Whether you are serving lunch for two or 20 guests on Christmas Day, Prahran Market has got you covered for a delicious Christmas meal! Here are the top Christmas food ideas from our Traders to make your Christmas day a successful and memorable one.
The Christmas Seafood Platter
It’s no secret that shellfish consumption surges over the Christmas and New Year period. Peter at Prahran Seafoods recommends buying shellfish from your local market to ensure you are receiving the freshest seafood available.
“As we have such a high turnover of stock, you are sure to be getting fresh shellfish,” said Peter.
“The shells on mussels, clams and oysters should be closed. Mussels and clams sometimes open a little but a small tap on the shell will usually close them back up. While it is usually hard to smell the produce at the market, they should smell like the ocean.”
Ting at Periwinkles says a seafood centerpiece or platter is a spectacular idea for a festive celebration.
“When looking to impress, a seafood platter is always a great choice,” says Ting at Periwinkles. “You can have a whole lobster as a centerpiece and then oysters, tiger prawns, crab and smoked salmon scattered around. By serving a cold platter, you do not need to worry about timings and everything can be prepared early so you can enjoy being with your friends and family.”
The Christmas Ham
Ham is a wonderful Christmas tradition for many households and our meat Traders offer a range of ham options to choose from in different sizes to feed many or a few hungry mouths.
“We specialise in free range Berkshire Pork,” said Ash from G.McBean Family Butchers. “There is lovely marbling through the meat, so it has lots of flavour but is not fatty.
“The hams are smoked in applewood and red gum and can be bought as is. Alternatively, the team are happy to score and clove your ham so it’s ready to glaze and cook.”
Simon at Ian’s Meats also loves ham as a staple Christmas dish. “We have been suppliers of Otway Pork for years, and all the hams are female pigs from local Otway.
“Every year they are really popular and we always have customers recommending different glazes that they like to use. I like my ham with a really simple glaze as these hams have such great flavour already.”
The Christmas Turkey
Another popular tradition for Christmas lunch or dinner is the Christmas turkey and our Traders are expecting that turkey rolls will once again be in demand this Christmas.
A turkey roll conveniently provides all the flavour and ease of cooking you want at Christmas, whilst ensuring you don’t spend the whole day in the kitchen.
“I recommend our turkey breast fillet roll,” says Arthur of Arthur’s Poultry. “It is really popular for Christmas as there is no need to prep, simply pop it in the oven. We can custom make the roll to size with a choice of five stuffing fillings. The Christmas favourite stuffing is always the cranberry and chestnut.”
Stella at D&J Poultry agrees that turkey rolls are the new go-to for Christmas Day feasting. “Our turkey roll is always really popular. We make them to order so customers can choose the size based on how many people they want to cater for and whether it is plain or filled.
“We have four fillings available, with the cranberry and macadamia being gluten free. Our turkey rolls come with instructions and our turkey stock is available to purchase as a baste.”
John Cester’s will also be serving deliciously filled turkey rolls to their customers. “All of our turkey rolls are custom made in-store,” said Harrison.
“We have a range of fillings available – cranberry and chestnut, apricot and macadamia, spinach and pine nut, and sage and onion. I recommend basting the turkey with turkey stock prior to cooking, and we have home-made turkey stock, gravy and cranberry sauce available.”
The Christmas Dessert Board
A pre-prepared dessert board is a perfect choice for Christmas day entertaining and will ensure you can maximise time with friends and family. Our Traders stock a wonderful range of festive cakes, chocolates and treats and can help you make the perfect selection for your celebration.
“A showstopper trifle is always a hit at Christmas. It makes a great centrepiece and is the perfect excuse to get out the family heirloom Christmas bowl,” says Wendy at Stir The Pot.
“A dessert platter is another option that pleases everyone. Think about taste and texture such as gooey chocolate brownies, crunchy mini pavs and fruit tarts. Don’t forget the mince pies! Bite size portions are easy to serve and you can tempt everyone with a few.”
The Christmas Cheese
The Christmas cheeseboard is an ideal finale on this day of decadence and our Traders can assist you with your cheese selection, along with cheese board accompaniments such as crackers, pastes, fruits and cured meats.
For Christmas entertaining, our Traders suggest focusing on the quality rather than quantity of cheeses on the cheeseboard. Choose a couple of cheeses that you will really love and are of better quality rather than a huge selection of cheeses.
“I prefer to choose two cheeses that balance perfectly with one great alcoholic pairing and matching accompaniments. The cheese board is an experience not just a course,” said Anthony of Maker & Monger.
Anthony also has some suggestions for theming of the festive cheese board.
“If you are a fan of the Monarchy, then nothing beats serving Stilton after your Christmas meal with your favourite fortified wine and a slice of Christmas fruit cake or pudding. If you lean towards being a Francophile, then you can’t go past Roquefort with a bottle of Sauternes or local Botrytis with Pain d’Epice (spiced ginger bread). Or, if Italian is your theme, I highly recommend Gorgonzola Piccante with a bottle of chilled Sparkling Shiraz and fresh honeycomb. The perfect end to your Christmas eating!”
Whatever delicious dishes you are serving up this Christmas day, you’ll find the best fresh produce for your festive celebrations at our expert Market Traders.
