Christmas Dinner

I often hear that Christmas dinner is just a big roast, well I dont want it to be JUST a big roast, I want it to be THEE big roast, the best, most special roast of the year. In striving for this exceptional meal I have made mistakes, got timings wrong, made it too complex so by the time its all done 1/2 of its stone cold so this year I will simplfy it slight while still making it a special roast.

I prepare as much as I can on Christmas Eve, & then follow a timetable on Christmas day to have it all finished by 1o'clock

We're starting with a small sea food starter - cherry tomatoes, cucumber, prawns, mussels, crab sticks (cubed) & squid rings with a homemade thousand island sauce

For the main we're having a traditional roast turkey with packet stuffing (yes, I'm cheating on this one as I havent mastered stuffing making yet), roast pork with apple sauce, roast potatoes, carrots roasted in OJ with rosemary (these are the lil touches I dont normally do to make it special), honey roast parsnips, boiled sprouts which are then fried with a little garlic, what I call sprout mush but is actually a creamy sprout bake, boiled carrots & peas, pigs in blankets, & finally, it isnt Christmas for me unless theres bread sauce.

We sit in the lounge, pulling crackers between courses, watching a good christmassy movie.

Pudding comes later as we're normally very full, in the mean time the dish washer is filled & turned on (thank goodness for dish washers). The kids play with their new toys, Ry normally has a nap & I craft.

When we get peckish again theres a choice of puds, Mint Vienetta (a perfect contrast after a rich, heavy meal), mince pies, black forest gateau, chocolate trifle, fruit or chocolates.

Theres always plenty of left overs, non of it goes to waste, but I'll share that with you another day.