It has, for the longest time, been my dream to win a meat tray at an RSL. Sadly that has never eventuated as I have only visited an RSL club a few times. The last time I went with friends Gina and Hot Dog, they were simply giving out single pack trays like the kind you get at the supermarket. That wouldn’t do, I wanted a big monster of a tray that I could barely lift. And when I spoke to a friend she also revealed that this was one of her dreams too. Are there hundreds or thousands of you out there similarly lusting after such a tray? I hope so! Because the kind people at Haverick’s direct are giving away a $150 voucher to a lucky Not Quite Nigella reader!
They are one of Australia’s largest meat wholesalers and once a week on a Saturday they open up their enormous supply to the public. You can buy free range pork, wagyu beef, lamb, aged Angus beef or… if you’re daring, you could buy some Tomahawk steaks!
For a chance to win this $150 gift voucher, all you have to do is tell me which is your favourite meat for Christmas. Is it chicken, pork, duck, beef, lamb or something else? Simply add your answer as a comment to the story. The competition ends at Midnight AEST 19th December, 2010 just in time for your to make your Christmas truly special. You can enter this once daily. This competition is open to anyone in Australia that can pick up the meat from the Banksmeadow location!
***The lucky winner is: Linda F. of Sydney!***
Best of luck!
Love,
Lorraine
xxx
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Why, Turkey of course! There is nothing better than leftover turkey sandwiches. Start with fresh, white bread. Slather a generous amount of leftover gravy (made from roux) on one side, and cranberry sauce on the other. Pile on sliced turkey, roast potatoes, pumpkin and onions, add a sprinkle of salt and pepper. It’s even better if you let all the ingredients get to room temp or apply a teeny bit of heat.
Mmmmmmmmmm.
OMG! How great of them to open it up one day a week like that to the public. Ahh, if only I could get you to mail me a tomahawk chop or two! LOL
Pork, definitely pork. And for Christmas there has to be extra crackling too! This year we are thinking about doing a side of bacon, ala Karen Martini for something a little different.
Favourite Christmas meat. Tradition tells me that I should like Turkey and my childhood Christmas memories are of waking up to Mum and Dad arguing over how heavy the turkey is and how they should have risen earlier because it is too big and it won’t be cooked in time. Then the wonderful smell of it roasting with lemon and parsley stuffing. Ham is also a traditional christmas meat, but several years ago I gave up eating pork and discovered Smoked Lamb. MMMMmmmm. I have to say, Smoked Lamb is my favourite christmas meat and part of the joy is the Boxing Day tradition of a big greasy ‘ham’ & eggs fryup for breakfast.
I love having a cold ham leg on a hot summer Christmas day but we cant let Christmas pass without a leg of roast lamb too
I won an RSL meat tray while on holidays with a group of friends many years ago. It was perfect!! But this meat tray sounds better… On Christmas Day we have cold meat, including prawns, chicken, and ham. Prawns are my favourite.
Christmas is not Christmas without a ham. Has to be a leg (none of this shoulder stuff!) and not a baked one either.
Hi Lorraine,
I can’t pick up the meat but I’d just like to say that my favourite meat is fish. I love them fresh and steamed, cooked with ginger, garlic and served with corriander. Raw salmon is also my favourite, I love the freshness and texture, just like ham (from the ocean)
Cheers,
Melly
I love having the ham. Not sure why I love it especially seeing as I usually have ham on sandwiches all the time anyways. But I think it’s because it’s Christmas is the only time I make the time to score it, marinade it in orange marmalade, brown sugar and dijon mustard then cook it in the oven for a few hours with the orange mustard smell wafting through the house
5 weeks to Christmas!!
My grandpa had the best luck when it came to winning meat trays. He would always come home with at least one anytime he went to the RSL club
I don’t know how he did it.
My favourite christmas meat is ham! Fresh smokey leg ham off the bone is what we’ve always had, which is perfect because I can’t stand cooked/glazed hams.
I know my family would love all of the other meats at Haverick’s.
My favorite meat just has to be beef
When it comes to Christmas it can’t be beat
whether stuffed & rolled as some say it should
or roasted, perhaps slow cooked, served with yorkshire pud
With crispy potatoes & lashings of gravy
for me it has to be beef…there is no maybe!
Beef is the one! Especially after looking at your alluring photos of beef pieces at haverick ….
It’s all about pork for me. A nice big, slow roasted shoulder of free range pork should be on every Christmas table.
Turkey is a cheap meat for everyday eating and ham is what goes on sandwiches. They simply aren’t Christmas foods.
Duck. I’m doing Christmas this year for my family and want to create some new traditions.
I’m usually skipping off to the Woodford festival at this time of year where Christmas is a cold bevvy under the moon and stars with new or old friends for company. I’ve decided to miss one and treat the family!
All of the above – a TurDucken!
A turkey stuffed with a duck stuffed with a chicken.
If something is good, 3 times something must be great!!!
