{"id":226905,"date":"2025-12-11T06:22:24","date_gmt":"2025-12-11T06:22:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/226905\/"},"modified":"2025-12-11T06:22:24","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T06:22:24","slug":"well-be-served-beautiful-food-with-no-worry-about-cleaning-up-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/226905\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018We\u2019ll be served beautiful food with no worry about cleaning up\u2019 \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Up and down the country, households will be full as families and friends get together to celebrate Christmas<\/a>. It is undoubtedly a special day but, for the host, it can also be enormously stressful and laborious as expectations (whether self-inflicted or not) rise beyond reason. <\/p>\n

This is why some people have called time on peeling potatoes and basting turkeys and have instead turned to hoteliers, restaurateurs and caterers to take all the fuss out of Christmas dinner.<\/p>\n

Wendie Gregg, from Co Armagh, has for the past two years has enjoyed Christmas dinner with her mother at a local hotel. The pair intend to do the same thing this year and relish in the prospect of having their special day taken care of. <\/p>\n

\u201cI am an only child from a small family so it makes perfect sense to do this,\u201d she says. \u201cI live in Lurgan and drive to a hotel in Belfast<\/a> to meet my mother for Christmas lunch. We have been twice before, once to a four-star hotel and once to a five-star, and this year we\u2019ll be returning to the five-star as it has the edge with the quality of food. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy mum said that I came out of the womb with a taste for luxury and it\u2019s so nice to be handed a glass of on arrival and having a choice of traditional Irish Christmas food, including a vegan option, to pick from \u2013 and not having to worry about table set-ups, food prep and timings is bliss. Instead we will walk in, be served beautiful food in lovely surroundings and have no worry about cleaning up, not to mention any arguments over food or seating arrangements. I find it a much nicer experience than cooking all day at home as everyone is so gracious and full of Christmas cheer.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 50-year-old acknowledges that being pampered on Christmas Day comes with a price tag attached but she believes it\u2019s worth it.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, it can be pricey, and I do realise that, in this economy, it\u2019s not for everyone,\u201d she says. \u201cBut it is lovely having dinner set down in front of me and not having to constantly worry about everyone else on Christmas Day. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt has become a lovely tradition, a chance to wear our favourite outfits and enjoy the day. Life is too short to not make new traditions, so if anyone else is considering it, I would say, book that Christmas lunch \u2013 but make sure to tip the staff well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"WendieWendie Gregg: \u2018It has become a lovely tradition, a chance to wear our favourite outfits and enjoy the day\u2019 <\/p>\n

Barry O\u2019Brien and his wife Mary O\u2019Brien, from Cork, are old hands at dining out for Christmas. For the past few years they have gone to the Great Southern hotel in Killarney<\/a>, Co Kerry, where they will not only enjoy a fancy meal on the day itself, but will also stay for the whole Christmas period, including Christmas Eve and St Stephen\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Deck the halls with deliciousness: Dining and gifting options for Christmas and beyondOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

The couple, who are both retired, don\u2019t have any children and have enjoyed Christmas dinner in various other venues over the years, but they say they \u201care so well looked after and the food is top class\u201d at the Killarney hotel so have made it a tradition.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the staff gave us a Christmas brochure when we were staying there several years ago, and it looked nice, so we decided to try it out and have been going ever since,\u201d says Barry. \u201cWe have been there every Christmas for about seven years and everyone knows us and really looks after us. It\u2019s such a festive experience as you arrive to a big roaring fire, lovely decorations and a big Christmas tree \u2013 there is also a beautiful crib near to the fire and there is even a small Christmas tree in our room. <\/p>\n

\u201cOn Christmas Eve they have carol singers and mulled wine and then Santa makes a visit to all of the guests. On Christmas Day, we have a lovely breakfast. The dinner is at around 4pm and, along with the traditional turkey and ham options, you can choose anything you want from the menu. The food is fabulous and it is so festive and relaxing, particularly as there is no washing-up to do afterwards. And then, for anyone who is hungry later, there is a lovely buffet with more delicious food to choose from.\u201d<\/p>\n

