[Tia Maria]

I asked a Kiwi friend what they would be having for Christmas dinner and they said "Roast Turkey with all the trimmings", turns out they were second generation Scottish.

I quite like the idea of mixing some of the traditional UK foods with traditional Kiwi ones (whatever they may be!).

Just wondered what everyone else will be having, so I can steal some ideas.

Cheers

Tia

[Carol]

We are having a pork roast and a whole beef fillet.....yes - I mean a whole fillet of beef! Never could even afford a fillet STEAK in the UK! :p

I think there are about 15 of us all eating together.... yay! :cheers

[spudulike]

We'll be having lamb shank cooked in red wine, garlic and rosemary!!

Louise :)

[NannyOgg]

Thought I would see how the weather is shaping up a few days before and will either have roast or bbq.

Still cannot believe it is Xmas - really freaking me out with the sun shining actually!

Nanny xxx

[Ana&Steve]

For our last Christmas with the US family, we are picking up Mexican food that just needs to be heated; that way we spend more time hanging out together instead of cooking. We're having Carnitas, Enchiladas, rice and beans, and guacamole, of course! yum...
Ana

[jubjub]

We are having curry... its our tradition from the UK, and we have found a pretty good takeaway down the road, so we can continue this year...

We have bacon butties for brekky, champers, then curry whenever we get peckish (its usually been fetched the day before and is sitting in the fridge!) and then nibbles later on...

[Kim39]

Probably ham, lettuce and tomato sandwich's, as i'll be pulling the milk in so all you guys can have your milk for boxing day:mad:


Kim

[StevieD]

Kim my heart bleeds for you mate, not nice having to work on Xmas day - especially when the family are missing you.

I will be having the full works, pork, beef, turkey and chestnut stuffing, loads of roast potatoes, sprouts, parsnips, peas and a bit of gravy! Should keep the room clear for a few days after that lot!!

The veggies will be having nut roast with the trimmings, and Louisa will probably only eat the usual junk we can manage to get her to eat...

Oh, lest we forget -

http://bestsmileys.com/christmas1/9.gif

[Park City Partner]

Ana, savor that mexican food. Not much to be found here. In fact, I had my mother ship me some tomatillo salsa because I just couldn't get it here and had to have it!

[Nienke]

No idea yet, we got invited by friends to go to their family in Tauranga. Depends what they will be cooking :D

[Ana&Steve]

Ana, savor that mexican food. Not much to be found here. In fact, I had my mother ship me some tomatillo salsa because I just couldn't get it here and had to have it!
Bought a bunch of Mexican cookbooks for the move! :nice1
Just gotta get good at it now....
Ana

[marcia]

We really wanted to have a BBQ on the beach - but everyone laughs at us saying it will be too cold.

The owners of the motel we stayed in have invited us for xmas dinner, which is really kind, think they feel sorry for those waifs and strays who have no family around them, anyway we are going there and then if its a nice day we said we may head down to the beach late afternoon, if not we said possibly on boxing day- we are determined to get to the beach at some point over xmas!!

We went to the Feilding christmas carnival and parade this weekend, was a really sunny day and I was there walking around in a santa hat - felt very surreal!!!!

[Park City Partner]

Ana, the cookbooks will only be good if you can find/get the ingredients...

[Ana&Steve]

:( Yea, I know...I hope NZ has cornmeal. I think I'm SOL on the tomatillos, I'll ask friends to bring them and canned chilies when they visit. I wonder if there is cilantro in NZ? I'll ask on the gardening thread, too.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a full belly! :D
Ana

[jess]

I wonder if there is cilantro in NZ?

Yes there is! And at New World they have pots of live herbs (incl. cilantro usually) for sale for only about $3!!! :D Mine is thriving on the deck and just keeps getting bigger. :D

For our last Christmas with the US family, we are picking up Mexican food that just needs to be heated; that way we spend more time hanging out together instead of cooking. We're having Carnitas, Enchiladas, rice and beans, and guacamole, of course! yum...

