Who's doing your cooking on the 25th?

[Gerontophile]

I have been lucky enough to receive an invite to friends on the day, but was thinking of offering to do the cooking for them. Do you think they would be insulted?

What are y'all up to this year? Looking forward to it? Running a book on the first tears? Fight? Broken toy?

[Wyatt Earp]

Who's doing your cooking on the 25th?

This year, it's my turn to be chef de cuisine, with Mrs Earth relegated, unusually, to chef de partie. We might, for the first time, let Young Master Earth join the brigade as a commis.

[delicatemoth]

Who's doing your cooking on the 25th?

I'll be at my mum's. She will cook (this is unlikely to be a production number but is guaranteed to be tasty) while I attend to spliff-rolling and CD-changing duties. I imagine her brother will be round at some point. Tears will surely be avoided.

[Hofzinser]

Who's doing your cooking on the 25th?

Mrs Hofzinser will be the head chef this year, and I'll be her willing assistant. It'll just be the two of us on Christmas Day, partly because we're both working right up until Christmas Eve and so it would be a bit hectic trying to rush up to get to either of our families after work, and partly because it's our first Christmas as a married couple so we like the idea of just having our own Christmas day anyway. We're going to visit our respective families in Glasgow and Newcastle from the 27th onwards.

We're cooking roast sirloin of beef for the main course and I can't wait.

Ger - if I were you, rather than offer to cook, I'd offer to do the cleaning up afterwards.

[Moonlight Shadow]

Who's doing your cooking on the 25th?

I'm the boss this year, with my wife as my able assistant (she is learning quite well). Finalising the menu at the moment and thinking what can be prepared on the 24th. I'm going to the inlaws, they have a lovely kitchen which they only use to re-heat Asda ready meals...

[Bored Of Education]

Who's doing your cooking on the 25th?

We are having my mother-in-law (as usual) and my parents over (for the first time). Normally, as it is my birthday, I leave the honours solely to my wife but, having seen Delia and Jmaie Oliver, I fancy doing the turkey at least.

Indeed, having a whole turkey is a rarity for us as we usually have a turkey crown or a chicken.

It will be held, as is traditional in our house, in the evening rather than that bizarre 'twixt lunch and tea-time of 3pm that everyone seems to go for.

Other than that, we will be at church at 9.30 and then down the pub between 11 and 1 for my official birthday two hours where I will be entertained by a magic show frmo one of my mates and a Diablo display from my son

Christmas eve dinner will be gammon, parsley sauce, broad beans and potatoes in honour of my grampy. The only time I ever eat parsley sauce or, indeed, parlsey.

Boxing day will be cold cuts made up from above.

[JtS]

Who's doing your cooking on the 25th?

I believe I'll be cooking for me, my wife, my daughter, my mum, my dad and my brother

[meregreen]

Who's doing your cooking on the 25th?

I'll be cooking for the 'wife', her mother, father, sister, sister's boyfriend, plus two little children.

I'm planning to get most of the manual labour out of the way on christmas eve, and I'm sure I'll be ably assisted by the mother-in-law who is a whizz in the kitchen.

Turkey with all the trimmings is on the menu, and if I can get myself organised I'll also knock up a kedgeree for a late breakfast to sustain us until the late(ish) lunch.

[Guest]

Who's doing your cooking on the 25th?

Myself and mah burd's brother are doing the cooking this year, for her other brother, his wife, his kid and my mum. We're doing a goose and a ham, becauase we're greedy bastards.

I have never cooked a goose before and am a little nerouvous about it. Anyone done it?

[Gerontophile]

Who's doing your cooking on the 25th?

Yes. Best roasted on a spit, over a Cherrywood fire.

However, if you are not a caveman, try Gordon Ramsay's version

(If the kids can cope with hotter food, ignore the honey, and just mix some (but not too much) mustard with butter, and rub inside the skin before cooking, which makes a shit-kicking gravy too. Although this is a bit of a pfaff, if you are scoring the skin.)

[Wyatt Earp]

Who's doing your cooking on the 25th?

Yeah. It's not that hard really. Do it like a big fuckoff duck. The most important thing is prick the skin all over and roast the bird on a rack, so that the ample fat drains away. The legs have a tendency to overdo, so you might want to wrap a bit of foil round them.