With a piano player keeping the Christmas mood going and guests singing along if they feel so inclined, there are also seasonal movies, stories read by a visiting elf, and some guest appearances from Santa and Mrs Claus \u2013 with festivities continuing right into the next day. <\/p>\n

\u201cAfter a full breakfast on Stephen\u2019s Day, there is a mystery tour and all of the guests are taken off somewhere in a bus,\u201d says Barry. \u201cIt\u2019s always a nice day out with an Irish coffee somewhere along the way and when we come back there\u2019s soup and sandwiches and another lovely roaring fire. <\/p>\n

\u201cGoing to a hotel for Christmas really works for us and I would recommend it to anyone looking for something different as it\u2019s lovely to be looked after and we really are, from start to finish. And for anyone who is worried that Santa might not come, he truly is a great man and always manages to find myself and Mary at the Great Southern.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BarryBarry and Mary O’Brien: \u2018It\u2019s such a festive experience as you arrive to a big roaring fire, lovely decorations and a big Christmas tree\u2019 <\/p>\n

But how about getting somebody else to do all the work on Christmas Day without leaving home? Heather O\u2019Sullivan from Kerry reckons she has cracked it. <\/p>\n

She and her husband, Brian O\u2019Sullivan, had Christmas dinner out once while in Australia, but they didn\u2019t enjoy it, so haven\u2019t tried it since. <\/p>\n

[\u00a0Restaurants to book for the week between Christmas and new yearOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

However, she doesn\u2019t like having to do all the cooking for the occasion, so for the past 15 years, she gets all her food prepared by a caterer and, on the day, does nothing more than \u201cpop it in the oven\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 2002, we went to a five-star hotel in Perth for Christmas dinner and absolutely hated it,\u201d she says. \u201cWe both dressed up but were the only people to do so and it was very impersonal as it was just a meal in a huge diningroom \u2013 so we said, never again. <\/p>\n

\u201cBut, as I am so busy working at a jeweller\u2019s in Tralee, and Brian has worked abroad for years, I always had to do everything \u2013 the shopping, wrapping, decorating and everything else \u2013 so I was always wrecked when the day came around. And, instead of it being a joyful occasion, Christmas had become really stressful; I was closing the shop at 6pm on Christmas Eve and opening again on the 27th. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo one year, Brian turned to me and said \u2018no more, let\u2019s get a caterer\u2019 \u2013 that was 15 years ago and it is the best thing we have ever done.\u201d<\/p>\n

The busy retailer says that she gave local cordon bleu chef Collette O\u2019Dowd the recipes she would have used herself and every year the food gets cooked and delivered to her house on Christmas Eve, prepped and ready to go.<\/p>\n

\"HeatherHeather O’Sullivan: \u2018There is no mess or faffing about \u2013 I just have to slap the turkey in the oven\u2019 <\/p>\n

\u201cShe organises absolutely everything \u2013 turkey, ham, potatoes, pudding, mince pies and the most amazing salads \u2013 and arrives with it on Christmas Eve, just like Santa,\u201d says O\u2019Sullivan. \u201cIt\u2019s all in foil trays so there is no mess or faffing about \u2013 I just have to slap the turkey in the oven and lay the table and because she has all my recipes, it tastes the same as if I made it myself. <\/p>\n

\u201cShe prepares all the food we need for the Christmas period so I don\u2019t even have to do a shop until after new year and I have fabulous home-made food for callers. You would think that this service would be expensive, but it actually saves money because she delivers the perfect amount \u2013 when I shop, I always buy too much and end up wasting food. She caters for about six to eight people for a week and it costs around \u20ac300, which is incredible value. She has given me my Christmas back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Options for at-home Christmas catering<\/p>\n