I want what you're having!!! :wah (well except the carnitas)

[Ana&Steve]

Yes there is! And at New World they have pots of live herbs (incl. cilantro usually) for sale for only about $3!!! :D Mine is thriving on the deck and just keeps getting bigger.
Thanks jess! Very good news. :)

I want what you're having!!! :wah
I'm sure it will taste awful and you won't want any... :p
Ana

[Moorf]

You can get tomatillos in Moore Wilson.

http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=4573&highlight=tomatillos

[Ana&Steve]

Thanks Moorf! :D
Sorry to hijack this thread, please keep posting Holiday dinner menus!
Ana

[Howie]

Can you get Tofurkey in NZ? If not, there's really not much point in having a Christmas dinner, so I was thinking about spending the day volunteering. Do they have Christmas dinners for the homeless, or something like that? Do they have homeless in Auckland?

[jubjub]

Howie, get in touch with a local Salvation Army office, they will probably be able to make use of you...


http://www.salvationarmy.org.nz/

[Trigirl]

Do they have homeless in Auckland?
We were just wondering this a couple of days ago - about Wellington initially and then about NZ more generally.

Can you get Tofurkey in NZ? If not, there's really not much point in having a Christmas dinner
You are kidding right? I've been absolutely astonished by how gorgeous the fresh food is in NZ but its not worth having christmas dinner if you can't get Tofurky?

[Oregonkiwi]

Do they have Christmas dinners for the homeless
http://www.aucklandcitymission.org.nz/caringxmas.htm

[miep]

We have just made a rough draft of the xmas menu, (I've copied it in here from an email) here goes:

Starters:

Home Smoked Trout
Gazpacho (hoping it will be a warm day:cool: )
Green Salad to go with Trout
Breads.


Mains:


Roast Turkey
Ham
Roast vege’s
Pommes dauphinoise
Green Vege Dish

Deserts:

Meringues
Christmas Pud
Sorbet’s

Suggestions for additional things:
Salads to go with the mains
Some additional starters
Some additional deserts.

Total numbers for dinner: 22 at last count. Thus we’ll also needs chairs and additional eating implements (ie, knives, forks, spoons)

We will all be sharing the cooking, I have a very large oven so I'm on roast vege's among other things. I guess I'll get potatoes, carrots, yams, kumara, fennel bulb, courgettes, aubergine, etc. The last 3 I'll do with lots of garlic and fresh herbs. I'm just not sure on quantities. Anybody ever cooked for 22 people before?

We'll be having it at a friends house just down the road from here, hopefully on the deck but otherwise there's room in the conservatory so I'm really looking forward to it.
We'll probably make a really long table with linen and start eating around 2 in the afternoon.
Most things are traditional kiwi xmas food with a few exceptions like the gazpacho which I guess is an adaptation due to xmas falling in summer.

[jubjub]

If you are stuck for ideas, watch this show later tonight...

http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/488120/462168

[K&CS]

Bummer! Just missed it - I saw it being advertised too, but forgot. How annoying! Watched Nigella last night though - looked yummy, but I doubt that christmas cake was as easy to make as she says!

[Tia Maria]

Sal,

I can't believe I missed it also, I've been a bit slow with the boards this week!

Did anyone see it? What is a Kiwi Christmas dinner?

I think we'll just see what we can get in the shops, someone was saying that Kiwi's are great last minute shoppers so the shops & roads get pretty hectic in the couple of days before. I can't imagine it as I don't think I've seen anywhere busy yet.

I was buying a hamper for someone in the UK and I was looking at Sainsburys and M&S websites, my advice ....don't do it! They had a fabulous selction of ready made Christmas/party food, perfect for the lazy cook like me. Its officialy the first time I've missed UK shops!

Cheers

Tia

[jubjub]

I saw the first ten mins, but the rest is recorded for me to watch later...

It was more about immigrants xmas, and their tradtions, but they were doing kiwi xmas stuff too, will let you know if it was any good when I finish watching it!

Oh, and with regards to xmas rush, I remember a news item from last year, it was filmed on xmas eve I think, down in Welly, it was a Pak n Save, queued back for miles with people with full trolleys... so yup, it would appear large amounts do get bought at the last minute!

[jubjub]

Miep, just read your menu YUMMY, 22 is a lot of people.... I reckon you need at least two turkeys for that lot, and I dont envy peeling a load of kumara!

[Bruckner]

Dinner on Christmas Eve is pernil (roast pork shoulder) and arroz y gandules (rice and pigeon peas). Can't wait!

