I’ve experienced enough Christmas Days now to know what works and what doesn’t for my family when it comes to the food! Food is important to us all year round but is especially prominent in our Christmas celebrations.

Christmas, when we’re at home, is indulgent but not excessive. Everyone’s favourite titbits are included during the day. We get to enjoy all that Christmas food has to offer without feeling too stuffed or like we have to force in another morsel for fear of missing out until next year. And, it’s planned in such a way that I’m not spending all my time in the kitchen or up at the crack of dawn to get the bird in the oven.

I’ve tweaked and honed our Christmas feasting over the years and so, here’s what Christmas Day food looks like in our house this year.

Stocking treats

It’s Christmas Day and a treat from the stocking is acceptable before breakfast!

Breakfast

Bagels and some smoked salmon (Lidl smoked salmon is really very good for its affordable price tag) with scrambled eggs sets us up nicely for a present opening session and video calls to family around the country.

It’s just the four of us this year so, instead of having breakfast in the dining room, we’ve planned to sit around the coffee table in front of the tree, with the fire on if we fancy it.

Lunch/starter

As a child, we would always eat Christmas Dinner at lunch time, but I now prefer to eat it later in the day. I feel more ready to eat it, it works better for my children’s routines and is less of a rush to prepare.

But what to do about lunch when eating dinner later in the day? After a lazy and fulfilling breakfast, a proper lunch at the normal time doesn’t work. My solution is to have our Christmas meal starter as a light lunch.

There’s less to eat later, there’s one less meal to plan, there’s time to digest all the food and make room to truly enjoy the Christmas feast and, if your chosen starter is going to leave you wondering how you’re going to have space in your oven to prepare it, there’s one less tray to juggle later on.

Last year, it was baked camembert with a selection of bits for dipping and scooping. This we’re having pil pil prawns with peppers. There’ll be mince pies on offer for those that have a sweet tooth.

Christmas Dinner

Served around 5.30pm when we’re all just about ready to eat again, in sync with the children’s mealtime routine and before they’re too tired to sit well at the table for the length of time it takes for us to eat a hearty meal.

Roast turkey with all the trimmings is what we’ll be eating. I’ve tried cooking other meats, but my husband likes the traditional turkey dinner so that’s what I tend to cook now. We can enjoy other meats when we’re visiting family for Christmas as well as throughout the year.

I’ve got a nut roast in the freezer in case there’s a visit from my sister-in-law, which will double up as stuffing! As for the trimmings, there’s something to please everyone; roast potatoes of course, pigs in blankets, shredded sprouts in marmite butter, roast carrots and parsnips, mashed swede and celeriac plus lots and lots of gravy. I’ll see how I feel on the day about adding some Yorkshire puddings to the offering.

For dessert, there’ll be the obligatory Christmas pudding and for those who don’t like it, or who’d rather something a little lighter, well, I’m still debating that one – perhaps a Jaffa Cake bomb or a tiramisu.

Supper

Staging the food in this way opens up the opportunity for cheese and crackers and other nibbles in the evening.

What does Christmas feasting look like in your house? Have you tried playing around with the schedule to see what works best? Do you always eat the same dishes, or do you ring the changes? Have you ever prepared something that doesn’t resemble the traditional Christmas meal in the slightest?