> :-) sounds like an M&S advert Lokis mum!  YUM!

Nah - none of it comes from M & S .....and I do the lot myself ... :D   I made the Christmas pud last week (and we've got a little one to try this Sunday :) ).  Veggies (this year) will come from the local farm shop - although I have cheated with the chestnuts - our local Co-op has Merchant Gourmet peeled chestnuts in stock, so I've already got a couple of packets - will save all that peeling!

I've ordered what needs to be ordered - will probably do an online Asda shop for the non-Christmassy bits that we'll still need though.

I start on Christmas Eve, with Radio 4 on - the service of 9 Lessons & Carols.   I have a glass of sherry whilst I do (another) load of 24 mince pies - and I know that my 3 sisters are doing the same thing, at the same time - because my mum used to - and I cry when I hear the first chorister singing in his perfect little treble voice "Once in Royal David's City".  I cook the ham that we have on Boxing Day on Christmas eve as well.

It's really only an extra-sized Sunday roast after all - so it's not too fiddly - just make sure I have all the serving dishes clean (its the one time I don't dish everything out onto plates myself) so if I can, I'll prepare the veggies on Christmas Eve as well - it just depends upon who's coming round/whether we're going out. 

I put the christmas pud in the slow cooker ...that way the kitchen doesn't get all steamed up with cooking it.  Then the turkey goes in - a la Delia - breast down for the first hour or so.  The kitchen will be hotter than hades once everything gets going ..so I know that personally I consume at least 3 bucks fizz whilst cooking ....plus a glug of the sherry when I'm making the gravy .... then I'llneed more fuc...no - I mean bucks fizz - no better go onto the fizzy water .....Bread sauce is dead easy ....stud an onion with cloves, put it in a saucepan, cover with milk, bring to the boil, turn the heat off and leave it - then blitz a couple of thick slices of proper (not sliced) bread into breadcrumbs, add them to the milky onion and leave it alone until you're just about to serve - and then bash it up with the stick blender!

The only faffing and fiddling really is with the prawn cocktail - and that's because I've been requested to do them in Little Gem lettuces - so I've got to carefully cut out the hearts, leaving enough lettuce to make a "cup" - so that will be 6 or 8 lettuces - unless I decide to hell with the cups and cut them through the middle and use take the hearts out that way.

So we're looking forward to our first Christmas here - last year (for the first time in over 40 years) we went to No 2 son & dils and enjoyed Christmas with them and their 3 little girls - which was great fun.  This year No 3 son & partner + No 1 son will be with us plus a couple of "stray blow-ins" - so that will be fun again.

Hahaha, didn't mean you got it from there, you just described it like the woman on the M&S adverts :-)  Sounds lurrrrvely, don't do Christmas dinner myself (my Mum won't let anyone get involved, nor do we want to really!), anyway I may pass on your menu as a big hint :-D

> then I'llneed more fuc...no - I mean bucks fizz

:-O  !!! LOL