Christmas Dinner

'Funny' how you mention him in your googleathon there...

I think you'll find that you are the one on the right...Here!....

Mention who?

I haven't complained about the weather for days... maybe even weeks. You really need to keep up, Geeky.

I was going to suggest a crown roast but that would be a lot for four people.

Mash garlic, fresh mint, salt, and pepper into a paste and rub it on the roast.

Aubergine is indeed good with lamb but that just sounds very non-Chritmassy to me. I think you want potatoes, onions, carrots, and parsnips parboiled and then roasted in the pan with the lamb. And something green I guess.

I like Beaujolais with lamb. See if you can find a Chiroubles. But I think of lamb as Easter and this may be not so suitable for winter.

Lamb doesn't seem Christmassy to me, at all; it's definitely Easter-ish. I've never had such old lamb either so I am assuming it will be muttony. All i can think of with lamb is aubergines, green beans or broad beans, young spinach, new potatoes etc. I suppose to make it christmassy I'd rather have swede than parsnips, and maybe some dark greens of some sort; or a butter bean puree might be good.

VinnyD

That reads verrrry tempting. We will not be worried about too much meat. Also it is something that we would only cook for a very special celebration.

<blockquote>Quote
<hr>We will be having mint sauce with the lamb<hr></blockquote>

= very english.
And it doesn't go with a good wine, as you have noticed yourself.

Seriously, for such an occasion I would try to match meet, sauce and wine to make an harmoniuous appearance - all three of them together.

I think this is the rule number one for a perfect dinner. Rule number two is that the different courses are matching with each other (see the post of hedonist the other day with 2 cheese courses in a 6course menu - the flaw is in the basic design).

For us the important issues are;
The company
Nobody is to spend all morning preping or cooking nor washing up - fortunately we have two dishwashers.
The quality of the ingrediants.
The wine - we will be drinking loads on Christmas Day - so having lots with the main course is not essential. I take 'matching' point, but for us that is not an important issue. We will probably provide what each guest really likes - so thinking aloud as I write - fine dry sherry, Saphire gin, Old Speckled Hen, Champagne (but this may be consumed at breakfast), a dry white, two reds, Golden Trokiem for aperitif and pudding and a fine Port for the cheese.

We are going for lamb for Christmas as well this year.

It is our alternate year that we should be celebrating in Spain, where we always have lamb for the main course. As we will be here and we will only be cooking for the 2 of us (I usually cook for 15-20 in the years that we are here so its just great only cooking for 2!!) and as neither of us will cry over not having turkey we decided on lamb.

We will have the usual Christmas trimmings with it as I couldn't bear not having stuffing or pigs in blankets or sprouts. OK, its sacriledge but pretty much everything except for the lamb and the roast potatoes will come out of pre-prepared packets from M&S. Ha if I don't even have to take out of the foil container to cook, all the better. The most important thing this year is the Company and no time will be wasted chopping carrots or mixing sprouts and bacon if someone else can do it for us :)

I wish you hadn't mentioned this Ian as it is early November and I am already so excited. Sad, but true.

I would hope that it goes well and that you will prepare the same meal on March 8th 2008?

(You sure#15?)