A third of the country will sit down for Christmas dinner today at 3.00pm, a survey by Keogh’s Farm has found.
It found that 34% of Irish adults will sit down at this time for the festive feast.
Roast potatoes are the number one side dish choice for 42% of the country, while stuffing (25%) and mashed potatoes (11%) will also be found on the plates of many, it found.
According to Keogh’s Farm, the Christmas grocery shop began a month in advance of Christmas for 28% of the country.
The vast majority (78%) will prepare and eat both turkey and ham for their main meal with 5% eating turkey only and 4% opting instead for salmon, it found.
Indulging in festive foods is what 63% of Irish adults are most looking forward to this Christmas, according to the survey.
Some nine in 10 people will muster up a turkey and stuffing sandwich while it found that 44% will put the leftover turkey in a curry.
Some inventive suggestions on how to use the leftovers in the survey included making turkey lasagne, turkey fajitas and turkey and ham vol-au-vents.
The survey of over 1,000 Irish adults indicated that home is the place to be on Christmas Day.
Over half of respondents (54%) will host Christmas dinner in their own home while 30% will head for their parents’ house for a home cooked meal by mum.
While sitting at the table, 91% will always pull Christmas crackers with their family, 56% begin with a toast to health and wealth, 42% will acknowledge loved ones missing from the table and 19% will say a short prayer or grace before meals.
Commenting on the survey results, Tom Keogh, managing director of Keogh’s Farm, said that Christmas is a big deal in Ireland and for his family, and many others, it has always centred around the food.
“Mealtimes are an event, a cause for celebration. I make it my business to celebrate Christmas using produce from Irish suppliers each year and I urge those beginning their Christmas shopping now to do the same,” he said.