Friendsmas food ideas for festive celebrations

From potlucks recipes to grazing boards and picky bits, find the best ideas for celebrating Christmas with friends. Plus, discover festive drinks and cocktails to celebrate in style.

Food Editor

Olivia Ferguson

What is Friendsmas?

Friendsmas is a fun way to celebrate the festive season with a group of friends while reserving the big day for family. Whether it’s a potluck dinner or a cocktail party with picky bits, the menu is up to you – this is all about festive fun with your mates, without the stress! Not sure where to start? See our Friendsmas food ideas, including our top picks from the Foodhall and hosting hacks.

Christmas food in store

Friendsmas food ideas

Make the season extra special with a fun and festive Friendsmas gathering. Find new ways with party food recipes or whip up a batch of Christmas sweet treats.

Christmas recipes

Friendsmas Christmas dinner

Why wait until 25 December to enjoy a classic Christmas dinner? Nail the perfect turkey with our British Free Range Maple Glazed Turkey Crown, available in store from 14 December, or get ahead by picking up our frozen British Oakham Turkey Breast Joint. And load up on all the sides and trimmings like our crispy, golden Beef Dripping Roast Potatoes and Our Best Ever Pigs in Blankets, double-wrapped in a whole rasher of outdoor-bred bacon.

How to cook Christmas dinner

Put on a potluck

Invite your guests to bring a dish to share, adding a personal touch to the festivities. Make a large main for sharing, like our spinach and ricotta broken lasagne, made with a handful of shortcut ingredients. This one-pan spicy ’nduja chicken adds a warming kick, infused with North Italian Barolo wine, spicy chilli and aromatic wild fennel. Or try our turkey meatballs with hot honey roasted roots for all the flavours of a Christmas dinner in one easy pan, combining juicy turkey meatballs, root vegetables and a sweet-spicy hot honey glaze.

Potluck food ideas

Throw a picky bits party

Throw a casual Friendsmas celebration with a selection of party food and picky bits. Pop into the Foodhall to stock up on our four-for-three party food offer, including Fish and Chip Bites with a pea and mint crush and Our Best Ever Handmade Prawn Toast Cones with sweet chilli dip. If you're leaning into the retro revival trend, serve up nostalgic favourites like vol au vents, cheese and pineapple sticks, and bacon-wrapped cherries for a fun, crowd-pleasing spread.

Party food ideas

Host a festive brunch

Gather your favourite people for a laid-back Friendsmas brunch packed with festive flavours. Create an impressive pancake grazing board loaded with fluffy pancakes and a mix of sweet and savoury toppings, from fresh fruit, maple-spiced butter and hazelnut crème to smoked salmon, cream cheese and antipasti. And to drink? Serve up our Christmas Ground Coffee Blend and pop a bottle (or two) of our Clementine and Cranberry Bucks Fizz, or the alcohol-free version.

Brunch recipes

Serve up some sweet treats

End your Friendsmas feast on a sweet note with a crowd-pleasing pudding. Impress guests with a make-ahead dessert, like Tom Kerridge's cherry, chocolate and pistachio semifreddo, or lean into the trend for all things malt with our indulgent Malt Ball millionaire's cheesecake. Prefer to spend more time with your friends and less time in the kitchen? Let us do the hard work with a ready-made showstopper, such as our Collection Pistachio and Honey Choux Pastry Wreath or Triple Choc S'mores Iced Cream Cake.

See dessert recipes

Pour made-for-sharing drinks and cocktails

Pop open a bottle of our Classics Cremant de Bourgogne, with notes of peach blossom, apricot and redcurrants, or opt for a non-alcoholic Let it Sloe with rich forest fruit flavours Make a big batch of our Christmas punch to share, topped off with effervescent Prosecco or pull out all the stops with our apricot, clemtine and rosmary spritz recipe.

Best Christmas drinks

How to host Friendsmas

First, pick your theme and plan a menu to cater to any dietary restrictions, like our top gluten-free Christmas food ideas.
To make hosting easier, see our make-ahead recipes to cut back on prep time on the day of.
Hosting doesn’t have to break the bank – discover our budget recipes, using our quality ingredients you know and love at an everyday price.
Don't forget to set the scene. Before sitting down to eat, get everyone involved by decorating their own gingerbread house, a fun festive activity and a great way to spend time together. Once they're finished, display them on the table alongside fresh clementines, pomegranates and figs to create a foodie-inspired centrepiece.
For a more traditional look, arrange fresh flowers in different-sized vases down the length of the table. Finish with festive sprigs and berries tucked into napkins, plus handwritten place cards for an extra-personal touch.

How to host a dinner party

Published 22/10/2026