Christmas Lunch has been my responsibility since I was 14 years of age, following the passing of my mother.

Thankfully I hail from a family that appreciate good, simple food with the bulk of the vegetables coming out of the backyard vegetable garden: lettuce, carrots, potatoes, pumpkins and tomatoes. So many tomatoes that my Dad blamed the fruit for his continual battle with gout!

This meant that Christmas lunch generally revolved around cold ham and salads, though occasionally, one or two of the chickens would be sacrificed for an entree of Chicken In The Basket.

When I was very young my mother used to make the Christmas Pudding though I don't think it was the actual taste of the pudding or the rum sauce that appealed as a child, but rather the discovery of thruppenny pieces hidden within the dish.

I've never cooked a Pudding nor a Christmas Cake in my life. Nor a Pavlova. I know my limitations. Instead, I've been dressing up Ice Cream with exotic fruits for over fifty years. Lighter and easier in the heat of a summer's day. 

Queuing up for fresh seafood at 6am is not much fun so these days prawns and oysters are no longer on the menu either.

This does not make me a lazy cook for indeed over the years I have made a point of presenting a new dish for each Christmas Luncheon. Scouring new recipes for the event begins in earnest in November and considerable time is spent considering the availability of fresh ingredients and guest's food intolerances.

My Smashed Brussel Sprouts were not a success, nor was a Pumpkin Cous Cous.

Let's not even mention my Roast Duck. Nobody told me that this is a dish best served hot. Cold, it was like chewing on a doona. 

Last year a friend in the USA provided a recipe for a Sweet Potato Casserole which went down a treat, and I put that down to the smokey aroma of Bourbon and the subtle crunch of walnuts.

Who knew that Thai Fish Cakes make a light and tasty entree and that stuffing a cauliflower can be such a success around the table?

An early Christmas this year with family passing through means my efforts in the kitchen will be even more basic. There is nothing wrong with Potato Salad and Coleslaw, and the chicken will be replaced by a Moroccan Lamb Salad.

After all, it's not about the food, it's about sitting down together to "break bread". Remind me to get the Bread Maker out of the cupboard please.

What will you be cooking?