Hmmmm, let’s see now…2 months ago I would have said Pork, definitely Pork. Then I tried Mr N. Perry’s recipe for Turkey with a ricotta and spinach stuffing. The stuffing goes under the skin; the 7 kg turkey is cooked in around 2 hours, and is moist, succulent, delicious, moreish, and I could go on and on…..Turkey it is!
Lamb Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm need I say more, they may look pretty and say BAR, BAR. But I will always have lamb on my fork.
Real ham warmed initially for Christmas lunch then for sandwiches and fried rice for the next week. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it
Ah, it has to be pork encrusted with a crisp shell of crackling! I get excited each year though, to see the new and exciting salads and sides each family members bring on the day. You never know what little gem of a dish you may discover. I then have to plead for the new recipe!
I would have to say there is nothing better than a perfectly roasted and stuffed loin of pork! Add some home made gravy made from the pan drippings, well roasted vegetables and a spicy apple relish and its mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm time!
A lovely tender roast pork belly for me! YUM!
I’m not normally a pork person but for xmas it’s fabulous.
Ham, definitely ham! We have a traditional ‘cutting of the ham’ ceremony and the kids all stand around the table and get to sample the first slice. Lots of Mmmms and nom nom nom sounds. Then its the weeks of leftover treats like ham quiche and ham on toast in the mornings. Ham is Christmas and holidays! Definitely the ham.
I really love pork at Christmas, but I’ve just decided to stop eating pork unless it’s free range – I don’t like the idea of eating sad piggies. I like that Havericks has free range pork as it’s proving hard to find.
It has to be duck. Succulent, crispy-skinned and with chestnut stuffing.
Hi Lorraine,
We love having suckling pig on the spit for Christmas, nothing like it, although we would love to give those tomahawks a try. Merry Christmas, Kellie
Nigella Lawson’s Ham in Coca-Cola is how I know it’s Christmas.
A friend makes it every year (and the accompanying corn pudding) and, ooh baby, how it gets scoffled.
Dammit! Now I really can’t wait.
Getting to hot in w.a. for anything roasted, so cold seafood, with lashings of salads, me, know never won a tray of meat either, but good luck to those that do.
I love a christmas ham that goes on for days until you can’t eat it anymore….. Until next year!
What a delicious prize! My favourite meat for Chrissy would have to be duck, so luxurious and it reminds me of the Christmas we spent in Denmark!
Meat Tray envy I have it!!! I swear some little clubs are rigged for the regulars!!!
Turkey Buffe-the biggest one you can get-all meat,only ever have it Xmas day. Those frozen things in cardboard boxes just dont cut the mustard!!!
Turkey is our favorite with apple breadcrumbs and orange juice stuffing,just lovely.
it has to be slow roasted goose. there is noting better.
Duck is my favourite type of meat any time of the year, but you can’t go past ham off the bone at christmas time. It’s up there with the smell of mangos and pine trees for bringing back happy childhood Christmas memories!
I like ham – baked to a crispy, salty outer. The Coke ham is pretty spesh too!
From Haverick’s Direct,
Christmas Goose I select,
For my large family feast
It will be a gorgeous treat.
All the family from grandma to me
Will love the taste and smile with glee.
My favorite meat at christmas is definitely turkey, because I tend not to eat it during the year much, so Christmas time makes it extra special
For me it is not Christmas without roast pork! There also has to be a fight over the crackling and a lie down after the meal
My favourite meat at Christmas would have to be pork. Namely because I love the way my Mother makes it. Mum makes a stuffed loin of pork with a delicious apricot and nut stuffing and it is always served with a prune gravy. I know the prune gravy sounds weird, but strangely enough it actually tastes fantastic with the pork. Great post Lorraine.
Roast goose, there’s nothing better, so much better than a turkey!
Christmas is a full meat festival in our families Christmas, we have bacon and eggs and sausages in the morning and turkey, chicken, pork and ham in the evening…oh and yes we all roll home full of nana’s Christmas pudding….and boxing day you vant move lol
Pork. Roast with super-crisp crackling, and a pickled hand of pork with sauerkraut…two totally different taste and texture experiences.
We buy a truly huge leg of ham and it sits in the fridge subtly scenting everything with it’s smokey mystique. We don’t touch it until Christmas lunch when we have it cold. For the rest of January we eat it fried, baked, in sandwiches, etc etc, but our favourite sauce for it is good old SPC spicy plum sauce. Yummo…
Christmas just isn’t Christmas without that lovely glazed leg of ham. Is is so delicious you just have sneak a bit every time you open the fridge for the next two weeks!!! I glaze mine with a macadamia lime glaze – I’[m drooling just thinking about it.
The other meat of choice is of course the leg of pork – love that crackling!!
Would be tempted to try a new tradition though – those tomahawks look good!!!
turducken. mmm mmm
Whilst I purchace ham and turkey throughout the year xmas is the only time I buy a whole turkey or ham leg. My ex mum-in-law taught me to bake the ham again with trimmings. mmmmh, roll on xmas. Jane
Our family loves animal protein of all kinds – very carnivorous people – we could definately to a Havericks Direct pack of Tomohawk Steaks justice (and then some).