There's a skin-crisping trick the Chinese do involving pouring boiling water over the bird the night before and then drying it in front of a fan, but to be honest I think this is probably getting into the realms of unnecessary flashness.

On important thing: in Delia's goose recipe, the prescribed cooking time is comically overlong. We switched to Sophie Grigson a couple of years ago and have never looked back.

[Gerontophile]

Who's doing your cooking on the 25th?

I agree with you about Delia's timings, WoE, but I think she was aiming to make the goose as grease-less as possible. Whilst that works to an extent, a lot of the taste goes with it.

[HORN]

Who's doing your cooking on the 25th?

I'll be donning the toque at my mum's house. I've the added spice of having to prepare a vegetarian dish for Mama HORN who is unlikely to be fobbed off with my plaintive plea that she "just have the vegetables and an extra yorkshire pudding".

[Purves Grundy]

Who's doing your cooking on the 25th?

As always it'll be me. As always it'll be goose. Except this year it'll be the biggest I've ever done as it has to feed me, the GLW, her mother, her sister, her sister's husband, her sister's two daughters and our three kids.

As always I'll do the HF-W thing of a terrine starter made from the giblets, with the legs hacked off and confit-ed for use in January's cassoulets. Just roast the big ol' midriff of the goose and away you go.

Terrine along with smoked salmon, quails eggs and all that sort of stuff around 10.30. Roast goose around 4PM. Doctor Who at 6. Xmas pud at about 7.30. Cheese around 9.

With plentiful grazing throughout the day you're always full but never stuffed and there is none of the stress that comes with having to serve everything up all in one big meal.

Yum.

Yum.

[Wyatt Earp]

Who's doing your cooking on the 25th?

We do:

1. Presents, round 1.

2. Your favourite breakfast, by request, at whenever we get round to it, with Bucks fizz (mimosas, for Americans) for the grownups. If I come across a really good kipper, I'll have that; or devilled kidneys on toast if I can get them fresh enough; or a fry-up, which is also what the kids'll have (bacon, sausage, egg, black pudding, toast or fried slice). Mrs E will have eggs Benedict.

3. Presents, round 2. Some food preparation.

4. Light lunch: home-made chicken liver pate, good Spanish ham, some cheese, Mrs E's astonishing home-made bread, all washed down with a glass of beer.

5. Heavy-duty cooking. PG's giblet terrine sounds great, but if I don't produce an orthodox gravy I'll be lynched, so the giblets will go to make a stock, with onion, carrot, celery and a bouquet garni. Roasties, mash, a green veg of some sort, braised red cabbage. And the goose.

6. Doctor Who.

7. Christmas evening meal. Yes. Sue me. Smoked salmon to start, then the table will groan under the main course. Chrissy pud afterwards if we feel like it, with brandy butter or home-made caramel ice cream. If we're too stuffed, just the ice cream.

[Guest]

Who's doing your cooking on the 25th?

Thanks for the goosing advice guys. Appreciate it.

[San Bernardhinault]

Who's doing your cooking on the 25th?

Last year we confit'd the goose legs, along with some others that were dirt cheap from Aldi or somewhere. It was remarkably good to eat along with the body of the goose.

No idea what this year's Christmas will look like, as we're visiting friends in Arizona. I suspect it'll be white, as we're in Flagstaff. Normally me or Ms Lanterne would do the cooking, but we'll be guests so who knows what happens? Do they even have geese in Arizona?

Traditionally, with my parents:

1 - Token stocking items.
2 - lightish breakfast, followed by fannying around, a bit bored, maybe go for a very short walk if we can get everyone to move
3 - presents, with a semi-sweet German morning wine.
4 - Cooking, which was meant to happen during prezzie opening but everyone got a bit distracted, drink crap leftover wine
5 - meant to be about 3, but usually more like 4 or 4:30, big christmas meal, smoked salmon with white burgundy. Goose with bordeaux. My dad makes huge drama-queen show of making gravy. Christmas pud with dessert wine. Brandy. Port.
6 - sitting around feeling bloated. Have family argument, might range from mild bickering to full on screaming match. I will go and hide.
7 - someone will insist on watching something incredibly dry and tedious on TV. Try and sneak out but get told I *will" enjoy it, as if I were 11, not 38.

