What do you think

[rosebud]

Do other people find it most irratating, that since November, every book ,magazine, newspaper, want to tell us how to cook the perfect Christmas lunch.  For goodness sake how did we all manage before all this in your face do it my way nonsense. Both my daughters have just carried on doing a lovely roast that they learned from home, growing up & helping.
all Christmas dinner is, is a glorified roast. By the way i just love Christmas.

   OR IS IT ME BEING GRUMPY.

[rosebud]

[honeybee]

I thought that this morning, I am off work and had some cooking programme on the tv in the background, it was AWT going on about cooking a perfect Christmas dinner, anyway some woman called in with some recipe, wasn't sure what as i wasnt listening cos I was too busy doing lots of other things but my ears soon perked up when i heard AWT say that the caller had won a five grand kitchen of her choosing for her troubles  :o

Wished i had phoned in now with some age old recipe and some odd tale  :-\

Like you though Rosebud, i got to thinking, why do we need the perfect dinner, the perfect pud, the perfect champers, all such nonesense, I shall be cooking dinner the way i always have with Grandmas 100 year old recipe for stuffing and the rest in memory of my dear Mum who knew how to cook the perfect dinner without the help of all of the advice we seem to be getting from all corners nowadays.

[Emagggie]

I whole heartedly agree about the glorified roast. Nowadays we take a vote on the favourite veggies etc. and just do them. I can't see the point in slogging away at something my fussy lot probably wont eat. A daughter has opted for bread and butter pud instead of Christmas pud (she's making it), as long as there's pudding wine I'm easy. ;D ;D

[Suzanne]

Did anyone see Heston Blumenthals perfect Christmas dinner! Flaming sorbet no less.  :o  ;D

[Tin Shed]

Just watched Jamie Oliver's Christmas programme - he had some good ideas. OH was taking notes [!] on carving the turkey - don't know why, because I always do it!

[Jeannine]

I can't cook the way they do on the shows, first I don't swear, I don;t look like I haven't had a wash for a month and I actually cook my stuff through... sarcastic eh.. Christmas dinner is just a dinner, we eat it all year anyway, my husband loves Turkey, Christmas Pud , cake,shortbread and mince tarts  so they are just part of my regular baking, if someone could come up with something new it might be a Christmas treat.

I suppose the shows are useful for folks  who are just starting out,

XX Jeannine

[jockomorrocco]

the perfect christmas dinner is all about the people you have with you for dinner not what your eating! The best food in the world would be dull if you were eating alone.

[Rob08]

Christmas for us is a hybrid affair with the components of the meal varying according to which nationalities are present.  Since our traditional Christmas meal is not suited to the cooler climate we have accrued new dishes over the past few years.

As it stands presently about 80% of the meal is very traditionally Irish, though I refuse on principle to have turkey.  If they want a bird they can choose from duck, goose or chicken, but not turkey.

[Hyacinth]

SO agree with you Buds 8)...Christmas 'dinner' is no different from any other meal we cook throughout the year......a roast is a roast is a roast? My feeling  tho is that, these days, peeps seldom cook a 'traditional' meal from scratch  and it's mainly the timing skill  that's been lost? What point the perfect roast potatoes if they're ready 3/4hr before the turkey? .....specially when you've hitherto  relied on microwaved this'n'that?   So yes, I can see the hype-induced pressure...

Coupla other points tho.....To Rob.....you object 'on principle' to have turkey.....for most general shoppers here, there are just 2 , I think, windows for peeps to buy prime fresh turkeys ready for market + the cook-pot....Easter and Christmas......why give up on this twice-a-year opportunity? I fully accept, tho, that if you're buying a frozen bird, there's no guarantee which market they've been targeted to meet ------------or even which year!

Then, to Jock...."the best food in the word would be dull if you were eating alone"....now then, Jock, I work with the elderly who've invariably lost their life-partners & part of their depression/self neglect mind-set is  exactly along your lines.......and I say "think about it..."

To food....how many times do we NOT eat food we want to/when we want to cos our partner doesn't like it/upsets their stomach/complains about bad breath etc. on their life partners/ wants the meal earlier-later/doesn't want the food cos they had it two days ago & they want something different?....etc. etc. etc.....

I work turning negative thoughts into positives if I possibly, positively can and I refuse to accept out of hand  your statement that  eating alone would be dull  :-\ - not even Christmas Dinner ;D.......get the mind-set right, is Orl 8)

[kt.]

I eat it which ever way its put in front of me. This year will be the first time in 5 years I ain't done Chrimbo dinner. Going to OHs aunties this year. Hallelujah ;)

[Froglegs]

I don;t look like I haven't had a wash for a month.

XX Jeannine

;D

[Amazin]

I never eat turkey either, but not for altruistic reasons I'm afraid - to me it tastes like chicken with the flavour surgically removed!

In the past we used to have chicken - then I went through a period of doing something different. Duck, goose, lobster, ostrich, they've all been tried and tested. But the absolute WORST year was when I decided to go for game fowl. I bought partridge and pheasant,  for Christmas and Boxing Day. Oh dear God, I'll never forget the dreadful smell during cooking - it pervaded the entire house, so that by the time the thing was ready we felt quite ill. Nevertheless we soldiered on, but we just couldn't enjoy the meal, not least because we were sitting in a draught as we'd had to open all the windows to get rid of the whiff.

But the real misery of that Christmas Day was knowing what was in store the following day... needless to say the other bird went straight in the bin, and we had something simple involving chips on Boxing Day.

The pong finally disappeared around February.

[Jeannine]

That made me laugh, The first chicken I ever cooked had the plastic bag inside full of bits and the plastic melted, poor John ate it any way bless him, he started  before me!! That smell hung on too.XX Jeannine

[Amazin]

Yup - done that too! We've obviously used the same recipes!

;D ;D ;D

[Froglegs]

The first Christmas me and the wife spent together,she put the Christmas pud in the oven,it was like a hockey puck......25 years on we still use it as a door stop. :-X ;D ;D

[Barnowl]

.......But the absolute WORST year was when I decided to go for game fowl. I bought partridge and pheasant,  for Christmas and Boxing Day.

I think the game must have been hung too long. There are some people who like their pheasant very ripe, but I'm not one of them. Pheasant doesn't start to pong for at least five days, unless the temperature's been unseasonably high.

I eat quite a lot of pheasant and partridge (it's very healthy meat) and find three to five days in the unheated garage is about right.

[Rob08]

Hi Alishka,

I object to turkey because I really do not like it, and it is tricky to prepare (for me at least) and takes too much time in the oven.  I can see the benefit of turkey for people having to feed a large family or gathering but since I do not have this particular challenge I can stick with chicken, duck or goose and it works fine and tastes a whole lot better too.

[Amazin]

Well said, Robbo!

;D

[saddad]

Hi Lishka... I know what you mean but I think Jocko was being positive...
I used to eat whatever was in front of me, took several years to work out why I was so ill over Christmas, one of the few times OH would do Custard ( as the Lactose Intolerance crept up on me!)
I remember a meal where the M'wave went on the blink and the jacket potatoes glowed and flared up as you took them out!!

Hope you all enjoy the day, with whoever you are with, and whatever they serve...
;D

[jockomorrocco]

hi all . my point was that the food is of secondary importance at christmas and that it is the quality of your company that either makes or breaks the day.l