At Christmas time its mum’s glazed whole ham on the bone. She uses some terribly complex recipe for the glaze that came from Gourmet Traveller and has pomegranite and other hideously expensive (but delicious) ingredients in it. Family members fight over who is going to take the leftovers home, so it “won’t go to waste” (‘cos that would be a terrible pity and like that’s goind to happen!)
But I digress, I really need NQN TO THE RESCUE. Its all stations panic mode at my place this week as my partner’s boss and her hubby are coming to dinner next Saturday night, and they are, SHOCK, HORROR, Vegetarians (no chicken or fish either but eggs and cheese are ok).
I am at a TOTAL LOSS as to what to serve them, NQN can you please take pity on me and lob some tasty, dinner party vegetarian recipes my way???
Being animal protein lovers in this household all my recipes are for lamb shanks, baked snapper, etc. Even my Japanese dishes, which you would think would be perfect for veggo’s, have “Dashi” (fish stock)in them.
Help me NQN, You are my only hope….
while having to select just one favorite xmas protein seems cruel, I too have to go with the Turkey. having no idea people in Aus even ate Turkey at all, let alone at xmas (despite being born and raised here) it wasn’t until I met my partner that I was introduced to it and have not looked back! we hosted xmas for the first time at our place for both are families two years ago and made our own roast turkey, it was great! however by lunch time my partner was looking upon it such pride you’d think it was his first born child!
A very close second is the Nigella Coca-cola ham, since I told mum about this she makes its constantly (year round) and its fab!
We’ve had the whole gamut of Christmas meals over the years, but one thing my family never did was a baked ham. I had a glazed ham for the first time when I first had Christmas with my husband’s family a couple of years ago, and it’s now become our own little traditional. With my family we still have seafood for lunch on Christmas day, and a roast leg of pork for dinner on Boxing Day, but when we have people to our little apartment around Christmas time it is now traditional that we bake a ham. Maybe I love it since it is relatively new to me. I use a mustard and orange juice glaze and get my ham from a South Coast butcher who smokes them himself. YUM. Don’t get me started on the joys of ham & eggs on the barbecue the next day…!
Would definitely like to be entered in the Havericks comp – I have a husband and brother in law who would make light work of one of those tomahawk steaks…
Italian style Porchetta. A lovely juicy loin of pork generously dusted with crushed green pepper, salt, fennel seeds and garlic and cooked over coals till crackly and brown on the outside and tender on the inside. Perfect for christmas sandwich leftovers on fresh sourdough with cherry relish..mmmmmm!!
Turkey! I can’t believe you forgot turkey. Definitely my favourite, especially with cranberry sauce
Definitely turkey!!!
On Christmas Eve my mum always makes an amazing turkey for the whole family with many different sides – its always delicious!!
Then on Boxing Day she makes a second smaller secret turkey just for her, my brother and I and we have our own little celebration and enjoy leftovers for most of the next week… it’s our little tradition and I love it!
I adore duck on most occasions but I’d have to say that Christmas without ham just isn’t “on”. We’ve had dogs “borrow” the pillow case holding the precious food and chased them around the yard, claiming later that it was only the pillow case they touched [well, there weren't any teeth marks on the ham] and so we didn’t have to forgo the luscious feast and on another occasion a friend cooked it “Irish” style and none of us were game to drive home afterwards.
The Crackling and Crispy Bits (of any meat). It’s the one time of year when you feel it’s ok to do so and wallow in the pleasure. smile.
Definitely pork for me! Nothing beat pork slow roasted over spit for a good ol’ summer Chrissie with loved ones.
Not to mention the never ending thing to create with the leftovers!!
Love al things that my mum cook yum yum but crackling is the best
This is an amazing give away!
My favourite meat ofr Christmas is goose, my grandmother makes it every year and it always tastes so delicious. Turkey I always find tastes a bit bland. Another thing we have every year is marmalade glazed ham, its soo good.
Thanks for the comment by the way!
Ham is the only meat for Christmas breakfast – served with eggs and champagne of course. Late lunch is turkey, pork with cold seafood as entree.
A big leg of ham in a vinigared pillowcase in the fridge = Christmas for me!
I dont like ham hot, big plates of thick slices of ham (with heaps of varieties of mustards, pickles and chutneys on the table) and heaps of different salads is my fave Christmas lunch.
And prawns of course, loads of prawns!!
Then boxing day breakfast is a ham and potato salad sandwich, yum yum!
Chicken-I love the versatility of chicken. You can have it in a rolled roast filled with herb filling or a garlic sauce. Mmnn!!! Or a roast chicken rubbed with spices. Or for an aussie xmas chicken skewers or fillet grilled on the barbie
Roast lamb! Christmas just isn’t right without lamb and mint jelly.
Even in the summer heat of Australia, a roast lamb on Christmas day still reigns supreme.
