A ready made Christmas?

[Amber]

Apart from subscription places, does anyone have any suggestions for a ready made, easy cook, Christmas dinner for one? And just to make it harder, preferably frozen.

Wiltshire, and Cook seem to be out. The only other option so far, but for various reason not ideal, is for a homemade meal, plated up, and frozen. OK, but...

It’s a bit early for the supermarket Christmas catalogues, (they’re just starting to appear here), but I would love to know if anyone has bought anything similar in the past.

[cyprusmoira]

Does it have to be turkey etc?

[TeresaFoodie]

I think a ready made Christmas would be to find a local takeaway open on the day. I prefer to do it myself with a bit of advance planning. Since being single I have prepped a nut roast in a loaf tin on Christmas Eve. Being single didn't really have anything to do with it. I would have done that anyway for me. Sprouts topped and tailed, spuds peeled, a packet of bread sauce mix, jug and whisk lined up on the work top. Roasting tray for spuds. Paxo the rooster booster at the ready. You so have to have Christmas tunes playing while this is all happening!
If I was cooking for a meat eater (unlikely this Christmas in this bedsit with no table or chairs) I would probably do beef, Yorkies, mash, peas, carrots, broccoli, Swede, cabbage, homemade gravy and have The Royale Family playing on TV in the background.
I think another essential ingredient is snow but unlikely in England these days.

[Pepper Pig]

I think I’d be looking in the freezer sections of the budget shops - Iceland, Aldi, Lidl etc.

[Herbidacious]

I will be having a M&S Christmas dinner at my mothers but that's 2.5 (effectively) not 1. However she is the only one who eats meat. I am assuming she can eat left overs. It will be matter of taking the required number of roast potatoes out of the over and sticking some veg on, making the required amount of gravy etc.

I am not really sure what your are after, Amber. Is it a traditional roast meat thing? Otherwise it's not much different from cooking for one on a regular basis? (I am on my own most of the time now too.)

[Suelle]

Are you thinking of providing a meal for someone living on their own and unable (or unwilling) to cook for themselves, Amber, rather than thinking about your own circumstances?

I agree with PP that places like Iceland and Aldi are likely to stock suitable ready meals, but perhaps not until nearer Christmas, which might leave you panicking that you won't find something. I'm not a connoisseur of ready meals, so don't know what these would be like, but I suspect they would be of lower quality than a home cooked meal.

Have you thought of approaching a local restaurant and buying a meal from them? Most restaurants are serving Christmas meals from early December, so might be willing to sell you a meal that you could freeze yourself - especially if you are a regular customer there.

[Seatallan]

How about this lot?

https://www.cookfood.net/menu/christmas/christmas-day

[earthmaiden]

Oh yes Seatallen! Their stuff is very good!

I did have a Wiltshire Farm Foods one with MIL once and for what it was it wasn't at all bad - but you've said they are not suitable.

Toby Carvery do take-away meals on any other day of the year - I wonder if they do at Christmas? You would probably have to have it sent in a taxi or something though if there was no other transport

[Amber]

Thank you. Cook looks good but not for one. It’s for an elderly person living on their own who doesn’t want to join a community type meal. I didn’t know about Toby so will look into that, thank you...but that’s made me also think about Deliveroo.

For me, I will be cooking for a houseful, currently ten, with the usual allergies, dislikes, time constraints etc. Hard work, but lovely!

[StokeySue]

I think well worth looking at Iceland again, especially their Luxury range when they release the range, most of what I've had from that range has been pretty good

[Bubbles]

Tezza, don't mean to hijack the thread but I notice you mention packet bread sauce and wondered if you've ever tried making your own? It freezes well and tastes so much nicer, I add lots of nutmeg and clove to mine. I started many years ago using Delia's recipe and have just adapted it over the years.

[Pepper Pig]

I wonder if these are available this year.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/v ... amers.html

[TeresaFoodie]

Bubbles, I have never made my own bread sauce but think this is something I should try before Christmas kicks in nicely!

[northleedsbhoy]

Bread sauce!!

Cheers
NLB

[Ratatouille]

Here here

[Catherine]

Bread sauce is lovely when served with the right thing. BUT homemade and only homemade will do. Packet mix is an abomination and no reflection or the real thing

[Bubbles]

Bread sauce is lovely when served with the right thing. BUT homemade and only homemade will do. Packet mix is an abomination and no reflection or the real thing

Agreed!

[Amber]

I wonder if these are available this year.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/v ... amers.html

I waited ages for this to load...
I think my relative may be too old for this.

But I’ll look into Iceland, thats a possibility. Sounds awful to me, but, when you’re on your own, can’t cook etc etc...

And just in case anyone thinks we’re totally heartless, there are other family things going on together, just not on 25th.

