Traditional Christmas Dinners Across Europe (and How to Have One Cooked for You)

What is a traditional Italian Christmas dinner?

A traditional Italian Christmas is really two meals. On Christmas Eve, La Vigilia, many families eat a meat-free dinner built around fish and seafood, especially in the south. On Christmas Day, lunch (il pranzo di Natale) is the big event: filled pasta, roast or boiled meats, and panettone or pandoro to finish.

• Christmas Eve: fried salt cod (baccalà), spaghetti with clams, mixed fried seafood and, in Naples, eel.
• Christmas Day lunch: tortellini in broth in Emilia-Romagna, agnolotti in Piedmont, baked lasagne, then roast capon or bollito misto (mixed boiled meats).
• Sweets: panettone, pandoro, and struffoli, little honey-coated dough balls from Naples.

The "Feast of the Seven Fishes" is best known among Italian-Americans. In Italy itself, the number and choice of fish dishes depends on the region and the family.

Have it cooked for you: a ChefMaison chef can prepare a full Vigilia of fish and seafood, or a Christmas lunch with handmade filled pasta, at your place or at one of our private dining locations. Browse our Italian chefs.

What do the French eat for Christmas dinner?

In France, the main Christmas meal is le réveillon, a long and festive dinner on Christmas Eve. It traditionally opens with oysters, foie gras and smoked salmon, moves on to turkey with chestnuts, capon or goose, includes a cheese course, and ends with a bûche de Noël, all with a glass of Champagne.

• Starters: oysters, foie gras with toasted brioche, smoked salmon, scallops and, in some homes, escargots.
• Main course: turkey stuffed with chestnuts (dinde aux marrons), capon or goose, sometimes game.
• Cheese and dessert: a cheese board, then the bûche de Noël, a rolled sponge cake shaped like a yule log.
• Regional touches: in Provence the meal ends with the thirteen desserts, and in Alsace goose is a classic.

Have it cooked for you: an oyster-and-foie-gras réveillon is exactly the kind of menu our chefs love to cook. Browse our French chefs.

What is a traditional British Christmas dinner?

A traditional British Christmas dinner is a roast eaten on Christmas Day, often in the early afternoon. Roast turkey is the centrepiece, served with pigs in blankets (sausages wrapped in bacon), roast potatoes, stuffing, Brussels sprouts, parsnips, cranberry sauce, bread sauce and plenty of gravy, followed by Christmas pudding.

• Main course: roast turkey, or goose or beef in some homes, and a nut roast for vegetarians.
• Trimmings: pigs in blankets, roast potatoes, stuffing, sprouts, carrots and parsnips, cranberry sauce, bread sauce and gravy.
• Dessert: Christmas pudding with brandy butter or custard, mince pies and trifle.

Have it cooked for you: a full roast with every trimming is all about timing. With a private chef, the timings, the oven and the washing up are handled for you, so you can sit down with everyone else. Browse our British chefs.

What do Spanish people eat at Christmas?

In Spain, the big Christmas meal is Nochebuena, a late dinner on Christmas Eve. Expect cured ham and cheeses, prawns and seafood, then roast lamb, suckling pig or baked sea bream, with turrón and polvorones for dessert. On Christmas Day, a long family lunch keeps the celebration going.

• Starters: jamón ibérico, Manchego and other cheeses, prawns and seafood platters.
• Main course: roast lamb (cordero asado), suckling pig (cochinillo), baked sea bream (besugo al horno) or salt cod.
• Sweets: turrón (nougat), polvorones and mantecados (crumbly almond biscuits).
• Regional touches: in Catalonia, escudella i carn d'olla (a rich meat and pasta soup) is served on Christmas Day and canelons on 26 December.

Have it cooked for you: from a seafood-led Nochebuena to a slow-roasted lamb, our chefs can bring a Spanish Christmas to your table. Browse our Spanish chefs.

What do the Dutch eat at Christmas?