MEAT TRAY?!!? yes pls! im the type that likes to go grocery shopping then sit on the kit floor with all the stuff surrounding me…. might sound weird but that makes me feel good XD
anyways… my favourite meat for christmas ( or any other time) has to be lamb cutlets. its so versitle, rosemary crusted, teriyaki, red wine and onions and the list goes on… nomnom
ooh, fresh scampi on the BBQ! Smoked salmon, oysters… *drool*
For years we’d been doing stuffed turkey from AC’s butchers but last year changed to duck. Duck is so easy, full of flavour whatever you do with it and turkey – well, just isn’t!
My favourite would be a rolled turkey breast. I love that easy carve meat, and the taste of turkey is closely related in my brain to Christmas. That comes from my side of the family….
The husband’s side of the family its pork, but then they do pork throughout the year too. But the crackling is awesome, when FIL does it on the BBQ (wish he would pass on the secret, or the special touch, to my husband)!
it would have to be pork…..
i never get sick of ham even after 1 month of daily left over bits, though roasted turkey comes a close second its something you really only eat once a year
Gobble gobble toil and trouble – I love TURKEY!
I would love a big fat crispy honey glazed pork leg that’s juicy soft on the inside. Perfect with some apple sauce.
Roast Pork with copious amounts of crackling, smothered with apple sauce! Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without pork!
I love my Mum’s glazed ham more than anything else and now that I live in a different country I have started making it myself to create our own family tradition. The best bit, I even make the apricot jam to glaze it with!
Pork. Nothing beats roast belly pork with crackling. The best.
Aaaahhh!! I really, really wish I live in NSW right now!!
I have always wanted to have a go at cooking a goose for Christmas. Free range turkey is my favourite though.
I love turkey with all the trimmings, cranberries,stuffing,gravy. I know I can eat it any time of the year but it is not the same as eating it on Christmas Day and eating until you are stuffed
It would have to be roast pork with crispy crackling. I’ve just managed to perfect the crackling on the BBQ and the smokey flavour it gets has all the family asking for more. The other bonus to cooking a roast on the BBQ is I don’t have to clean the oven anywhere near as much!
Turkey, its got something for everyone,and one turkey goes a long and delicous way!
Oh woweee, a meat tray. Love a good meat tray. My favourite meat this year is ham & duck,and if I won the meat tray I’d be your best friend 4eva
In our multicultural extended family ( Italian, Indian, Greek, Australian )we opt for the traditional Roast turkey and trimmings plus a large ham leg on the bone. This year we have family coming from India and USA, so it’s even more special. However, it doesn’t stop there we also have the freshest of seafood, Indian curries, Lasagna and all the side dishes, all washed down with the best French Vintage Rose Nectar Champagne, so much food that the tables are groaning from the weight. Then it all gets cleared away and a huge tropical fruit platter and Christmas sweets fill the table. Jingle Bells, jingle bells
Most amazing Christmas ever..
from mother in law in UK
Start with
Truffle wrap in
Boned Quail next
Boned Pigeon next
Pheasant then
Duck and last of all
Chicken
All those layers and flavours…yum, yum Oh and dont forget the roast potatoes in Duck Fat…!!!!
Sadly I can’t enter this comp, but I was lucky enough(?) to win a meat tray at the North Sydney Leagues Club in Cammeray back in 1991. I was a relatively poor young thing back then and it was a welcome treat. The Jack Daniels was cheap too
Why Pork- with all the trimmings – and magnificent crackling- oh the smells and taste of Christmas!
Christmas bringsd memories of mums Duck a l’orange we never seem to eat enough duck but yes at christmas.
Well, there’s really nothing in comparison to a beautiful honey-glazed ham sitting on a glistening white platter. Any other meat just doesn’t have that shock and wow factor.
It has to be lamb….. It’s my favourite every day of the year…. Is it any wonder I married a Greek…!
i love christmas ham. my dad and i stand in the kitchen with the electric knife shaving slice after slice and dip it in nana’s green pickles before gobbling it all up!
Most definitely lamb! A very Australian meat.
I too have harboured a dream to take home a huge meat tray. I once won the lunch cooked at the Gas Co. cooking class that I went to aged 10, all by myself on a Saturday morning. My dad was so proud of me that, when I saw a meat raffle at an RSL some eight years later, I knew I would be “favourite child” if I could bring THAT home. For Christmas, he cooked two ducks which he had fattened and cared for, so duck holds a special place on our Christmas table.
Turkey wins hands down. Even those few times when I have been lucky enough to go out for Christmas lunch at a five star hotel and the choice has been something like reef fish, with lobster and scampi OR traditional roast turkey and vegetables… I just can’t do it! Christmas is about turkey (and ham off the bone, but to a lesser extent)! You have to have turkey, and these days I opt for free range ‘happy’ bird, cover it with bacon rinds to keep it moist and stuff it with bacon, onion, herb, bread and melted butter stuffing… a simple tradition that can’t be beaten. Looking forward to instilling this tradition with my one year old this Christmas!
