Sauce (also HM)

BEVERAGES: Champagne to start
Red wine (Chateau Neuf Du Pape) we don't like white wine.

Fresh percolated coffee, mints and then a sleep for about 6 hours with Christmas hats still on!!!
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Old 11-04-2008, 23:35
3 Second Memory
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Starter - platter of mixed cold meats. The usual salami, parma ham, etc. Green olives, hummous, pitta bread.

Main - I am greedy. I like to have to or three meats on my plate (not including the sausages/bacon/stuffing). One year I had a chicken breast/beef fillet/gammon combo, and another year I had a leg of lamb/chicken breast combo. Both were scrumptious. I am not a great fan of turkey. Sweetcorn, savoy cabbage, Yorkshire puds, roast potato AND mashed potato, brown gravy and bread sauce. Sage and onion stuffing and...I can't remember what the little sausages wrapped in bacon are called!

Dessert - I hate dried fruit. No mince pies or Christmas cake for me, so I normally have a cheese board and apple pie and chocolate gateau.

Beverages - Freshly squeezed orange juice, pineapple juice, cranberry juice, apple juice, Malibu, Baileys and hot chocolate.
Pigs in blankets (saus and bacon things) and I forgot to add a cheeseboard with biscuits and a whole pineapple (which usually gets eaten on Boxing Day!)
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Old 12-04-2008, 10:21
Elanor
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That just sounds soooo wrong. Nice + fizzy + red wine in the same sentance? I adore red wine, but have never seen or heard of it
It's a Banrock Station sparkling Shiraz - it isn't as fizzy as the white ones, more slightly sparkling with a bit of froth on top. It is unbelieveably good. It's like some kind of rich, alcoholic ribena froth stuff. And the froth is pink. I love it, but it's a bit pricey, so I only ever buy it if it's on special offer, or at Christmas.
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Old 12-04-2008, 10:43
JethroUK
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My wife can't cook properly - but it would take a braver man than me to tell her

Well she sorta can if there's only one item - she just don't get the timing thing

She cooks proper turkey and maybe peice of beef and/or pork on Xmas eve - then she carves it onto plates & lets it go cold

then xmas day she & her sister cook all fresh veggies - carrots about 10:30, brussels 11:00, potatoes, 11:30, parsnips 12:00....you get the idea

this year she got massive double oven too he he he

come 1:30 she puts it all on plates aaaaaaaand....you guessed..........she microwaves it all...eeeeeewwwwww

least the gravy is fresh and piping hot

ha ha ha - told her once - wouldn't it be easier to buy 8 microwave turkey dinners from the Co-op - then i ducked ha ha ha ha ha

all that said - we all enjoy it

topped off with a good James Bond movie & i wouldn't want it different
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Old 12-04-2008, 16:33
JOHNOR
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believe it or not, me and all my family go for a chinese on christmas day it's gorgeous, we do the christmas dinner on boxing day and this would be the perfect one for me:

starter - prawn cocktail and brown buttered bread

main - roast turkey, cranberry sauce, bread sauce, stuffing, sausages wrapped in crispy bacon, mashed potato, roast potatoes, yorkshire pudding, cauliflower cheese, baked leeks, carrot and turnip, green beans and gravy.

dessert - treacle pudding, hot custard and a pot of ben and jerr's cookie dough ice cream with whipped cream, mmmm!

beverages - ice cold shandy, rose wine, bucks fizz.
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Old 12-04-2008, 16:50
elke21
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I'd love to know what the person thought he/she was doing when they discovered bread sauce?

How? Why? What came first? The turkey or the sauce? Is there any other use for it?

Btw..... I don't like bread sauce!
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Old 13-04-2008, 15:40
alan29
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This our usual
Before we start - kir royale and nibbles
Smoked salmon starter - a bottle of gewurtztramminer
Goose roasted with apples and prunes - a good cotes de rhone
Christmas pudding with the usual creams/butters. - a decent dessert wine
Cheeses - port
Alan
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Old 13-04-2008, 16:00
PamelaL
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The perfect Christmas dinner doesn't involve my in-laws.
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Old 13-04-2008, 21:32
yorkieUK
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We had the last of our christmas turkey only last week. The last portion was made into a rather nice turkey and ham pie.

For the last few years we have been getting a 6/7 KG boned and rolled turkey from our local butcher. The Christmas 2007 one cost about £45.00 but it is well worth it. What you really get a huge "saugage" of turkey so there is very little waste and it is very easy to carve. It is wet roasted in a deep tin - just the turkey in about 4 pints of chicken stock and nothing else. It always comes out very moist too.

We have the usual Christmas dinner, the traditional turkey sandwiches later in the day and sometimes the following day. The rest of the turkey is cut into sections and we freeze it.

Yes I suppose we like turkey
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Old 17-04-2008, 11:49
dollstar76
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My ideal dinner would be:
Turkey
Pigs in Blankets
Sage and Onion stuffing
Roast potatoes
Roast carrots and parsnips
Celariac puree
Sprouts
Spcied red cabbage
Yorshire puds
All washed down with some cava.
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Old 17-04-2008, 11:58
grassmarket
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I'd love to know what the person thought he/she was doing when they discovered bread sauce?

How? Why? What came first? The turkey or the sauce? Is there any other use for it?
!
It's often used as an insulation material - pump a layer in between two rows of bricks and it not only cuts your fuel bills, but effectively sound-proofs your house as well.
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Old 17-04-2008, 12:44
bondgirl1
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Starter - Cream of tomato soup and crusty bread
Main - Roast Turkey and chipolatas with roast potatoes, roast parsnips,sprouts,carrots,peas,cauliflower,stuffing and gravy with cranberry sauce
dessert - warm chocolate fudge cake with cream
beverage - white wine
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Old 17-04-2008, 23:05
jackmcglen
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My perfect christmas dinner would involve a decent cut of steak, connected with a frying pan for the briefest second on either side, proper homemade chips- deepfried in dripping. Lock the door and add several glasses of merlot. Sorted!
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Old 18-04-2008, 16:20
Andy Murray
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In recent years, it's been.

Baxters Spicy Parsnip soup.

Prawn Cocktail.

Roast Chicken (Turkeyed out), with Sage & Onion stuffing, crispy bacon, chippelata, roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, roast parsnips, boiled baby carrots, brussel sprouts and gravy.

Don't do sweets, but Irish Coffee and a Baileys are nice to rest on your overfull tum after all that.
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