Emily

[wanderingoregonian]

Howie, I haven't been here long enough to know about your Tofurkey question... but your question made me smile. The day before I flew here a dear childhood friend popped over to share some photo albums, and at one point she pointed to this guy playing frisbee with her dad and mentioned that it was the inventor of you name it Tofurkey. I guess the guy made quite a bit of money with it but remains the same really down to earth guy. have a great holiday!

[jo-and-jeff]

For Thanksgiving I bought a so-called "Honey Ham" for $40. It was awful. The Medallion sliced Shoulder Bacon we get for sandwiches tastes much better than that piece of rubbish did. I was so disappointed.

Does anyone know of a good place to get real, good-tasting, honey hams? Unless I can get a recommendation from someone's personal experience, I won't be doing that again.

Jo

:(

[ruthyroo]

Agree with you on the hams here - sweet, watery, yicky texture. The best ham we have found is from Havoc Pork - happy pigs from a farm in Canterbury. All their meat is excellent (we have tried many of them!) though the bacon sometimes a bit salty for my taste - but at least it tastes like real bacon. We're having a pork belly roast for Christmas Eve dinner yum yum!

I don't know if you'll get a ham in time for Xmas this year... but worth ordering for next year and cooking yourself!

http://www.tasteofwaitaki.co.nz/content/view/42/46/

R

[veronica]

We will be having a big xmas dinner here at the backpackers, about 20 of us. will be having roast chicken breasts, pork, roast potatos, kumara,pumpkin, carrots broccoli and peas, yorkshire puds. for dessert it will christmas pudding custard, cream and brandy butter with icecream and maybe pavlova. this year we have one daughter over from the UK and the other flying in from Auckland for the day. just our foster daughter missing, So will be the first time for a few years most of us will all be in the same place. (ok we will be sharing the day with about 15 + backpackers but who cares the more the merrier)

[Moorf]

Morning - Frish iggs benny with smoked salmon

(insert alcohol here)

Dinner - Leg of lamb slow roasted on bbq with the usual roast pots, kumara, broc from garden, roast parsnips and buttered carrots and some sprouts sauted in bacon for Dad and I :D - Xmas pud, brandy sauce and lots of wine

(insert more alcohol here)

Tea - My usual Nigella coca cola ham or homemade quiche with new pots and salad and Queenie on the TV (6.50pm I believe!).

(even more alcohol here)

[Carol]

Hellooooooo Moorf!!!!!!
:clap

Remind me again of the Coca Cola ham?

[Angelonthemove]

Wow all your menus sound great, although most of the things I will have to google now to see what they are....... Tofurkey :confused:

Moof I can't believe after all that lunch you will be able to eat a tea as well with the Queen

We are being boring as there is just the 2 of us, we are having a roast chicken with those yummy ready made frozen birds eye 'oven roast' with the garlic herbs on, expensive but we always end up eating all of them. I sure they are meant for 4 people. Plus the ususal veggies and stuffing. Would have had sausages in blankets but can't seem to find little sausages anywhere?? Mind you I always forget to put them on the plate anyway and find them in the oven later. :laugh
Plus loads of bubbly and more wine and then port and then more wine. :cheers

Hope you all have a lovely time and get through to your loved ones back home, can't wait to see how many are logged onto Skype

[Moorf]

http://www.stylenetwork.com/Shows/Nigella/Recipes/hamincoke.html

There you are hon :nice1

[Melza7]

Hi
Cooking mum breakfast, ummm very kiwi, bacon, eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms... not very Christ'masy but that is what she wants!
Partner's for lunch, I am making creamy pasta salad - once again not Christ'masy
Then dad's for BBQ, once again not very Christ'masy!
Merry Christmas everyone!

[Melza7]

Moorf, sent u a PM

Oh my god can I PLEASE come to your place for lunch, YUM, sounds very tasty and all that alcohol too, ha ha, YUM! Have a good one!

[Tia Maria]

Angelonthemove said:

Would have had sausages in blankets but can't seem to find little sausages anywhere??

We were searching for little sauseges yesterday also - we wrap them in streaky bacon. All we could find were those little cheerio things. So we opted to buy chipolatas, they seem to call them breakfast sausages here, a bit bigger but I'm sure I'll find room in my tummy.

Cheers

Tia