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I am having Christmas lunch with my husband-no parents this year. Its our first 'married christmas' so we thought we would go it alone! He has asked for the full traditional works, though I fancied something a bit different like duck. I have relented and we are having Turkey. I do enjoy the leftovers.

My Neice's birthday is 23rd and we too have problems about doing different things, as Christmas always seems to take over.

We are having neighbours in and are having surf and turf, just for a change. But i am still buying a turkey for boxing day, still could'nt resist it, christmas just would'nt be the same. I like all the left overs and the turkey soup.
I then need to make the 27th Dec special because its my daughters birthday, any ideas greatly appreciated.

Hi Huggy,

I'll post the lobster thermidor on the recipes thread as it helps to find it later.

A little story for now,

after my father in law ate the lobster thermidor mentioned above, he said it was the best thing he had ever tasted. Many months later, he ate at the restaurant where I work. My boss had made it that time and we were debating about Tarragon. I always put it in, he never does. The next day my father in law phoned me and said "the food was wonderful last night, but were you working?" I told him I was and he said "Why on earth did you change your thermidor recipe, it wasn't nearly as nice as when you made it at home".

So, even my wonderful bosses thermidor is not as good as mine

Hi I will be doing the full monty for Christmas Day.I will have 10+ people I will do a starter of seafood. ---fresh prawns -As in langoustines Fresh crab ., beautiful smoked Salmon
Stuffed Turkey. Cooked Ham (Glazed with Honey studded with cloves) Plum Pudding etc.etc. I tried changing the format 2 years ago but I was outvoted . I tried alternative menus with pheasant /and/or Fillet of Beef -but tradition won out

Hi Mamma Chef,
I live on Costa del Sol. 5 minutes from Malaga airport. I have been here for 2 1/2 years now and love it. I travel to UK quite a bit. We have a daughter and a grandson there so we take turns to visit each other. I try to avoid coming in winter - don't like cold weather.

We will have our niece, Jo, with her hubby and three children. I simply cannot decide what to cook but I think it will be a barbecued something-or-other! For the last two years I have made Christmas pudding ice cream in England and will do that again this year as it's much more suited to the climate here. A Christmas table set with crackers and tinsel on the deck in the heat doesn't seem quite right somehow so I will try and Australianize my traditional table if I can but to be honest the ideas aren't flowing out of me! I simply can't get it into my head that it's Christmas at all ... it's hot and rainy today and we got soaked at a local produce market this morning. We came home laden with fruit and herbs and ginger and veggies and spent hardly any money at all!

Im looking forward to cooking this year, as I always cook for all the family on xmas day, this year Im not, Im only cooking for the wife and kids, my mother in law does not eat poultry so this year we can have a roast turkey with all the trimmings, as she not eating with us untill tea time, so first time in ages we can have the traditional xmas day menu, Great cant wait.

What I meant was I have never seen a recipe not a lobster tnermidor itself (think I need to lie down)

Mammachef - could you give me your recipe for lobster thermidor or tell me where I can find one as I have never seen one and I'd love to give it a try?

We for once are having a very quiet Xmas.

Just Pixie, Myself and Blue (the cat).

Nothing special just the normal Xmas dinner.

No friends, no relations, phones off, computer off.

A couple of bottles of wine and possibly a film.

PudX XX X

Hi kamila,

Where in Spain do you live, my Father lives in Alicante but I never see him as he won't come over to England. I have made so many trips, but I don't go now as we only have a holiday once in the blue moon and don't always want to go to the same place for it, ie his house. But I have got to know the area a bit as he first went out there 20 years ago. So he is right down in southern Spain, where abouts are you?

Hi all,
Just managed to get a minute with my computer so I thought that I will contribute to this conversation. We are going to celebrate 24th in the evening as usual with a typical Czech Christmas menu. Fish soup to start with and then breaded fish fillet. I can't get Carp easily (typical Czech meal) so I will choose white fish fillet. Because we are in Spain and Spanish also celebrate 24th with a fish meal we will kill two birds with one stone sort of speak. Because my husband is British we also celebrate 25th. Our daughter used to love it because she has always had two Christmases. I have decided to be very different for Christmas day this year and going to have a suckling pig. Very easily available in Spain and I have never cooked one so it will be fun to try something new.

Jill - I'm going to be totally boring here too. Just the three of us here for Christmas dinner and I'll be cooking roast turkey with all the trimmings too.

Well this will be our first year away from our own home. We are going to the in laws in London. What ever I might have said on this thread, the reality is that my mother in law has asked me to bring my sharp knives to jullian the carrots et al!!

On another thread somewhere I said we always eat on Christmas eve and dress up. This makes Christmas day a day to as you please. SO our Christmas dinner ends up as a full English breakfast!!

But the night before meal the only thing different that would seem strange is that our guests will choose tineed Heinz soup to start over the smoke salmon arguing they can eat salmon any day.

Sausage rolls are the hardest but we have made a recipe that makes them taste even better than we remembered. We cannot get sausage meat here in Italy.

There.

Ok then, I'm going to be totally boring here and say that I'm going to be cooking the traditional roast turkey together with all the trimmings.

Well Christmas dinner here this year will be different, just myself and my daughter and a veggie one.

So I am doing pancakes, made in advance and frozen, then some veg i.e. asparagus, mushrooms, and some spicey beans, peppers. then some sauces ~ garlic butter, cheese, salsa, and some soured cream.

fill and roll pancakes, and lots of salad.

OK it will be more refined by the time I get there, but you get the general idea?

Georgie - it would be great to know how you got on with the goose as I have tasted it in a restaurant and loved it but have heard it is very difficult to cook well.

yes Georgie,

I've no doubt with your cooking experience that you are aware, that it can be done the day before and just grilled on the day. Great to get ahead so there is time for socialising and tasting the local vinatage.

Not doing Christmas this year, but I did Christmas last year.... I don't like turkey so cooked duck and it was a bit of hit. Will do Goose next year.

Love the idea of Lobster thermidor as starter though!

Goodness Mammachef that sounds wonderful - my mouth is watering. Your family is very spoiled!

Last time I cooked for Christmas (at home) it was Lobster thermidor for starter and black pudding stuffed saddle of lamb with blackberry sauce. I thought we had all had enough turkey in the run up to Christmas although I must confess, I do love the traditional way.

At work we offer the traditional Christmas faire as well as confit of duck, bass, Scotish Sirloin, Seared tuna, braised lamb shanks or chicken breast stuffed with roquefort and wrapped in parma ham for mains. So I will be cooking all of those this year.