Christmas just isn’t Christmas without turkey. I always think I shoud buy it at other times of the year but never do. It’s worth the wait though.
definately a turkey buffe, taken off the bone and rolled into 2 ballotines, stuffed with pistachio and bacon stuffing, then some thin slices of pancetta to wrap around it. yum. much faster to cook than a whole bird too
A garlicky, lemony lamb shoulder with loads of black pepper and pink salt served with smashed potatoes and a roasted pumpkin and feta salad (with the feta baked too, or course). All with lots of crunchy bits that need to be prised from the pan by the cook’s fingers and taste tested before serving. Bliss ..
My favourite Christmas meat would have to be GOOSE! The Best Christmas lunch I ever had was roast goose with duck fat potatoes, brussel sprouts with chestnuts and bacon and the best Christmas pudding with proper custard. So lovely I had to lie down for an hour afterwards to recover.
Its a hard descision, love them all, but would have to be hoey glazed ham. Just gorgeous. Its a little extra special also because I dont eat it regularly. Yummo!
Considering I have the worlds pickiest husband who won’t eat turkey or ham (but prosciutto and jamon he loves – go figure!) a new tradition in my family has become a “mixed roast” to keep everyone happy we have turkey for my dad, ham for my brother, lamb for my husband, prawns for my sister in law and beef for, well, I’m not sure who! The only problem is for the others in the family (like me) who eat everything … Even just a little of each and that’s enough for a Christmas afternoon food coma!
A man of simple pleasures – Roast pork with crunchy, crunchy crackling and lashings of apple sauce. Oh, and all the vegies as well!
Oooh. Roast pork is my favourite – mum makes it fatty with consistently crunchy crackling. Yum yum.
Ham is my favorite all around meat, hmm salty, savory goodness. Duck is my favorite “rare” meat since I don’t have it that often.
Every year as a family we get together on Christmas day and have a big feast which involves a turkey and a leg of ham. We have to get rather creative with the ham as it lasts ages and you start to get a bit sick of it – my favourite variation is grilling it so it turns a bit like bacon.
Christmas dinner for my family always has to be pork. Nice and juicy with lots of shards of well blistered crackling! Mum makes home made apple sauce to accompany it, and I make the crunchy roasted vegies and steamed peas. Why is it in Australia, one of the hottest places, we (well my family anyway!)love a hot roast on Christmas day. So long as the air con is on and i have a prime position, all is good!
my favourite xmas meat has to be a glazed ham … always looks so spectacular i tie mine with a festive ribbon …….and i try a new recipe every year …this year i think i am steering towrds a ginger orange marmalade one …wish me luck … my mum though loves pork belly roast … so do i really but last xmas i gave that little fat piggy more attention than my own kids hahahahaha…. no glazed ham it is Lorraine
I must say that I really enjoy ham on the bone. My Grandmother always made a scone dough & wrapped the ham in it & then baked it, ahh! the aroma & taste!
My favourite would have to be Ham…my Dad always cooked the ham it was the one day of the year that Dad took over the kitchen Dad has been gone 6 years now and to this day every xmas I think of him as I carry on the tradition taking his place! Xmas isn’t Xmas without Ham!
Love Rozzie Kaye
I love a meat tray. I just love meat full stop. We stopped having meat at christmas years ago (too hot) but I must say I love me some Christmas ham. It reminds me of holidays at the beach with my grandparents and the ham in fridge wrapped in a tea towel!
This year I think I will have a crack at some beautiful roast pork with lots of crackling.
The $150 would be sure to go to a very very good home!
I have to say lamb. Even though it is not traditionally Christmas- there is nothing that beats a Roast lamb with some good rosemary and Garlic to season. Yum!
Christmas Ham! Soooo delicious and I know I could have it any time during the year but I don’t because it’s more exciting to have in December!
Christmas is not Christmas without champagne roasted ham. The secret to a moist & succulent, sweet yet salty treat is to start with a good quality ham and leave some of the fat on it. Score the fat, dot with cloves. But here is the true secret – place on a rack in a baking tray, completely cover the ham with brown sugar and then drizzle with plenty of honey. Mix equal parts of Champagne & fresh orange juice. Pour a glass for yourself and pour the rest over the ham (be generous). Bake at 150 degrees C for 30 minutes per kilo. BASTE with pan juices every 10-15 minutes. Yum!
It has traditionally been a toss up between ham and/or turkey. But this year we’re thinking RIBS, pork and/or beef, with a side of jellyfish salad, potato and pasta salad (with ham) and maybe some steamed greens.
This please… This place looks amazing! I’d say my favorite Christmas meat is pork roast complete with grandma’s crackling! Yummo!
Lovely Pork of course!
My favourite christmas meat would have to be a ham glazed with marmalade. Sweet and salty all at once.