Many Dutch families celebrate with gourmetten: everyone cooks small portions of meat, fish and vegetables at the table, on a tabletop grill with little individual pans, alongside sauces, salads and bread. With two Christmas days (Eerste and Tweede Kerstdag), there's often a second festive dinner too, such as a rolled roast (rollade) or game.

• Gourmetten: thin slices of beef, pork and chicken, mini burgers, prawns and vegetables, cooked at the table.
• Festive roasts: rollade, venison or other game with seasonal vegetables.
• Sweets and treats: kerststol, a fruit bread with almond paste often eaten at Christmas breakfast, and advocaat, an egg liqueur.

Have it cooked for you: a chef can prepare a generous gourmet spread for the table, or cook a classic Dutch Christmas roast with all the trimmings, and take care of the clean-up afterwards. Browse our Dutch chefs.

What is a traditional Belgian Christmas dinner?

In Belgium, the main celebration is on Christmas Eve. Dinner usually starts with seafood, such as oysters or shrimp croquettes, or a festive soup, followed by turkey, game or poultry with potato croquettes, and ends with a Christmas log: kerststronk in Flanders and bûche de Noël in Wallonia.

• Starters: oysters, shrimp croquettes (garnaalkroketten), foie gras or a festive soup.
• Main course: turkey, pheasant, venison or other game, served with potato croquettes.
• Sweets: the Christmas log, and in Wallonia, cougnou, a sweet Christmas bread.

Have it cooked for you: our chefs can cook a Belgian Christmas Eve menu at your place or at one of our private dining locations. Browse our Belgian chefs.

Mix and match: a Christmas menu from across Europe

Can't choose just one tradition? Many guests build a single menu from several. Take a common example:

• To start: French oysters or Belgian shrimp croquettes
• Pasta course: Italian tortellini in broth
• Main course: a British roast turkey with all the trimmings, or Spanish slow-roasted lamb
• Cheese: a French cheese board
• Dessert: bûche de Noël, panettone, or turrón with coffee

That's just one example. You shape the whole menu with your chef beforehand: keep it traditional, keep it simple and familiar, or play around with flavours, cuisines and dishes you've always wanted to try.

How to have a traditional Christmas dinner cooked for you

A private chef brings the Christmas dinner to you. Here's how it works with ChefMaison:

1. Share your plans. Request a quote with your date, location, number of guests and the tradition you'd like, or message a chef directly from their profile.
2. Shape the menu together. Chefs reply with personalised menu proposals, and you fine-tune every course, including dietary needs.
3. Enjoy the evening. On the day, the chef does all the shopping, arrives early, cooks everything fresh and serves each course at the table.
4. Leave the clean-up to the chef. The kitchen is cleaned before the chef leaves, and many guests say it's cleaner than they found it.

It works wherever you're celebrating: your own home or apartment, a holiday house, a garden, or one of ChefMaison's private dining locations if you'd rather have a ready-made space. A normal kitchen is all a chef needs. And it works for any group, from a Christmas dinner for two to a big family gathering or a company Christmas party.

How much does a private chef cost for Christmas?

There's no fixed price, because it depends on the chef, the number of guests and the menu. As a guide, private chef dinners usually work out at around €80 to €150 per person, averaging about €100 for most of the year. At Christmas, prices are a little higher, typically around 25% more, because it’s the busiest season of the year and festive menus often use premium ingredients. So a dinner that’s around €100 per person the rest of the year is more likely to be around €125 at Christmas. On the busiest nights, such as Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, some in-demand chefs charge more, so the best way to get an exact figure is to share your details and let chefs quote. Booking early also gives you the widest choice of chefs and budgets. Read more about how much a private chef costs.

When should you book a private chef for Christmas?

As early as you can. Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve are the busiest dates of the year for private chefs, so booking four to eight weeks ahead gives you the widest choice of chefs and menus. Last-minute requests are sometimes possible, so it's still worth asking closer to the date.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most traditional Christmas dinner in Europe?

