Christmas dinner alternatives.

Forgot to mention that it also contains roast potatoes too.A very credible alternative to some overpriced disasters of recent years.

Turkey 'n' Stuffing Flavour Pot Noodles

Sounds more like Desperate Dan's cow pie.

Or should I have written DD's chicken cow pie?

10p Asda Whooooshhh!!! Meal ... IMHO

Lobster and chips

I would be more than happy with belly of pork with plenty of crispy crackling of course but each year I get outvoted and it is turkey and ham again this year.

I would much rather have a pilchard sandwich.

If I am on my own, which I probably will be this year, I tend to get something very expensive or calorie laden that I don't usually eat.  I used to  treat myself to an expensive bottle of wine but I don't want to start drinking too much again.  I love christmas pudding, so I will probably have that but any other suggestions?  Not roast dinners as I often have them.

Annie - If I was on my own, my top three choices would be.....and I hope you have a decent butcher.

1. A single Partridge, just plain roasted

2. About one third of a decent length of Pork "Spare Rib" joint. (still be enough left for sandwiches)

3. Half a shoulder of Lamb or small Hogget. (Enough left for mince for Shepherds Pie)

Hth

Hey Foinavon - Hope you are well. Ever had Pilchard Curry?  Yep, just the usual tinned ones in tomato sauce. My son in law made it for us on hols; I thought he was taking the p.. but it was seriously amazing. Mind you just to show off he insists on making his own chapattis from scratch too.

A thinly veiled come and get me plea from Annie to Foxy.

Annie, I won't be on my own but I will shun the turkey and have the fish with a drizzle of malt vinegar. Perhaps with a side salad of chicory and cherry tomatoes. I will pass on Christmas pudding in favour of fresh fruit and a glass of wine.

Hi Blackbarn, I've never tried pilchard curry, sounds good. I have had them hot in tomato sauce on a bed of rice.

Foinavon - if I can get the recipe off him I will post it. It is seriously good, and he said the version we had was sub-standard, cos he could not get fresh ginger, fresh coriander and a couple of other things he wanted.

Thanks, look forward to trying it.

Mrs F uses a lot of fresh ginger in her cooking so that's no problem and fresh coriander is available locally all year round.

Foinavon - we were in the Haut Var in Provence. He found the tins in the local superU and decided to show off.  Despite not having all that he wanted, he succeeded.

Sounds good. Did you try some of the North African food available in France? I used to love dining in Tunisian restaurants finished off with fig alcohol and mint tea.

I get a packet of pheasant breasts and a whole partridge and roast those. The pheasant breasts hot for Christmas Day and then the partridge cold for Boxing Day. I just really enjoy eating a cold partridge by hand without cutlery. It must be an absolutely disgusting sight, but they're the perfect size to hold in one hand and gnaw at, while watching Kempton and betting in-running on here with the other.

It's a way of taking advantage of being on your own. If I had any family, or any other company at Christmas than the dog, there's no way I'd be allowed to behave like that.

Thanks Foinavon and blackbarn for the suggestions.

Unlike most days, Foinavon, I won't be having fruit as I eat loads of it normally, but of course I will be having the wine!  I might have lamb, blackbarn, or spare ribs as I like them. 

I might go to Marks and Spencers and treat myself there.  I think their ready meals are better than anywhere, although I have not bought hardly any there lately.

akabula,

I've been invited to Christmas Dinner so it will be the usual standard fare that I'm sure to enjoy,but if I was at home I would probably go for a nice piece of plaice.

Screaming - cold roast partridge, torn apart by hand, with decent bread and butter is one of life's great pleasures.

Annie - Pork Spare Rib Joint is NOT spare ribs. It is effectively boned, rolled, shoulder of pork.  You won't get it in the supermarket, and if your butcher doesn't know what is it, or is keeping it for himself, you will need to find another butcher.

Thanks, blackbarn, I have learnt something today, I think.  So is the spare rib joint the whole joint with the ribs taken out, I am confused.

Annie - It is confusing, but just ask your butcher for a Pork "spare rib" joint, cut for 2 (or more). It comes as a long boneless roll that can be cut to length. This joint can have the the most amazing crackling because the fat goes nearly all the way round.

While your there, ask him for six rounds of middle neck of lamb, cut across the bone, and no scrag! Your credibility will be sky high.

I think there's some confusion between what Americans mean by spare ribs (i.e. those ribs which people burn on a barbecue) and what we mean by a spare rib joint in Britain (i.e. the joint cut from the area corresponding to the back of the neck and shoulders on the pig).

Or have I misunderstood this too?

Screaming - you have it spot on.  You should be a butcher!!  It gets even more confusing when you move from pork to beef

Fray Bentos pie, followed by Vienetta. Sorted.

Any chance of an invite Cooperman?

get a good quality nut roast  - you won't be disappointed    ... or even try one for Boxing day .

Anyone having mash ? If so and you want to watch the calories instead of milk and butter use an egg, gives the mash a good colour and makes it real creamy. Was told about it at Slimming World didn't fancy it but decided to give it a go glad I did. Won't be going back to the old way off making mash.

I am hoping for a rib of beef.  Waitrose want £30 a kilo (mind you they want £50 a kilo for fillet).

Last year Tesco were doing rib at half price prior to Christmas - that is my only chance!

Got any spare............see what I did there. On the subject of ribs while I accept there must be an amount at which I could eat no more but I have yet to find out what that number is ! "Lub de ribs"

Jack - Despite the bones don't underestimate just how much meat there is on Forerib of Beef.  We have a Four-rib Forerib (see what I did there!) every Christmas from our local butcher and it comes in at between £90 and £95 a pop BUT does 12 for Christmas Lunch, cold with Bubble for six a day or two later, untold sandwiches and 4 or 5 meat&potato pies for my dad.  We worked it out once at about £1.50 a portion. Oh and enough dripping to last three months, and an inch of jelly in the bottom to make stock. It's the bargain of the century I tell ye

Thanks for the info, Blackie.

