Can’t go past a Roast Turkey & Roast Vegies. I can’t wait for Christmas lunch!

Of course you would go for all the roasts….Turkey, chicken, beef, lamb and pork. With all the trimmings. Baked spud, pumpkin, sweet potato. Veggies like peas, carrots, beans. Cranberry sauce, Apple sauce and gravy for the meats. Then go to town on dessert. Pavlova. Christmas cake, Christmas pudding with brandy custard

i just do the roast chicken with roast vegies! simple, really effective and a crowd pleaser. have lots of knick knack food, finger food! try having a bbq! the most important thing is just to make everyone FEEL happy! they will love your food!

although with my extended family, you will cook and make all this effort, for them to just get drunk and pick at food or they have to take leftovers! lol

just enjoy your day and don’t stress! prepare ahead!

My idea of a traditional lunch would be a roast with all the trimmings, roast vegies, peas, gravy and Yorkshire pudding.

However depends on who your catering for? This year we are doing a catered lunch – platters and specialty cakes.

Salads, prawns on the bbq, glazed ham and roast turkey and if you can manage slow cooked roast lamb or beef go well too. Roasts take minimal prep so you can just put them in and forget about them for 4 to 5 hours and they come out delicious. Dessert is not my thing but maybe a triflle or cake etc.

I usually do a prawn salad starter, a glazed ham, roast chicken, veggies and salad. Dessert varies as I find not everyone likes plum pudding. Its very easy to have a bought pudding and custard ready and something else like a pavlova. I do dress up veggies such as green beans and asparagus dressed with olive oil with almonds and cranberries which looks very festive.

Traditional can be different things
For Christmas lunch we do cold meats and salad

If i was to cook a traditional lunch it would probably be most of what we normally have
pork, turkey, chicken, ham with roast potatoes, salads, cookies etc

To start with you need to know what this family are expecting as a “traditional” Christmas Dinner, this can mean many different things to different people. If you have attended one of the family meals at Christmas you will have an idea of what is expected. You may like to ask some of the family members.

To me, Traditional Christmas is of the European kind with a massive roast Turkey, Roasted Vegetables, Gravy, Stuffing, Green beans and Cranbrerry sauce and Steamed Pudding with Custard.

The American Christmas Dinner is Baked Ham, Green Bean Casserole, Roast Vegetables Creamed Potatoes, Stove Top Stuffing with gravy, Corn, Cranberry Jelly and Ice Cream and Jelly, or Chocolate Silk Pie, Key Lime Pie, or Fruit Pie with Ice Cream.
U K Chrtistmas Dinner is a roast Beef and gravy, or Lamb Roast with gravy and Mint Sauce, Roast Pork with Apple Sauce, Vegetables, Gravy, Plum Pudding Fruit Mince Pies, Custard and stewed fruits.

Because of the availability of all kinds of foods and because globally families have a variety of influences you might like to mix up from the ones listed above or begin your own tradition. In Australia, it is so hot at Christmas time, many families have cold meats and salads or Sea Foods and salads and cold fruit salad and Ice Cream.

Many Australians have a lamb on a spit with vegetables or a Barbeque.

Because you are hosting, perhaps you can set your own tradition and step outside the box and serve a delightful meal set out where guests serve themselves from a Buffet Table that you have set with either hot foods in a food warmers or platters of shellfish in beds of ice and a variety of fancy salads, and some cold cuts of a variety of meats.
It is your choice I would think to do what you feel comfortable with and capable of doing. Before Christmas Eve recruit some helpers you need to prepare as much as you can before Christmas day so you have less stress so you can enjoy it too.

I started a new tradition, My family have a Christmas Day breakfast and gifts are under the hosts Christmas Tree and opened after breakfast of fruits, nuts, Juice, Tea Coffee, Croissants, Cheeses, Cold Ham and Bacon and eggs for whomever wants. It is very relaxed for everyone. After Breakfast some stay for the day, some go off to visit in laws or girlfriends/boyfriends, other family and friends etc. and everyone is happy and it is very stress free to host a Breakfast. Everyone contributes to the foods and drinks.
Some families like to book into a Restaurant so while bookings need to be made in advance and it is rather expensive, it is great as no one has to be preparing or cleaning up.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Traditional – Roast Turkey, Roast potatoes, roast pumpkin, roast parsnips, veggies ie carrots etc, cauliflower cheese, gravy, stuffing, chipolatas, cranberry sauce, Cold Ham sliced with pickles / chutneys and mustard, Christmas Pudding brandy butter or brandy sauce, mince pies, nuts, dates and figs.
good luck have fun cooking. a lot of the veg prep can be done day before. You are too late to make a tragidional pudding as this takes months but there are some good ones out there ready made so it is just a matter of cooking whilst you are eating your main. Mince pies can be made in advance and frozen so can brandy butter or sauce.

Roast turkey, leg ham, roast veggies, cranberry sauce, gravy and greens.

If you up to it turkey and glazed ham. Also Christmas pudding. Good luck with cooking it all and may it be a great time for you