Christmas Ham! I think Ham and salads are the best thing for an australian christmas. Easy to put together so no slaving away over a hot stove, just the kinda stuff you feel like when its hot and sticky outside, and leaves you feeling light not heavy and groggy… i leave that to the eggnog! ;- )
Pork, a huge shoulder of pork, slow roasted for my “pulled pork”. Drooling now, thinking about it and the gorgeous crackling it produces. I die.
Being South American, we celebrate on Christmas Eve – We have a feast. We eat beef ribs called asado cooked on a grill with coals called la parrilla along with South American style chorizos. Ohh yummmmm. We add this beautiful vinaigrette called chimichurri which is made up of garlic, parsley and spices. It is so delicious with the meat. Then we also eat a rolled meat with veges in it called, matambre and you can add mayo or an aioli and you have the most perfect sandwich. I’m going to stop now, too hungry for words thinking about it.
Pork all the way for me! There is nothing better than a gorgeous roast leg of pork with tonnes of crackling (sometimes I have to do 2 legs just so there’s enough crackling to go around and there’s no family fights on Christmas Day)! Team the pork with some yummy roast potatoes, pumpkin, greens and smother it all in gravy and I’m a happy woman! Oh, and some apple sauce doesn’t go astray either!
We all face the the omnivore’s dilemma every day: what to have for dinner? In my family’s case at Christmas we face the Carnivore’s Dilemma – how many different meats can we possibly cook and eat in one meal? We never have less than three meats, in the past having duck, goose, chicken, pork with crackling, ham, beef, turkey, lamb … Last years king sized beef wellington was to die for with a succulent piece of beef fillet, and the prior year’s venison was the perfect mix of tender meat with strong gamey flavour. But the standout is always the ham – baked, studded with cloves, glazed with seasonal fruit syrups. Mmm Christmas, the meat-lovers favourite time of year!
We have a little of a lot of things, Ham, Turkey, Pork and Chicken, if its a hot day (usually) we serve the meats cold with lashings of salads, fruits and usually a lovely pavlova with mango or mixed berries
Hmm, I like seafood but my hubs and kids are big meat eaters and they LOVE pork with crackly crackling and stuffed with nuts and citrus and served with redcurrant jelly.
Turkey of course. It has to be turkey with my super special secret recipe stuffing.
OMG.
Yum.
I do love a good honey glazed ham. Its great on the day with all the trimmings, but best of all it lasts a few days after, in your potato salad, grilled sandwiches, fried rice and gumbo. Oh and the bone makes such a lovely stock for a post christmas minestrone.
Traditions aside, I have always wondered about the “Turducken” – the chicken in a duck in a turkey. Is it too much of a good thing? Perhaps I shall endeavor to make one this year
My favourite meat is my Nan’s pickled pork – I’m not even sure how she lifts the hunk of meat she seems to source each year but by whatever magic, its always there and its always delicious!
Ham, magical ham, wonderful ham, marvellous ham, fabulous ham, glorious ham! And to think if there are left overs, it can be made into sandwiches, a quiche, an omelette or just a nibble. Gotta be ham.
Turkey! Always turkey! Not least because my husband makes an amzing turkey risotto on Boxing Day
Roast Chicken with grandma’s secret recipe Hungarian stuffing under the skin of the breast.
I can’t wait to make Mum’s apricot jam glazed ham for our Christmas Eve dinner!
Xmas is not complete without roast pork and mum’s crackling!
(ps. went to Haverick’s for the first time this morning – loved it!)
Whilst we always have a few types of meat being served, my absolutely favourite is pork! … each year I am in charge of cooking the pork for both family gatherings (Christmas and Boxing Day are alternated between both sides of the family) and I have after trying several different recipes over the last few years cooked pork belly (over a 2 day period) so it ends up so succulant & juicy and with crackling that shatters when you bite into it …
I’ve been told that if I arrive at either gathering without the pork I may as well turn around and head back home – they are joking of course (well at least I HOPE they are joking!
Gotta be a nice butterflied leg of lamb cooked on a hot barbie. Marinated with plenty of garlic and rosemary, olives, lemon juice and zest, olive oil, white wine, salt, pepper. Cooked on a hot barbie for around 5-7 min each side for nice slightly charred outside and beautifully pink and juicy on the inside. The perfect xmas lunch…
Pork by the mouthful – hot or cold is such a sizzling experience, especially with my delightful Mother-in-law’s special spices and condiments mix as a glaze—yummo!!
Something else = lobster, cold prawns and dozens of oysters!
Ooooohhh, stuffed loin of pork, roasted the night before and served cold!
My favourite Christmas Day meat is BBQ smoked duck. Any leftover is made into duck and raspberry salad for Boxing Day.
Lucky me – I have just discovered Haverick Direct too, but more specifically their pork… It is out of this world. Boneless loin roast stuffed with their Serrano Jamon, lemon thyme, sage, garlic, shredded apple and butter – rolled, tied, roasted… OMG! Merry Christmas crackling everybody!
