Christmas Lunch Ideas: An Aussie Summer Christmas Menu
Plan an easy Aussie summer Christmas lunch with cold ham, roast beef or lamb, prawns, fresh salads and a pav, plus a simple day-by-day preparation plan.
By Josh Ball, Co-founder. Reviewed by Jeff Renfrew, Head Butcher. Published 2 Nov 2026.
The short answer
An Aussie summer Christmas lunch works best cold or at room temperature: a glazed half leg ham or a roast beef, a platter of cooked prawns, a couple of seasonal salads and a pavlova. Prepare most of it the day before and keep everything chilled until you serve.
Key takeaways
- Cook once, serve cold. One centrepiece does the heavy lifting.
- Build your salads and dessert around what's in season in December, like cherries and mango.
- Prepare the day before, so Christmas morning is assembly, not cooking.
- Keep cold food below 5°C and out of the fridge for no more than two hours.
- Order your Christmas meat and seafood before the cut-off.
Let's be honest. There's nothing wrong with a hot roast on a 30-degree day, as long as you enjoy sweating over it. For everyone else, there's the Aussie summer Christmas: cold ham, juicy prawns, crisp salads and a pavlova. Here's how to plan a menu that's easy to make, easy to love and leaves you time to actually enjoy the day. When you're ready to order, browse our Christmas meat and seafood.
How to plan an Aussie summer Christmas lunch
The secret is to cook as little as possible on the day. Pick one centrepiece, like a glazed ham or a roast, and cook it the day before or early in the morning. Then build the rest of the menu around things that are happily served cold or at room temperature: prawns, salads, a cheese board and dessert. If you're firing up the barbecue too, our guide to the best meat for the BBQ has you covered.
The menu at a glance:
Starters
Cooked king prawns with lemon and a dipping sauce (coming soon)
Mango and prawn tacos
Mains
Glazed cold ham (coming soon)
Sides
Honey roasted carrots with goat cheese
Summer salad of seasonal fruit and vegetables
Desserts
Panettone bread and butter pudding
Source: Farmers Pick Christmas range and recipes. Check product pages for weights, prices and availability.
Ham, beef or lamb: choosing your centrepiece:
Half leg ham
The classic, and the easiest to serve cold. Glaze it, bake it, carve it on the day. It keeps well in the fridge too, which is handy for Boxing Day sandwiches.
Standing rib roast
A showstopper for a bigger table. Roast it a day ahead and serve it at room temperature with horseradish, or carve it warm if the day is a cooler one.
Whole beef eye fillet
Tender, quick to cook and beautifully sliced. Serve it rare to medium, warm or cold.
Frenched lamb rack
Two racks make an easy guard of honour that looks very impressive for very little effort. It cooks quickly, too.
Wondering how many each one feeds? Check the weight on each product page, and lean to the generous side if you've got a crowd. Our butcher's serving guide on the Christmas range page will help. You'll find all the cuts on our Christmas meat and seafood page. Ham will be available to order from mid-November and prawns from the end of November.
Prawns and cold starters
Prawns are the Aussie Christmas signature. Serve them cold on ice with lemon, or turn them into mango and prawn tacos for something lighter.
Salads and sides with seasonal produce
December is a great time for produce. Mango, cherries, stone fruit and summer veg are all at their best, so build your salads around them. A mango and avocado salad, a crisp green salad with cherries, or honey roasted carrots with goat cheese all taste great at room temperature. See what's in season in our summer fruit and veg guide.
Dessert: pavlova, cherries and something warm
Pavlova is the Aussie classic, and mini black forest pavlovas, with cream and cherries, give it a festive twist. Want something warm? Panettone bread and butter pudding is a delicious way to use up leftover panettone. And festive gingerbread cookies are lovely to hand around with coffee.
If you're planning on using cherries, you can order them here.
Your preparation plan: five days to Christmas
Five days before
Order early and check you've got enough fridge and freezer space. If you've ordered frozen items, thaw them in the fridge. Keep your ham covered in the fridge at 5°C or below.
The day before
Glaze and cook the ham, roast the beef and whisk up your salad dressings. Make the pavlova bases. Chill everything so there's less to do on the day.
Christmas morning
Assemble the salads, whip the cream and put the prawns out on ice. Set out small amounts at a time and refill from the fridge. Perishable food shouldn't be out of the fridge for more than two hours in summer heat.
Good to know
Perishable food like cooked meats, seafood, salads and dips shouldn't be out of the fridge for more than two hours in summer heat. Refrigerate or freeze leftovers promptly.
Take it for a test drive
Nervous about getting it right on the day? Cook our Porchetta Christmas lunch or Mini Black Forest Pavlovas recipes beforehand and work out any kinks early.
Christmas lunch FAQs
What to serve for Christmas lunch in Australia?
Most Aussies go cold and fresh: glazed ham, a platter of prawns, a roast beef or lamb, a couple of salads and a pavlova for dessert. Cook once, serve most things cold or at room temperature, and prepare the day before so Christmas morning is easy.
What can I prepare the day before Christmas lunch?
Cook and chill the ham or roast, make salad dressings and the pavlova bases, thaw anything frozen in the fridge and prepare your vegetables. On the day, you only need to assemble salads, whip the cream and serve everything cold from the fridge.
How do you keep Christmas food safe in summer?
Keep the fridge at 5°C or below, put out small amounts at a time, and don't leave cooked meats, seafood, salads or dips out for more than two hours in summer heat. Cook poultry to 75°C, and refrigerate or freeze leftovers as soon as possible.
Can I order Christmas ham and prawns from Farmers Pick?
Yes. Our Christmas range includes half leg ham and cooked king prawns, along with cherries, beef eye fillet, standing rib roast and frenched lamb racks. Availability, delivery details and the order-by date are on our Christmas range page, so order early, because Christmas delivery cut-offs apply and popular items can sell out. Half leg ham will be available to order mid-November and cook king prawns will be available to order end of November.
Add to Your Box
Half Leg Ham: the centrepiece (coming soon). Cooked King Prawns, 1kg: the starter (coming soon). Grass Fed Frenched Lamb Racks 1.5kg. Grass Fed Whole Beef Eye Fillet 1.8kg. Grass Fed Beef Standing Rib Roast 2.3kg. Fruit & Veg Box: the seasonal salads.
Sources
- Food Safety Information Council, Christmas and summer entertaining food safety tips.
- Farmers Pick recipes and Christmas range.
Farmers Pick editorial policy: we cite authoritative sources, date-stamp claims that change, and update this guide when they do.
Keep Reading