Christmas Fare

[Baitrunner]

Discussion every year in the Runner house. Christmas Day is a roast be it turkey or something else. 

But Boxing Day was always cold meats. Now the big issue. 

I insist on mash, baked beans and pickles ( beetroot, red cabbage, onions, gherkins, mustard pickle) with my cold meats. Mrs Runner not sold on the baked beans. 

Does anyone else do the bean thing? 

[Chelsea14Ian]

No,can go along with mash .This year we have Kasler,which for those that are unaware is German.Not sure yet about veg.I always have home made pickled onions.For the first time in a long time have a Turkey crown for Christmas day

[Baitrunner]

Turkey crown? Sacrilege. Where’s the carcass for the soup?

although that’s probably a busmans holiday for you Ian. Cooking that is. Is it nice to kick back and let someone else take the helm in the galley? Or are you a control freak?

[Chelsea14Ian]

There's marina our daughter and myself. I am not a control freak.Marina can cook,but I'm quicker.Have cooked at Christmas since the seventies.Would like one year go away for Christmas, but we have two mogs.So not easy.

[OldBerkshireBoy]

4 minutes ago, Chelsea14Ian said:

There's marina our daughter and myself. I am not a control freak.Marina can cook,but I'm quicker.Have cooked at Christmas since the seventies.Would like one year go away for Christmas, but we have two mogs.So not easy.

Currently away in rented cottage with sister and two dogs, it is quite easy to rent with dogs now Ian.

[Chelsea14Ian]

Not dogs,but two cats.

[SwanR]

It's a turkey crown for us as well ... already stuffed so that saves me trying to find time and room to cook stuffing separately. I've got a piece of gammon to cook as well for sandwiches and to go with the cold turkey on Boxing Day. Our cold meats will be with salad and mashed potato ... and for me HP Fruity Sauce.

[Paul]

We are always out for Christmas Day so we do our Christmas Lunch on the Sunday before. So today it was Turkey for us but like Ian we go for a crown nowadays, albeit a largish bronze as they seem to cook better than smaller or white crowns. When it comes to roasting joints of any kind I find the larger the joint the better it cooks. Otherwise, all very traditional, roast potatoes, carrots and parsnips. Sprouts, sausage meat balls, herb stuffing and pigs in blankets. Christmas Pud and Brandy Sauce for afters. We'll have Elaine's family for tea tomorrow so the remains of the Turkey plus a Gammon joint will take centre place then. 

Christmas Day will be lunch at the inlaws then Boxing Day we always have something a bit different. When I ordered the Turkey this year the butcher was offering half price whole Australian Wagyu briskets so we shall be having Tafelspitz, assuming I can find something big enough to get a six kilo cow shoulder, three kilos of chopped carrot, parsnip and potato and five litres of stock into. I'm sure one of my old homebrew boilers will be up to the job.

We'll then be eating boiled beef for most of January!

[ScrumpyCheddar]

No turkey this year Big Sirloin joint for Christmas day dinner...

Boxing Day is up the in laws for cold meats and pickles mash chips you name it..it be on the table... I may have to suggest bake beans this year and see what happens ha ha ha.... Now in the Runner house I would of thought the might of had Runner-Beans lol....

[Paul]

And sorry, meant to end with the baked bean debate .......NOOOOOO!

Baked beans are the spawn of satan. They infest an english breakfast in seemingly every establishment nowadays. they are fit only for topping toast when there is absolutley nothing else in the house, but must be adorned by a knob of butter and good sprinkling of decent sharp cheddar.

[grendel]

as there are only two of us in the main (and my daughter is off out to boyfriends and friends most days) we have a turkey breast joint for Christmas day, and a beef joint for some other time,then leftovers after that for a week or two, as per the standard rules of Christmas food.

[YnysMon]

Gammon was cooked yesterday. Had Aldi’s Easy Carve Duck stuffed with pork and clementine stuffing with an orange glaze this evening. Yum...full marks to Aldi, and so easy to cook. Preparations tomorrow include Mary Barry’s apricot and chestnut stuffing to go with the Christmas Day turkey and a Levi Roots Caribbean trifle for tomorrow evening. Planning to have the gammon with mash and pickles early tomorrow evening before we go to Woburn Sands in the evening to help out at the refreshment (I.e. mulled wine) stalls whist the town band (including our Harry) plays a medley of Christmas music on the town Green.  

For Christmas Day we should have a turkey crown this year, normally we have the whole turkey. I say ‘should have’ because I’d planned a crown last year and switched to a whole bird when I compared prices.  Mind you, I was shopping in Waitrose last year, this year it will be Sainsburys or Aldi.

It will be church at 9.30 (I’m playing the organ and usually manage to drag the whole family along with me), then present opening, then a prolonged dinner with walks/games between courses (we hope!).

[ScrumpyCheddar]

44 minutes ago, grendel said:

as there are only two of us in the main (and my daughter is off out to boyfriends and friends most days) we have a turkey breast joint for Christmas day, and a beef joint for some other time,then leftovers after that for a week or two, as per the standard rules of Christmas food.

Grendel I hope you leave some for the cats 

[ExSurveyor]

Saturday was 10 small people for Bake day.

We have 20 plus for Christmas eve lunch,  10 for christmas dinner and evening with at least 6 staying overnight,  10 boxing day and evening.

