So often Christmas lunch centres on the big bird in the middle of the table - but it doesn’t have to be all about the turkey.
If carnivores really want to get fancy about things this Yuletide, there are plenty more meats to add to your spread: think whole sides of salmon, glazed ham and perfectly seared topside of beef.
And don’t forget, poultry doesn’t have to mean chicken: consider goose or duck as a special festive treat. Any of these meat alternatives can be elevated from Sunday lunch status to dazzling new heights with the right sides and crackers on the table.
If you’re truly striking out from the traditional, December 25 could be the moment to up the ante and look to other nations for your Christmas culinary cues.
Why not start a new festive tradition by slow-cooking a brisket or searing a premium steak from one of London’s finest restaurants? If you're considering making beef the only centrepiece, a rack of salt-aged ribs or sticky BBQ ribs can provide the theatre the occasion calls for.
Then there are the sides. What you’ll serve alongside your joint of choice depends on the meat in question, but there are some crowdpleasers you just can’t go wrong with. The trick is to go giant, go gluttonous - or ideally, do both. Tis the season, etc.
We’re talking giant Yorkies, carrots and parsnips roasted in chilli and honey, mac and cheese studded with shards of crispy bacon and pomegranate seeds livening up boring old sprouts. Your Christmas lunch is whatever you want to make it.
Whether you’re looking for inspiration or like the idea of adding different options to the table alongside the turkey, we’ve gathered the best options from independent butchers, suppliers and supermarkets below.
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Daylesford 35 Day Dry-Aged Cote de Boeuf
From organically reared herds comes this impressive Cote de Boeuf by Daylesford. When the time comes, cuts are dry-aged in a Himalayan salt chamber to encourage umami flavours that will make your Christmas. Order it for delivery up to five days before you plan to prepare it and it'll keep in the fridge or you can freeze it if you want to plan up to a month ahead.
Buy now £44.00, Daylesford Organic
Hawksmoor 35 Day Dry-Aged British Porterhouse Steak
You needn't leave the house to enjoy one of Hawksmoor's best dishes. Order it on Ocado and have the cut delivered to your door. Critically acclaimed by the likes of Giles Coren and Jay Rayner, this Porterhouse offers enough to share - especially when you consider sides - and can be frozen if you're ordering a few weeks before you plan to cook it up, preferably medium rare.
Buy now £45.00, Ocado
Waitrose Slow Cooked British Beef Shin with Merlot & Shallot Sauce
Weighing some 2.87kg and serving up to 10 people, Waitrose's beef shin has been slow-cooked until it's just falling off the bone. Made to command your party's attention, the Merlot and shallot sauce makes a savoury addition that you'll dream about long after Christmas. Most convincing customer review? "This is the first time that I have had beef as the meat element of my Christmas lunch and I will very happily buy this again next year."
Buy now £37.00, Waitrose
DukesHill Tomahawk Steak for BBQ (Serves 4)
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Watch jaws drop around the Christmas table when you roll out DukesHill's majestic Tomahawk for lunch.
Presented on the bone, the PGI West Country Choice-certified cut can be pan-fried in minutes, depending on how rare you like it. Order ahead of time and freeze until Christmas Eve when it should spend the night defrosting in the fridge until it's ready to cook. But be warned: it will need up to six hours of resting time.
Granted, it is an unusual choice but if you’re feeding four and not fussed about leftovers, it’s a worthy centrepiece.
Buy now £38.00, DukesHill
Fortnum's Classic Beef Wellington for 4
Beef Wellington is a notoriously challenging dish to prepare, but get it right and you’ll earn bragging points until next Christmas.
The secret to nailing it? Order one made by Fortnum's expert chefs. The team at the famous Royal-approved supermarket use chateaubriand from slow-grown cows for the best flavour, wrapped in mushroom duxelles and buttery puff pastry. All that's needed on your part is to stick it in a hot oven for around 45 minutes. For the sweat saved, it's worth its weight in gold.
Got a bigger crowd to feed? A larger version serving 6 - 8 people is available for £120.
Buy now £70.00, F&M
Wyndford Wagyu rump cap picanha 1.1kg
For those looking for a special cut of beef this Christmas, why not go down the Wagyu route? There’s no need to winch over top-quality beef from Japan when you can find a full-blood Wagyu herd in leafy Shropshire.
Wyndford Wagyu prides itself on its ethical, sustainable, and regenerative farming practices, and the proof is in the pudding. From sirloin and rib-eye to 1.1kg joints of rump cap picanha that serves four, there's plenty to choose from and all with the delicate marbling that marks out Wagyu as the revered beef it is.
Cuts arrive carefully packed with ice blocks to keep them as fresh as possible and will last in the fridge for around four to five days, so order as close to the big day as you can manage. Next-day delivery is available so you can schedule for order for as close to Christmas or New Year's Eve as possible for what promises to be the best steak dinner of 2024.
Buy now £73.33, Wyndford Wagyu
HG Walter Rib of Beef
This family-run outfit is one of the country’s most respected butchers and counts London’s elite hotels as its clients. The bricks-and-mortar store is in Baron’s Court, but if you’re not able to make the pilgrimage, head online to pick up select cuts and grass-fed beef, plus plenty more besides.
For Christmas, we're eyeing up this rib of beef, which has been aged for four weeks and is packed full of flavour. Choose from sizes ranging from 1 - 5 bones to suit your guestlist.
Buy now £51.00, HG Walter
DukesHill Sirloin Roasting Joint - 2kg
From grass-fed British herds comes this huge roasting joint of beef. The 2kg whopper is enough to feed up to 10 people with medium rare cooked in just 40 minutes including resting time. Make lunch even easier by picking up sides like braised red cabbage and Bearnaise sauce along with this cut.
Buy now £65.00, DukesHill
F&M Calum Franklin Festive Showstopper Pie
There are pies and there are Christmas-worthy pies with the F&M stamp of approval. This 1kg humdinger is devised by ‘King of Pies’ chef Callum Franklin, with a filling of home-reared duck, pork, ham and chestnuts under a dome of hot water crust pastry. Festooned with sides and condiments, it’s bound to live up to its showstopper moniker.
Buy now £45.00, F&M
Wright Bros Ltd Fruits de Mer Deluxe Seafood Platter Box
If you’re more of a grazing household, a shellfish platter may be all the mains you’ll want to feast on this Christmas.
Wright Bros has this ginormous selection on its site, heaving with prawns, langoustine, dressed crab, oysters, mussels and the star, a lobster, along with seafood sauce for happy dipping. Full disclosure: there will be defrosting, shucking, steaming and cooking involved but presented on the table with brightening wedges of lemon and herbs, your party of five will be well catered for.
Buy now £136.00, Wright Bros Ltd
M&S Collection Lightly Smoked Salmon Side with Orange, Honey & Thyme
Peaking too soon is a great British tradition. If you’ve arrived at December 25 after weeks of snaffling Christmas sarnies and stuffing yourself with mince pies, it’s understandable to hope for a lighter lunch come the big day. M&S’s Christmas salmon can answer that call but still make it feel like an occasion with a rich glaze of orange, honey and thyme.
Buy now £32.00, M&S
Tesco Maple & Bourbon Crackling Gammon Joint
Take your love for pigs in blankets to main stage heights with Tesco’s showpiece. The hand-scored gammon comes on the bone for extra succulence and you’ll get a sticky and sweet maple and bourbon glaze to dress it in. Weighing 2.8kg, there’s enough here to feed your favourite dozen people.
Buy now £25.00, Tesco