Is the aforementioned Forerib the same cut as the (Waitrose and Tesco) advertised Wing Rib of Sirloin.

ufcdan - If you are talking beef, you are talking Short ribs which is different from Forerib or Rib or beef. You wouldnt eat two or three foreribs they are a foot long with about 3" of meat between each one (if it is off a decent beast).  Actually maybe you might
Nothing wrong with short ribs mind

No Wingrib is further back between forerib and sirloin.  Many people prefer it to forerib because it is more lean and closer to fillet in texture but cheaper than fillet.  The problem is that the flavour pales into insignificant beside forerib because forerib has much more fat and fat equals flavour and you dont pay extra for the fat. I biased mind.  Ask a butcher.

Coachbuster

Coachbuster
21 Nov 17 13:34
Joined: 08 Apr 06
| Topic/replies: 37,186 | Blogger: Coachbuster's blog
get a good quality nut roast  - you won't be disappointed Cool   ... or even try one for Boxing day .


I've had one the last 2 years, this time it will be a marks and sparks veg masala, truly delicious. Just £4.

In the wild, turkeys roost in trees, are very protective of their young, can fly at up to 50 mph and live for up to 10 years. Today, nearly all  are reared on factory farms, packed in their thousands into mucky sheds, with scarcely room to move. Nearly all slaughtered at around four months.

Enjoy your Christmas turkey. ;-)

I've emptied the room again, lol

Australians prefer seafood for Christmas lunch. Although Ham is still popular.

For a number of years I've made seafood paella for Christmas lunch. But a lot of work to make from scratch.

Kenny - I think since your Rolf Harris lunacy, no one can be bothered to debate with you.  I certainly can't.

pxb - I think the Australian climate at Christmas influences their choices somewhat.

Not surprised you don't want to debate this, it's undebateable.


In the wild, turkeys roost in trees, are very protective of their young, can fly at up to 50 mph and live for up to 10 years. Today, nearly all  are reared on factory farms, packed in their thousands into mucky sheds, with scarcely room to move. Nearly all slaughtered at around four months.

Whereas Rolf Harris getting a rough deal isn't.

I BLAME BERNARD MATHEWS

kenny mann
I've emptied the room again, lol

.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/food/article-5106963/Co-op-sells-lazy-Christmas-dinner-box.html

Let's not kid ourselves. If you're not having a roast with all the trimmings then you're not having a Christmas dinner. Almost certainly a loser as well though there are exceptions. Each case treated on merit.

Nov 21, 2017 -- 3:28PM, kenny mann wrote:

CoachbusterCoachbuster21 Nov 17 13:34Joined: 08 Apr 06| Topic/replies: 37,186 | Blogger: Coachbuster's blogget a good quality nut roast  - you won't be disappointed Cool   ... or even try one for Boxing day .I've had one the last 2 years, this time it will be a marks and sparks veg masala, truly delicious. Just £4.

haven't tried that Kenny , M and S for me  means a trip into central Ips -  arghhhhh   ,can't be doing with that     - as it is there is a  shop i go to in Woodbridge that provides me with  a  superb loaf ....normally roast a few peppers and the like in addition - class all the way .

The traditional turkey Christmas dinner is a pretty appalling meal if considered from a digestion point of view.
And if you need to sleep after eating it, that tells you all you need to know about that.

I suggest a plate of egg and chips, followed by a warm mince pie with a spoonful of custard on top.
For after all it is Christmas. So tuck in and enjoy yourself.

Egg and chips is a very underrated meal.

Must be cooked with hand-cut potatoes in a proper old-fashioned chip pan and the eggs in a frying pan with loads of melted lard.

By yer mum.

Decent eggs and proper chips is a wonderful meal, but its hardly Christmas is it.  Mind you I do Ham, Egg and Chips one evening around Christmas every year

If you are near a Waitrose then they do reduce their meat at the counter regularly and I think around christmas would be a good time to look.

They reduce the meat starting in the morning and then getting further reduced as the day goes on or it could bet bought and you have no reduction.  I get a lot of stuff for slow cooking there, osso bucco, spare ribs (not much meat), lamb shanks ( not a lover but cheap lamb), short beef ribs, kidneys, oxtail etc etc and all about at least half price and sometimes at a third of the price.  Some of the butchers are really nice and even come over to me if they see me in the store and give me something they know I would like.  They reduce the more expensive stuff as well.

its over to your place for xmas lunch then annie yum! yum!

yep,i'll join you tel .we can both bring annie a chipolata each.just like her butchers do

be nice to escape the bedsit one day a year

It would be nice for all the chit chatters who live alone, like me, to get together for a christmas meal.

bito, you do not live in a bedsit, you are a figment of some other chit chatter, or a betfair employee

you are awful bito but I like you, be careful want you wish for annie

Perhaps all those who live alone can have a pretendy christmas meal on here.  See you on christmas day

It is a lovely idea in theory, terry, but it would probably spoil the chit chatter vibe.

your first idea was far better annie honey lol

annie,you can pull my cracker and terry can pull his own. AGAIN


alternatively we could all spend xmas day in the chit chat pub,im sure tommy would enjoy the company


singing carols while we listen to the shipping forecasts on the radio

I wonder what tommy does on christmas day

peels potatoes and watches the queens speech i guess

singing carols while we listen to the shipping forecasts on the radio