There isn't one single European Christmas dinner. Roast turkey is the classic in the UK and common in France and Belgium, while Italy focuses on fish on Christmas Eve and filled pasta on Christmas Day, Spain on seafood and roast lamb at Nochebuena, and the Netherlands on gourmetten at the table.

What is the Feast of the Seven Fishes?

The Feast of the Seven Fishes is a Christmas Eve seafood dinner best known among Italian-Americans, rooted in the southern Italian tradition of eating no meat on Christmas Eve (La Vigilia). In Italy itself, the number of fish dishes varies by family, with salt cod, clams, fried seafood and eel all common.

What is gourmetten?

Gourmetten is a Dutch Christmas tradition where everyone cooks their own small portions of meat, fish and vegetables at the table, using a tabletop grill with individual mini pans. It's served with sauces, salads and bread, and it's one of the most popular ways to celebrate Christmas dinner in the Netherlands.

What is the French réveillon?

Le réveillon is the French Christmas Eve dinner, a long and festive meal on 24 December. It typically includes oysters, foie gras and smoked salmon, a main such as turkey with chestnuts or capon, a cheese course and a bûche de Noël, served with Champagne. French-speaking Belgians celebrate a réveillon too.

Can I hire a private chef for Christmas dinner?

Yes. A private chef can cook your Christmas dinner at your home, a holiday house or one of ChefMaison's private dining locations. The chef plans the menu with you, does the shopping, cooks and serves every course, and cleans up afterwards, so you can spend Christmas with your guests rather than in the kitchen.

Can a private chef cook a traditional Christmas dinner from another country?

Yes. ChefMaison chefs cover many cuisines, including Italian, French and Spanish, so you can have a traditional Christmas dinner from your home country, or one you'd love to try, cooked wherever you are. Just tell the chef which tradition you want and shape the menu together.

How much does a private chef cost for Christmas dinner?

Most private chef dinners cost around €80 to €150 per person, averaging about €100, and Christmas prices are typically around 25% higher because it’s the busiest season. Some in-demand chefs charge more on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, so request quotes to compare.

How far in advance should I book a private chef for Christmas?

As early as possible. Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve are the busiest dates of the year for private chefs, so booking four to eight weeks ahead gives you the widest choice. Last-minute requests are sometimes possible, so it's still worth asking closer to the date.

Can a private chef cook on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?

Yes. Chefs cook on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day (Second Christmas Day in the Netherlands) and New Year's Eve, as well as for Christmas parties in the weeks before. These are the most requested dates of the year, so availability is limited and it's best to book early.

What is a good Christmas dinner idea for a large group?

A private chef is one of the easiest ways to host Christmas for a large group. The chef plans a menu for everyone, cooks and serves each course, and handles the clean-up, so the host can actually join the celebration. Sharing courses, a festive roast or a mix of European traditions all work well.

Do I need a house or a big kitchen to hire a private chef at Christmas?

No. A normal home or apartment kitchen is enough, as chefs bring their own knives and tools and work with what you have. If you don't have a suitable space, you can book one of ChefMaison's private dining locations, a holiday house or another venue, and the chef cooks there.

Does the private chef do the shopping and the clean-up?

Yes. The chef plans the menu with you, buys all the ingredients and brings them on the day, and the groceries are normally included in the per-person price. Cleaning the kitchen is part of the service too, and many guests say the chef leaves it cleaner than they found it.

Can a private chef make a vegetarian or vegan Christmas dinner?

Yes. Chefs regularly cook vegetarian, vegan and allergy-friendly Christmas menus, from a festive nut roast to plant-based versions of classic Christmas dishes. Share every guest's dietary needs when you plan the menu, and the chef will tailor each course so nobody misses out.

How many people can a private chef cook for at Christmas?

Any size, from a Christmas dinner for two to a large family gathering or a company Christmas party. Many chefs work to a minimum total spend rather than a minimum number of guests, and the price per person usually drops as the group grows.

Planning Christmas this year? Request a free quote, browse our private chefs, or explore our private dining locations.