Definately beef, nothing better than a rib eye roast with chunky roast vegies and mums homestlye peas, just delicious.
the crackling on suckling pork belly…
Christmas has to include my favourite juicy roast pork with fantastic crunchy crackling, apple sauce and a dash of hot English mustard – some lightly roasted or grilled pineapple also goes well. What I wouldn’t do for a meat tray.
Ham; there are many that can be created using any leftovers.
Nothing spells Christmas for me than a dry-aged Bone-in Rib Eye Roast. Served with simple au jus, seeded mustard and horseradish and roast veg.
It just wouldn’t be Christmas without waking up early to commence the days preparations and starting off with Ham sliced freshly off the bone on thick hot toast with 333 Sweet Mustard Pickles. This really is Christmas to me and always was for my Nan too.
When our family ‘meat’ for Christmas we all love to enjoy a delicious leg of ham.
At Christmas when I’m famished,
It’s for ham I wish!
Rib eye fillet on the webber, has to be the webber for the flavour of the coals.
I know I’ve already said it, but I really want this meat, so I’ll say it again :p ….
Pork, a huge shoulder of pork, slow roasted for my “pulled pork”. Drooling now, thinking about it and the gorgeous crackling it produces. I die.
Usually I’m a tickler for ribs and it’s hard to beat a drumstick but when it comes to Christmas lunch nothing compares to a delicious roasted leg of ham. Best of all it’s followed by cold ham on Boxing Day!
I’m a non-tradionalist …. The centre piece of my Christmas lunch is a chicken … not just any chicken. I stuff the skin with a coriander, chilli and coconut paste and the cavity with garlic and limes. While it’s cooking, I make a Thai green curry sauce. To top it all off I serve it with tamarind roast vegetables.
Chicken – so versatile!
Here’s my vote for today – Ham, ham, ham. Mmmmm!
Not sure if this counts as a meat, but i must say the best of all time has got to be lobster. Lobster yee mein (lobster noodles) is so scrumptious. This Asian dish has the lobster so soft that it melts in your mouth,and the noodles are enriched by the all the juices of the lobster. I know this really doesn’t have anything to do with the butcher’s shop, but i just had to share this wonderful dish.
Every year I strive to get the best crackling which by now at the ripe age of 29 I must say I’m doing pretty well and this year i’m ready to “give it another crack” lol. Obviously my pick is hands down pork, closely followed by cold ham strait off the bone. Merry Christmas
My boyfriend! We get lots of time together around Xmas time.
All I want for Christmas is a nice roast ham!
We have a tradition of making garlic prawns on the BBQ as an entree before the main. It’s the only time of the year we do it.
Yeah I back again today as well and still looking forward to some nice juicy ham for Christmas! Would love to win a meat tray for a very merry Christmas
My favourite meat to eat at Christmas would be Turkey. I love the texture of turkey and because it is eaten by practically everyone it just raises my Christmas Spirit when i eat it. With my $150 i would buy 3 different meats. Turkey, Chicken and Duck. I haven’t tried it yet but I would like to make myself Turducken (De-boned chicken stuffed in de-boned duck stuffed in Turkey.) I saw this meal on Poh’s Kitchen and i straightaway wanted to try it.
Thanks Lorraine. Oh and Masterchef Live was AWESOME! thanks for the tickets!
Tradition says Turkey or Ham but I have to say that my favourite meat for Xmas would be Beef. I love beef in all its medium rare splendour when done in a good roast. there’s nothing better than to have a good roast even if it’s Xmas with all the roast vegies that soak up the meaty juices that brings a good family and friends meal. my mum rubs the beef in 2 types or mustard and herbs and gives it a good roast….I can never get tired of it.
roast pork ribs dripping in honey
I love to stick with tradition so ham it is. The family loves having it warm on Christmas day then leftovers cold from then on.
Duck, but it has to be 2.5kg or more, stuffed and cooked slowly with orange slices and rosemary.
definately turkey with cranberry sauce but i always add ham and pork on the day as well
Ham; there are many meals that can be created using any leftovers.
Duck…Yummy! Duck Confit or Orange duck. I just love it!
Lamb is my favourite meat, however I can’t resist a Australian beef Eye fillet. Simply delicious.
Our family is a melting pot of cultures Dutch,English,Chinese,French,Scottish.We always have everyones favourites as it remindes us of our loved ones who are not with us any longer and carries the traditon on to he next generation
Our christmas meal is a marathon of meats Chinese roasted duck,Dutch veal Croquettes, Trukey with giblet gravy (best toasted turkey and gravy sandwiches the next day)English rare roast beef,roast pork,chicken liver Terrine,glaced ham and of course seafood .We love it all.
Eye fillet of beef on the barbeque griddle, crisp on the outside, tender and pink in the middle.
A large ham on the bone, and all our family agree, especially on a budget, when you have lots of mouths to feed.
My favorite is Ham on the bone. I swear I could sit in a corner and eat the whole ham myself.
I love a leg of pork, slow roasted on our Webber, crunchy crackling, tender meat, Christmas couldn’t get much better.
