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Christmas Dinner Side Dish Ideas
These 15 Christmas side dishes are bound to make your Christmas centre-piece envious.
What is a good side dish to take to a Christmas party?
Christmas isn’t all about the turkey, the trimmings are what make a gorgeous, traditional Christmas roast lunch. If you are participating in a ‘bring a plate’ dinner with friends/family, we have some really good ideas for side dishes you can take as your offering.
Sprouts with Bacon and Onion
This showstopper side dish is everyone’s favourite at my house.
It’s so simple to make, fry off some bacon lardons and onion in some garlic oil, then add in your part boiled sprouts and fry on high heat to get that golden brown, caramelised look and taste.
Tip: You can use any type of onion but Shallots are so sweet that they complement the dish perfectly.
Duchess Potatoes
Although Roasties and Mash are the go-to way to cook potatoes at Christmas, Duchess Potatoes really do have the wow factor.
Tip: Use Garlic oil to bake these in for an absolutely delicious twist on a old classic.
Bacon Wrapped Asparagus Parcels
Blanch the Asparagus in salt water, wrap a few pieces of asparagus in bacon to make parcels and secure with a cocktail stick, then oven bake on high heat, remove and garnish with salt and pepper for an absolutely delicious Christmas side dish.
Tip: Use Garlic oil to bake these in for full flavour.
Cauliflower Cheese Bake
Sumptuous, gooey, cheesy goodness! The cauliflower makes it a little healthier… This savoury dish complements most British Christmas foods and flavours really well.
The grilling process is the key here. Wait until you get dark brown caramelisation of the cheese on top. If you fancy something exotic,
Tip: Wholegrain mustard is great to add to the cheese sauce for a bit of pep and Gruyรจre cheese is a must.
Creamed Spinach
Ok so we can all admit, that it’s not exactly the most eye-pleasing dish, but there’s no denying creamed spinach tastes great. I always use Parmigiano-Reggiano for the best flavour.
Tip: Frozen Spinach works really well for this dish.
Pigs in Blankets
These are going wee wee wee all the way into my mouth. I wonder how pork-wrapped pork tastes so good, but at Christmas, you just have to indulge yourself.
Whether you make them yourself or buy them ready-made, they’re a must-have on a British Christmas menu.
Tip: Most supermarkets sell frozen pigs in blankets, so you can buy them in advance before the Christmas rush!
Stuffing
Whether you like sausage meat stuffing or the traditional sage and onion, there are so many ways to jazz up stuffing to make the perfect side dish at Christmas. I have used
Tip: Making your own stuffing doesn’t have to be hard, I use a box of sage and onion as a base and add extras such as nuts, apricots, cranberries or Rosemary. This is a great way to have variations in the flavours on your Christmas table.
Yorkshire Puddings
Traditionally, they’re meant for roast beef. But I say stuff that tradition because Yorkshire puddings are just too moreish to go without them at Christmas.
Lots of people buy pre-packaged Yorkshire puds, and that’s great. However, you can easily make them with just three ingredients: Flour, egg and milk. You’ll need oil for the tray too.
Tip: For a successful batch of Yorkshire puddings, make sure you preheat the oil in the oven for 10 mins or so, before adding the batter.
Red Cabbage With Cranberry
This’ll add a load of colour to your plate on Christmas day. Not only that, but when you cook it to perfection, it tastes great too.
I like to make mine with added cinnamon, clove, sugar and vinegar and a dollop of Cranberry Sauce. When I do this it creates a wonderful sweet and sour side dish.
Tip: You can cook this in advance in a pan or slow cooker, then warm in the microwave so there’s no need to stress out on Christmas day.
Roasted Butternut Squash with Rosemary
So simple and underrated, Butternut squash is absolutely delicious with gravy. You can roast from raw in olive oil, Sea Salt, Onion Powder, Garlic and rosemary, making it a delicious, quick and easy side for Christmas day.
Tip: Sprinkle over a liberal seasoning of black pepper as soon as it leaves the oven.
Roasted Sweet Potato With Onions
I’m not a huge fan of sweet potato and I can’t eat it mashed, but roasted is a different matter! You need to make sure they are super cripsy and packed with flavour.
I always add onions, Paprika, Garlic salt, a chicken oxo and a splash of olive oil to bake them in.
Tip: A strong white onion is preferred to pair with this dish as the potatoes are sweet.
Vegetable Gratin
What would the Christmas menu be without a vast array of sides and tidbits to satisfy ourselves with? And particularly without a Gratin?
Almost like bubble and squeak, but a bit quiche-like too. You can add or take away ingredients as you like but it usually has leeks, potatoes, cheese and cream.
Tip: Slicing the vegetables thinly will create silky smooth, creamy layers of cheese, cream and veg. Yum!
Nut Roast
You haven’t got to be a Vegan/Vegetarian to appreciate a nut roast as a tasty side dish. If you’ve got veggie’s in your family or just fancy an extra Christmas staple for lunch, why not try a nut roast?
Nut roast is a little bit like stuffing but the main ingredient is nuts to make it a good source of protein.
Tip: When having a nut roast as a side dish, you can take the effort out by purchasing a ready-made one. You can pre-order them from most supermarkets before Christmas day.
Christmas Ham
Christmas ham is delicious and you can prepare it in many ways, depending on what you fancy.
You can cook it with marmalade, maple syrup, coke or honey. It’s so versatile.
Tip: Use a meat thermometer so you can have the perfect tenderness, whilst not having a disastrous raw ham!
Roasted Garlic & Herb Mashed Potatoes
Christmas Dinner should be extra in every way, and these mashed potatoes are certainly that.
Boil your potatoes, add in roasted garlic, Double Cream and Butter, then mash and whip until they are as fluffy as air. Then add in a handful of chopped parsley or Chives – Delicious
Tip: Always use a good quality potato such as a Maris piper for the perfect mash.
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The Best Supermarket Christmas Side Dishes 2024
Tesco – Their Extra special range has some great side dishes available, I particularly like the extra special red cabbage.
Iceland – Iceland have a lot of exclusive deals with brands like Cathedral city, which have some amazing dishes that are perfect for Christmas such as their Cauliflower cheese!
Ocado – At Ocado, you can get all M&S’ luxury Christmas side dishes delivered to your door in your grocery shop.
Asda – A Huge selection of festive themed sides including the best selection of fresh sausage meat stuffing and pigs in blankets I have found.
Aldi – Aldi offers a more unusual range of foods (as well as traditional) so it’s great for finding dishes from around the world, it’s also the most affordable supermarket.
Morrisons – At Morrisons, you can find a good range of Christmas side dishes, fresh and frozen! Plus a nice range of festive packet stuffings which I always buy.
Waitrose – If you’re looking for something extra special, then it has to be a Waitrose for their unique side dish offerings.
Sainsbury’s – A bit like Waitrose Sainsbury’s has some really top-notch festive offerings which change each year.
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Hopefully this list of festive side dishes has given you some inspiration for the perfect traditional Christmas Roast, if you have any other dishes you think we should add to the list, please let us know in the comments below…
