The 12 most hated Christmas foods - and how to love them!

We ran a poll to find out the most hated Christmas food in the country - and we were quite surprised by the result! Read on to see the 12 most hated festive foods - and our handy tips for how to give them a tasty twist!

Blueberry trifle

Why not switch up your festive dishes this year?!

We reveal the most hated Christmas foods - and how to love them! If you hate turkey and Brussels sprouts or Christmas pudding and mince pies, read on...

Christmas is a time of indulgence, so why don't you kick the diet to the curb and even scoff down the seasonal dishes you usually hate!

Yup, after running a poll to find out the most hated Christmas food in the country, GoodtoKnow managed to uncover some of Britain's least favourite festive plates.

With some very surprising appearances in the list, we decided to give your Christmas dinner a spruce up with our very own tasty twist - read at the peril of your waistline!

The most hated Christmas foods - and how to love them!

12. Turkey

For many, no festivities are complete without a turkey on the table. However, most Brits aren't particularly found of the seasonal poultry - with many claiming it to be dry and under-flavoured.

How to make better: It's not all lost for the traditional turkey, it just needs a little love. First you need to know how to cook your turkey just right to get the meat nice and moist. Then you can add a tasty stuffing or try one of our ways to pimp your Christmas turkey.

How to avoid altogether: You don't HAVE to have turkey. We have lots of different Christmas turkey alternatives to choose from.

11. Trifle

A classic trifle is a big old mixture of layers, ingredients and textures; the soggy sponge, the thick custard layer, the sharp, alcoholic undertones - with such strong flavours, it's easy to see why people aren't that keen on the traditional pud.

How to make better: Give the classic recipe a twist. You don't have to include all the layers if you're not a fan. Our simple raspberry trifle is elegant and not too fussy and this orange and blueberry trifle (pictured) is a fruity twist on the traditional dish. See more of our easy trifle recipes.

How to avoid altogether: There are so many other options you can choose for Christmas dessert - a chocolate log or pavlova make a nice, special treat.

10. Parsnips

Hairy Bikers' roast parsnips

This one surprised us - what's wrong with the humble parsnip? The root veg may not be the most exciting thing on the plate but there's plenty you can do before you bin it from your menu.

How to make better: Honey and mustard is a simple combination but it's all you need to boost the flavour of your parsnips. See more of our parsnip ideas.

How to avoid altogether: There are many other types of Christmas sides that will more than fill your Christmas dinner plate - just try and make sure a few of them are veg!

9. Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry Sauce

Cranberries have quite a distinctive flavour and the sharpness or the fruity/savoury combination is not an all-round favourite.

How to make better: A little lime juice will soften the edge of cranberries. You also don't have to eat the sauce with meat, try it with cheese and biscuits to see if that combination is more suited to your palate.

How to avoid altogether: Sauces are an extra special Christmas touch but cranberry isn't the only option. Bread sauce or a homemade mint sauce are a nice touch but really, as long as you've got your gravy perfect - you're sorted.

8. Mince pies

The rich, dense mincemeat in these traditional Christmas pies is the dividing factor here - you either love it or hate it.

How to make better: Bake a brownie on top of it - seriously! Our chocolate orange brownie mince pies converted all the mince pie haters in our office.

How to avoid altogether: Make Christmas cupcakes instead - they're much more fun!

7. Christmas cake

Mini Christmas cakes

The Christmas cake is a staple festive bake but it seems not that many people actually like the rich fruit cake base.

How to make better: You can lighten the mixture by adding different fruits such as cranberries or you could serve the bake as mini Christmas cakes instead.

How to avoid altogether: Make a traditional Victoria sponge or chocolate cake, add a few festive flavours or decorations and voila - a Christmas cake people will actually eat!

6. Brandy butter

A creamy butter that tastes like booze? It's a weird one. If you like alcohol-infused foods, you'll be a fan, if you prefer your booze served in a glass, maybe not so much.

How to make better: You can add other flavours to the brandy butter such as vanilla, orange or cranberry to calm down the overbearing taste of brandy. Try this homemade brandy butter recipe a go - you'll be sold on it!

How to avoid altogether: You traditionally serve brandy butter with Christmas pudding but a big dollop of clotted cream or a drizzle of double cream will work just as well.

5. Brussels sprouts

Stir-fried sprouts with chestnuts and bacon

Now, we thought this one would be a bit higher on the list but it seems the much-hated sprout is winning people over. If cooked right, sprouts can be a welcome addition to your Christmas dinner.

How to make better: The absolute worst thing you can do with sprouts is overcook them, so learn how to cook your sprouts perfectly first. Then, if you still need some convincing, try thisrecipe from Gordon Ramsay for Brussels sprouts with pancetta - it won over all our sprout haters in the office!

How to avoid altogether: There are many other vegetables that would work as a Christmas side. Green beans or broccoli will add some greens to your plate.

4. Nut roast

brazil nut roast

Not a big problem for meat-eaters but if you're a veggie and you don't like nut roast, you're in for an interesting Christmas dinner.

How to make better: You can make nut roast with lots of different combinations of ingredients so have a play with our sweet potato nut roast or our Brazil nut roast (pictured).

How to avoid altogether: There are plenty of other options for a veggie at Christmas (although some meat-eaters tend to forget this!), a veggie pie and stuffed butternut squash are just some of our tasty vegetarian Christmas ideas.

3. Mulled wine

Mulled wine bowl

The lovely warming smells are some people's ideal Christmas treat but it seems not everyone is a fan of a steaming glass of mulled wine.

How to make better: If the wine is putting you off you could try mulled cider for the same flavours but with a lighter base.

How to avoid altogether: There are so many different Christmas cocktails you could try if you want a festive drink.

2. Christmas pudding

This Christmas pudding looks and tastes even better. It is too tempting to resist ? at Christmas and at any other time.

We buy one every year out of tradition but, be honest, how many people actually eat it? The rich, dense pudding is tricky to make as well - who has time to steam a pudding for 6 hours?

How to make better: You can play with the flavours if making from scratch, our mulled wine Christmas pudding might tempt a few more people to give it a go.

How to avoid altogether: Obviously there are many other Christmas desserts you could go for but if you want to keep it in the same traditional vein you could make a steamed pudding like our honey and lemon pudding.

1. Eggnog

It's thick, creamy and it's got alcohol in it - our most hated Christmas food is eggnog! Its an American tradition that's just not catching on!

How to make better: The flavours of eggnog are very Christmassy so if you want to experience them you could bake them into a cake like our spiced eggnog pound cake.

How to avoid altogether: Just say no! No-one should force you to drink a glass of eggnog - it's Christmas!

Where to next?

More Christmas recipes

Homemade food gift ideas

No-bake Christmas recipes for kids

Holly Boultwood
Content creator

Holly has over 15 years' experience understanding and creating digital content that people want to read and share. Holly's has created news and lifestyle content for brands, such Now Magazine, Best Magazine and Goodto.com.