All meat my favorite at christmas as long as someone else washes the damn dishes!
I still love a Christmas ham but I’m also partial to some nice moist roast chicken. It’s Christmas why not have it all!
Roasted rolled loin of pork with crispy crackling served with freshly made apple sauce,gravy,roasted vegetables and broccoli and cauliflower with a creamy cheese sauce. It’s a family tradition that we all adore.I can almost here it sizzling as it’s taken from the oven now!
My favourite is ham off the bone. I have so many happy memories of eating ham off the bone with thick wedges of fresh bread covered with a smattering of good quality Australian butter. This is always well received on a sweltering hot Aussie summer’s day. I don’t eat much ham during the year because the usual sliced packet ham doesn’t quite ‘cut it’ for me. Fresh food is always the best food to eat. I’d rather wait until December ‘to get me a ham’!
The roast pork! You can’t deny it, once that leg of pork is lifted from the oven, the whole family turns and says,”Awh, that smells sooo good”. Everyone is salivating and squabbling over the choicest pieces of crackling. No amount of homemade gravy and apple sauce is ever enough. The pork juices stick to your lips and chin for hours on end. Boxing Day bubble and squeak is delectable with roast pork in the mix.
Our favourite every Christmas is roast Turkey and glazed ham off the bone. This is the firm favourite of our two girls and now for their children as well. Then on Boxing Day it’s leftover turkey & ham sambos in front of telly while we watch the Boxing Day Test and the start of the Sydney-Hobart.
Mine is BBQ Chicken from the local chicken shop in Croydon! (I like to relax!) I have it on my table for Christmas & also shred it & put it my vietnamese rice paper rolls. I also MUST have smoked salmon!
i would like to win meat for my close friend and her family cause she has no money i would just like to make her happy soe how… i think this would be the best ever gift for her.and me…
A meat tray would be fantastic for Christmas and make life a whole lot easier. I’d just be hoping it includes some ham!
It has to be turkey. It’s the only time when I cook a whole turkey. Just love the tradition!
Why settle on one meat when you could have turducken! – A chicken inside a duck inside a turkey. The trick is to baste, baste, baste away so that all three meats are tender (just like christmas spirit, awwwww)
Turkey as its nutricious, delicious and naturally lean
The plate will be left so very clean
Definitely pork. We’ve just come back from the Czech Republic and the way they cook their roast pork is mouth watering. The meat falls off the bone & melts in your mouth.I can’t wait for Christmas lunch.
A turkey breast roast is wonderful,the aroma provoking a scarily primitive urge! Then there’s the first sneakily-eaten slice of the leg ham, but, as chicken was a treat when I was young, the wonderful smell of roast chicken on Christmas Day evokes nostalgia so thick I need my best carving set to cut through it!
Honey-glazed ham is our Christmas indulgence – and practically the only option to have an indulgent feast with a family of fussy under-fives. Ham, seasoned with cloves and sweetened with honey, is like injecting the meat with joy.
Nothing beats a shoulder of pork i cant wait to get that on my fork,its so succulent and refined you’ll enjoy being wined and dined
Is there anything better than a succulent smoked ham at Christmas? I certainly don’t think so! It stays fresh for weeks with proper care and nourishes the family over the school holidays. Then any leftovers make up a vat of pea and ham soup that continues to delight our tastebuds.
“L”uscious and divine,
“A” true favourite of mine!
“M”y christmas lunch would be a scam,
“B”e it one without scrumptious lamb!
Deeply delectable delicious duck meat,
Cooked with honey and oranges tasting exotically sweet!
A strong rich and unique taste,
No other meat can replace!
You cant go wrong with a good beef steak! Seared and sealed to be enjoyed then finished off with dessert of chocolate cake!
Hi Lorraine,
I’m a fan of turkey (“so why do you eat us?” a turkey once asked me.) But really any meat that is shared is ok with me – in the spirit of the festive season if you know what I mean. The overwhelming abundance of this time of year starkly reminds us of those less well off.
Hi Lorraine,
Just a quick note to advise that my son and I went to Haverick’s Direct Meat on Saturday morning and spent the voucher.
It was a daunting task choosing what meat we wanted because it all looked so incredible, but in the end, chose some beautiful pre sliced scotch fillets for a double birthday barbeque I was having that night along with some MAGNIFICENT sausages (lamb and rosemary, and pork and fennel ones), and a beautiful piece of Angus fillet steak (cryo-vacced) for later, and a gorgeous piece of veal standing rib (also cryo-vacced which i will break down into chops later).
I do admit to spending extra $$$$, but believe its going to be well worth it, they were lovely people out there, and really very helpful when helping me selecting my meat, and my queries to them as to where the produce comes from, whether it was grain or grass fed etc etc. Fantastic place and the steaks on Saturday night, along with the sausages were excellent eating, and all the revellers that night were very very impressed with the meat, wanting to know where it came from !!!
Thanks again so much !!!
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