[Guest]

Who's doing your cooking on the 25th?

Back in Fermanagh. Brother, wife and children coming over from England, so, including granny and aunt, will be a packed house. Get kicked out of my bedroom to sleep on the sofa, whence no doubt Uncle Lodzubelieveit will be pressed into entertaining action from very early start to late finish on the 25th.

[Guest]

Who's doing your cooking on the 25th?

HORN what about something with say butternut squash and chestnuts? Like, you could roast the squash with some sweet potato & red peppers & then make a savoury crumble with herbs in the crumble. Mushrooms too if they are wanted. You could incorporate cheese if cheese is acceptable to your Mum. Like sharp feta or goat's cheese.

[hobbes]

Who's doing your cooking on the 25th?

1. Get up late as I've usually been over to my other family on Xmas Eve. (My best mate's parents' house.) Not this year though as they're off to Sheffield to their youngest's gaff.
2. Cup of tea, then little sis divies out presents from under tree and we open them all.
3. Brekkie - usually smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, usually made by me.
4. sit around debating when to start drinking and answering the same question for my mad uncle 15 times before my Mum tells him to can it.
5. Dinner around 4 - 4.30. Mum cooks solo despite my protestations and offers of help (she always overcooks the veg.) No starter generally, turkey and trimmings for main course and then xmas pud etc for everyone but little Sis and I who can't bear it. We have something chocolate tarty.
6. Washing up. Mum still doesn't have a dishwasher, so this can take hours.
7. Open tree presents. This is an old tradition going back to when we used to go to my Grandparents for dinner. We always had a little present (sort of stocking things) after dinner to open.
8. Sit around watching telly and drinking. This year I won't be going anywhere, usually I nip off round a mate's house.
9. Sleep.
10. Repeat on Boxing Day with fillet of beef replacing turkey and of course, no presents.

[Disco Child Ballads]

Who's doing your cooking on the 25th?

For the first time in my life, I won't be spending Christmas with my Mum and Dad. They will be in New York with my older sister, so I'm going round to my younger sister and boyfriend's house for Christmas dinner. I'm not sure what they're cooking, but it won't be turkey. I'll probably help out with the vegetables.

I'm also having a pre-christmas family gathering at my house this Sunday, and I'm thinking of cooking ham. Anyone got any good recipes?

[Bored Of Education]

Who's doing your cooking on the 25th?

We do:

1. Presents, round 1.

2. Your favourite breakfast, by request, at whenever we get round to it, with Bucks fizz (mimosas, for Americans) for the grownups. If I come across a really good kipper,

You get some really odd presents, don't you?

[Gerontophile]

Who's doing your cooking on the 25th?

For a whole ham on the bone, try Delia.

There is a Nigella recipe which does it with coke. (Cola variety)

[HORN]

Who's doing your cooking on the 25th?

Lyra wrote:

HORN what about something with say butternut squash and chestnuts? Like, you could roast the squash with some sweet potato & red peppers & then make a savoury crumble with herbs in the crumble. Mushrooms too if they are wanted. You could incorporate cheese if cheese is acceptable to your Mum. Like sharp feta or goat's cheese.

Oh, that's very kind of you, Lyra. Creativity is somewhat hit or miss (her favourite dish is..... egg and chips) and at her age there's more she can't eat than can (the "Can't" list includes nuts and peppers, incidentally). I do like the sound of the dish you describe though I'll have to tweak it a tad.

[blameless]

Who's doing your cooking on the 25th?

As is now the tradition we'll be heading round to my wee sister's house, but the cooking is a communal effort:

- sis makes the turkey itself and a rather nice homemade cranberry sauce
- mum does an excellent vegetable broth as a starter, and obscenely good apple crumble as a dessert
- I make the stuffing, as well as some homemade potato croquettes
- dad makes the roast potatoes
- my brother-in-law does the vegetables
- my brother and his girlfriend keep my sister's pets amused and out of the way while the cooking is going on

It's a well-oiled machine.