Make or buy?

[Gemini]

I was just wondering what people make from scratch or buy ready made over the festive season.

I think Christmas is about doing what is best for you, and enjoying things. If that means Aunt Bessie's roasties and an M&S cake, why not? If you enjoy making it all, why not also?!

I am a mixture of the two, but maybe leaning more towards the ready made. When my life becomes a bit less hectic in years to come, I may make more.

I always make a Christmas cake. For many years my mum made ours and I just iced it. For the past few years I make ours, and small un-iced one for her.
I have never ever made a Christmas pudding, nor would I bother. My MIL made us one for many years and although they were nice, in my opinion no nicer than any shop bought one we have had.
I always made my own mince pies, even when my children were babies. A few years ago I made my own mincemeat and very nice it was too.
Last year and this I am buying them.
I buy fresh vegetables and mash my own potatoes and swede (a favourite of my mum's) but buy frozen roasties. I am a bit indifference to them really, preferring mash, so maybe that's why!
I buy ready made trifle too.
One thing I won't buy ready made is mulled wine. I have a wonderful Jamie Oliver recipe (available on the recipe section https://gransrus.com/forum/leisure-i...89-mulled-wine ) which requires a bit of effort and a few ingredients but is so worth it and spoils me for any other mulled wine!

What do you make?

[Daisy]

Good question, Gem, and for me it varies slightly from year to year.

I always used to make our Christmas cake, make the almond paste and do royal icing, but some years ago I started buying an uniced cake and bought marzipan and roll out icing. Last year the cake was horrible and tasted of chemicals, so this year I've made two using my old recipe given to me by a Domestic Science teacher when I was 14! I've bought marzipan and roll out icing though!

I've never bought mince pies - I always make them and sometimes make mincemeat, sometimes buy it.

I keep a packet of Aunt Bessies roasties in the freezer, just for emergencies. I like to do my own, and use the turkey giblets for gravy. Sometimes I make bread sauce, but it's a packet this year, a jar of cranberry sauce, ready-made frozen pigs in blankets, and shop bought Christmas pudding and brandy butter.

Apart from frozen peas, I like to use fresh veg. For years they've been fresh from the allotment, but we haven't grown any this year, so they'll only be as fresh as the supermaarket or our local greengrocers.

Nobody likes trifle, but if I make one for guests I use the ingredients my Dad always used.

As you say, it's a matter of striking a balance and doing what works for you. We all have different tastes, priorities and responsibilities. I know I'm not the only one who also has to juggle dietary needs, so on Tuesday I'll make a batch of gluten-free cup cakes, and I always make the main course totally GF then everybody can have everything. Bread sauce is the only problem - I haven't found any GF packets yet.

[Oma]

I always made Christmas cake for me and FIL , but now there is only me that eats it I buy a small bar from M&S not the same but a good alternative , I prefer mince puffs so instead of mince pies we buy ready roll puff pastry and make our own ,
DD does Christmas day and she does everything fresh even any sauces her cranberry sauce is amazing ,
We do the puddings this year we had a talk and everyone wants a Chocolate Orange Trifle , in our opinion trifle must have jelly in so B making a orange jelly from scratch rather than a pk jelly and they want a variety of cakes so rather than make those we buy a German box selection frozen , they are 10 different slices of cake so a choice for everyone

Our big bake is New years day when its open house and everyone comes to us we tend to make pies , curry's, spicy potatoes etc from scratch and some shop bought stuff thrown in too .

[Plantaholic]

For years, I always made everything from scratch, OH provided veg from the garden. We even went one year to a turkey farm and bought a turkey, plucked it and dressed it. My son was the trifle lover and still is. I use my mother's recipe for Christmas pudding, this is the first year I haven't made a pudding as we are out Christmas day. I still make my own mince pies and my own mincemeat (the family are awaiting on the next batch.) I always made a Christmas cake but OH was the only one to eat it, mainly after Christmas, so haven't done so for some years.

[Qwerty]

I used to make everything from scratch but this is the first year a lot of it has been bought, only 5 for xmas lunch but I’m no longer as well as I would like to be at the moment, and a little older, I make my starter of course prawn cocktail and make my own sauce, make my own roasties, cook carrots but have bought this year from Aldi a sprout au gratin none of us really like sprouts we just have a few token ones, so we will see what the gratin is like.
Always buy cranberry sauce but no one likes bread sauce so don’t have to do that, red cabbage also from Aldi with spices in , if you make something new that needs spices etc your left or I am with unwanted jars that I won’t use again till the date runs out lol . Roast my own parsnips and add maple syrup.
We don’t like Xmas cake Dd has made them and we are getting a token cake I don’t mind if it’s got cheese with it, xmas pud I have always bought stick it in the microwave voila !

[Mimi]

When our family was young and all living at home I used to make lots of Christmas food etc from scratch.
It became particularly important when DD was a toddler as we discovered she had so many allergies, the worst being nuts.
I was able to adapt my tried and tested Christmas cake and pudding recipes so that no nuts were used . No marzipan was used on the cake so the icing was put straight onto the cake .
Mince pies were another challenge, finding mincemeat without added nuts was a nightmare. I could make my own but that proved to be very expensive but a friend of mine was in a health food shop and, knowing about DD, she found mincemeat without nuts.
I had to make chocolate log as it was impossible to find any shop ones without a nut free guarantee .
Dad used to grow shallots so those were pickled for Christmas

To keep children amused I used to get them to make snowman sweet jars. Empty washed jam jars were used . They would wrap the jar in cotton wool, securely stuck to the glass with pritt stick . Rolled ball of cotton wool for his head and the snowman’s hat, eyes, nose and mouth was made from cardboard, coloured and cut out and stuck onto the cotton wool. Then inside they would put their favourite sweets, all nut free !
Serviette holder were made from kitchen roll tube , cut and decorated.

I still wonder how I used to get through all this with all that needed to be done whilst looking after my dear mum who was unwell and then a few years later I had to look after my dear mum.

Sadly its completely different now that DC are all grown up, and mum and dad no longer here .

We are going to DS’s and DIL this Christmas so there is very little for me to do these days

[Daisy]

Mimi - you sound a bit sad that you can now take it easy over Christmas. You've done all the work for everyone else for years and years, so you've earned your turn to take things a bit easier. And I bet you're there with your Marigolds when needed. xx

[Nanto2girls]

I make my own Christmas cake. I don't like marzipan,so the cakes are left plain.
We eat it with cheese on.
Also make my own mince pies and coconut tarts.
I used to make my own roast potatoes and freeze them.Now i buy Aunt Bessies.
They have to be the ones in duck fat though.
Veg, i always use frozen ones now,unless it's cabbage.
Never made a Christmas pudding. I'm not really fond of it,but hubby likes it.
We bought one from the supermarket today.

[aggie]

Going to my Sons for the day , so no cooking ? Well why is there a large Ham in the fridge ? the makings of stuffing in a bag and I have been making dozens of mince pies today , phone call , you wouldnt have a pudding ? funny enough I pre empted his request lol................ they both work full time this week and only get the day itself off , they are doing the turkey and my sis is doing the veg lol

[Daisy]

Aggie - your post made me smile. It's a good job you know them so well. Mind you, when both adults are working right up to Christmas Eve it's very hard. I do like the sound of dozens of mince pies - you can't have to many in my opinion.