On the 17th day of December…..our traditional Christmas Dinner

No, I am not cooking it 8 days early, but thought I would share with you what we traditionally eat on Christmas Day here in Northern Ireland…which is what we ate last year, and exactly what we will eat again this year!

I enjoy cooking Christmas Dinner, but hopefully this is our last year with our single oven with the wonky door. Next year we plan to install a new kitchen and appliances, and I am dreaming of a stainless steel range cooker.

Due to our oven restrictions (as mentioned above) we sometimes skip starters altogether, or serve a light salad or soup. I am very fond of brie and cranberry filo parcels (an M&S speciality) but don’t want to over burden me or the oven space!

Here is the menu from last year, as written by my daughter. Our starter was melon with mango (and grapes for the kids!).

Our main course is usually

Turkey (we usually order just a turkey crown)(again mostly due to our single oven!)
Ham
Stuffing (I make my own, no sausage meat or sage)
Roast Potatoes
Mashed Potatoes
Roast Parsnips
Brussel Sprouts (for me)
Carrots (especially for the kids)
Mini Cocktail Sausages
Cranberry Sauce
phew!

So here is last year’s Dinner, prior to serving.

Traditionally for dessert we would serve Christmas Pudding with Brandy cream and brandy butter.

Not being a fan of Christmas Pudding I also like to serve a lighter alternative, usually a fresh fruit salad and for the kids some ice-cream.

Coffee and tea to follow in the living room, when we feel ready, served with some of the chocolates we have received as gifts – best to open them while company are there to share them!

As you can see, we have little need for any more food on Christmas Day, but may have a selection of cheeses with grapes and crackers, and some mini mince pies around tea-time.

So how does this differ from your traditional Christmas Dinner? Do you do something entirely different on Christmas Day? I would love to hear from you.

A shorter blog post tonight, but there will be another Christmas themed post tomorrow.

I pray that whatever your plans are for this season, and for whoever you will be with, that you will know the joy that comes from Christ, the reason for this celebration.

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