Food appears magically from the kitchen,  not sure how that happens but I do a huge amount of washing up.

Thursday,  escape to Norfolk.

 

[VetChugger]

2 hours ago, Paul said:

Baked beans are the spawn of satan. They infest an english breakfast in seemingly every establishment nowadays. they are fit only for topping toast when there is absolutley nothing else in the house, but must be adorned by a knob of butter and good sprinkling of decent sharp cheddar. 

Or a fried egg with a runny yoke!

 

[Paul]

Just finished as much as I'm doing tonight. Iced the cake, good old fashioned Mary Berry Royal Icing. Yule log is made, just needs dusting. Black Forest Trifle has reached custard stage, Traffic Light Trifle has made it to Blancmange. To the bakers in the morning for fresh dinner roles, then make the chocolate mousse for the BFT, Gammon in the oven at lunchtime so it's still warm and juicy to serve. Two quiches to make, probably broccoli and smoked salmon and a goats cheese and caramelised red onion. Sausage rolls have been bought, which is a very poor effort on my part, but hey, life's not all about being in the kitchen. 

The rest of the week will be eating leftovers then down to Devonshire for a week next Saturday.

[grendel]

6 hours ago, ScrumpyCheddar said:

Grendel I hope you leave some for the cats 

they get the small bits off the plate after carving, plus (if we are not careful) the gravy out of the jug when it doesnt get put down in a safe place, thats aside from getting spoilt rotten with dreamies.

[Chelsea14Ian]

6 hours ago, Paul said:

Just finished as much as I'm doing tonight. Iced the cake, good old fashioned Mary Berry Royal Icing. Yule log is made, just needs dusting. Black Forest Trifle has reached custard stage, Traffic Light Trifle has made it to Blancmange. To the bakers in the morning for fresh dinner roles, then make the chocolate mousse for the BFT, Gammon in the oven at lunchtime so it's still warm and juicy to serve. Two quiches to make, probably broccoli and smoked salmon and a goats cheese and caramelised red onion. Sausage rolls have been bought, which is a very poor effort on my part, but hey, life's not all about being in the kitchen. 

The rest of the week will be eating leftovers then down to Devonshire for a week next Saturday.

You've been busy!

 

1 hour ago, grendel said:

they get the small bits off the plate after carving, plus (if we are not careful) the gravy out of the jug when it doesnt get put down in a safe place, thats aside from getting spoilt rotten with dreamies.

Poppy our eldest cat,always helps us out with our food.Often she will stop you with her paw,until you fed her.Tommrow she will have cod for lunch which is her favourite .

[HEM]

11 hours ago, Chelsea14Ian said:

This year we have Kasler, which for those that are unaware is German.

Its actually spelt Kassler (with double "s").

Since we are an Anglo-German family we combine both worlds: the German tradition is Christmas Eve evening (just the 3 of us) whilst on the 25th we do turkey UK-style for the enlarged family (9 people).

What we will have this evening (Christmas Eve) is not finalised - daughter has stand-by duty from 8am to 8pm at the Tox lab of the forensic medicine department of UKE (Hamburg university hospital).  Thus it could be 20:30 before we eat.  Wife & I will go for final shopping: it will either be some sort of fish or a steak.  Dessert is the same as for past few years: Mousse au Chocolat (I made it up last evening & its in the fridge).

[Chelsea14Ian]

Marina's mum was from Berlin.So we have some German food.Lots of biscuits and chocolate. Next summer we are spending a few days in Berlin.Last year we visited her mum's old house.

[Gracie]

I love cold meats mash and pickles with some baby new potatoes too but baked beans, nooooooooooo

Grace

[Hockham Admiral]

We're having a goose tomorrow (my favourite) instead of the usual variations of Beef Wellington or Turkey or Rib of Beef on the Bone. We cooked a shoulder of gammon yesterday and what's left after evening sarnies and cooked brerakfasts will go out on Boxing day!

Boxing Day is our "waifs & strays" day from around the village and it's cold cuts, baked potato and Winter salad (red and white cabbage, carrots, onions, sprouts and whatever else we may have. All shredded together with a little mustard powder and icing sugar and  sprinkled with cider or white wine vinegar). I normally make that tomorrow morning to let it absorb the vinegar and it's still crunchy the next day. I personally add some mayo to mine but Mary-Jane prefers hers neat!

We're trying out three new (to us) gins over the next week but still have the staple Gordons and Bombay Saphire to fall back on.

A Very Happy Christmas to you all from misty Norfolk. 

[ranworthbreeze]

This year will be the first time I have not cooked the Christmas dinner in 38 years. I am going down to Stuart's (i have already sent down a joint of beef) Stuart will be doing the turkey and trimmings.

I will be doing fish and chips on boxing day lunch and doing a buffet later in evening for family & friends.

Regards

Alan

[Polly]

We are at our daughter's and her partner is cheffing...hooray!

[Chelsea14Ian]

1 hour ago, ranworthbreeze said:

This year will be the first time I have not cooked the Christmas dinner in 38 years. I am going down to Stuart's (i have already sent down a joint of beef) Stuart will be doing the turkey and trimmings.

I will be doing fish and chips on boxing day lunch and doing a buffet later in evening for family & friends.

Regards

Alan

I would say have a picked onion,but I know you don't like them,have a picked Harkin instead Alan