[Bubbles]

M&S have a Christmas ready meal of turkey, roast potatoes Yorkshire pudding!!, sprouts carrots and all the trimmings for one. It's £4.50 I think but part of their 3 for £10 deal at the moment. Plenty of food for one and it looked nice.

[StokeySue]

In this 2013 review M&S came out best
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2527374/The-Christmas-lunch-ready-meals-arent-ALL-foul-think.html

[Bubbles]

In this 2013 review M&S came out best
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2527374/The-Christmas-lunch-ready-meals-arent-ALL-foul-think.html

Probably better than some I've had - works dos etc!

[scullion]

i've only ever had homemade bread sauce - and that once was enough. its maker raved over the recipe so i tried a teaspoonful - i wish i hadn't - the taste wasn't worth the calories, had a slimy texture and looked like cat sick. an experience that, i would imagine, i will never repeat.

[Amber]

I have the M&S catalogues in the morning room...waiting to be read...next to the Lakeland ones. I will investigate further.
(All these ideas are much appreciated, thank you)

[cyprusmoira]

The M&S catalogues and Lakeland, I am very envious

Moira

[Seatallan]

the taste wasn't worth the calories, had a slimy texture and looked like cat sick.

Enjoyed it then Scully?

[earthmaiden]

I have been known to decline Christmas invitations from people that I know don't serve bread sauce

[Seatallan]

[Catherine]

I guess like most things there are good and bad recipes. The way my Mum makes bread sauce is fab. I have to say it isn't really a sauce as that would suggest pouring consistency and this certainly isn't pourable, you spoon it. The milk is infused with clove studded onions, lots of nutmeg, plus other stuff oh and cream I think. An indulgent treat that would be missed if not there on the table at christmas

[Seatallan]

Worls with half fat creme frache too if you're after shaving off a few calories. Mr S isn't keen on bread sauce but I always make it as I can easily scoff the lot.

[KC2]

In as much as you need a recipe, I've usually used Sophie Grigson's as a basis. I remember the clove-studded onions from my childhood - and definitely more than the four Sophie Grigson recommends!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/roast ... read_87596
I think I usually add a couple of bay leaves as well.

[suffolk]

I think that the sliminess Scully recalls can be caused by using cheap sliced bread which has preservatives in it ... I find that buying a normal white loaf from a good baker, then allowing half of it to go stale for a few days before turning it into breadcrumbs produces a much better texture with bread sauce.

[Bubbles]

Yes to bay leaves, cloves in onions and nutmeg, and good bread!

[Luca]

Yes to bay leaves, cloves in onions and nutmeg, and good bread!

Absolutely. My mother made wonderful bread sauce. It was also full of chopped onions so a thicker texture. Christmas without bread sauce? I'd choose it over turkey when made well and with top notch ingredients.

p.s. I wouldn't eat it in place of goose...

[Catherine]

Absolutely. My mother made wonderful bread sauce. It was also full of chopped onions so a thicker texture

Exactly as our family makes it, and as you say, Christmas without the bread sauce just isn't Christmas

[Monnikka]

OH and I had a prepared meal from M&S last year and were most impressed. We are frugal eaters and chose mushroom wellington with all the trimmings plus a small Christmas pudding. The only inconvenient part of it was having to collect a couple of days ahead as the freezer was practically bursting at the seams by then! I'd certainly recommend it.

[Suelle]

OH and I had a prepared meal from M&S last year and were most impressed. We are frugal eaters and chose mushroom wellington with all the trimmings plus a small Christmas pudding. The only inconvenient part of it was having to collect a couple of days ahead as the freezer was practically bursting at the seams by then! I'd certainly recommend it.

It's nice to hear from someone who's actually tried one!

[suffolk]

Absolutely. My mother made wonderful bread sauce. It was also full of chopped onions so a thicker texture

Exactly as our family makes it, ... /quote]

Same here ... DD loves it so much she serves it with almost everything ......... well, perhaps not with curry goat, but ....

[Ratatouille]

Bread sauce, no matter how well made is one of the few things neither of us can stand. I think it is the cloves that do it for me. Mr R said it reminds him of wallpaper paste.

[earthmaiden]

OH and I had a prepared meal from M&S last year and were most impressed. We are frugal eaters and chose mushroom wellington with all the trimmings plus a small Christmas pudding. The only inconvenient part of it was having to collect a couple of days ahead as the freezer was practically bursting at the seams by then! I'd certainly recommend it.

I didn't know they did them! That does sound nice.

[Catherine]

Amber, I saw this and thought of you

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/food/ ... r-box.html

I hope you manage to come up with a good solution, but this looks like it might be a good option

[Amber]

Thank you, I nearly missed this. It looks good. I think the availability timings may not work, but I’ve passed the details on to my relative. I need to work out if there’s a Co-op nearby too.

(The current plan is a frozen home made plated meal.)