Write a list of all the food and drink items you need and don’t forget to allow for any veggie options or dietary requirements. If you are hosting lots of family or friends, ask them to bring something along for the meal, like the pudding or a side dish.
Don’t feel you need to be all Nigella Lawson, just because it’s Christmas and make everything from scratch. Pigs in blankets are only sausages wrapped in bacon and there’s no glory in rolling your own! If cooking isn’t your thing, treat yourself and buy it all pre-paired, it is Christmas after all.
Let’s face it, most things taste nice smothered in gravy, there’s no need for 50 different side dishes. As long as the classics and your families favourites are covered off, anything else is just a step too far.
Make sure you don’t have to visit a shop on Christmas Eve or even the weekend before! Book an online delivery slot, pre-order at the butchers and sit at home being smug and happy you are not fighting over the last bag of sprouts! Also, remember to write a shopping list and try not to over-buy.
Make sure you’ve got everything you need, especially if you have lots of people coming over for dinner at your house. So don’t just think about the food. Make sure you have enough roasting tins, serving dishes, plates and of course chairs! Borrow whatever you can from friends and family.
Some things work really well made in advance and frozen so if you have some time, now this is a real time-saver on Christmas Day itself. Jamie Oliver has a great ‘get-ahead’ gravy recipe and freeze ahead roast potatoes saves peeling and washing up an extra pan on the day too – plus they go super crispy cooked from frozen!
Unless you’ve come over all Mary Berry and are making your own, if you are buying a pudding make sure you can microwave it as this will save hob space and pan washing!
Ask other people to help with preparation and washing up and try and do it as you go along, whilst things are cooking in the oven so you don’t have to clear up your entire kitchen at the end of your Christmas meal.
If you have time, get the vegetables done the night before. Who wants to be peeling and chopping on Christmas Day? They will be fine sat in a pan of cold water and you’ll be really pleased on the day you’ve saved yourself a job. Christmas Day should be about reheating and cooking, not peeling, chopping and mixing!
Repeat to yourself… Christmas dinner is just one meal in the year! A very yummy one yes, but it doesn’t need to be perfect, so don’t put too much pressure on yourself.
This section is probably most relevant if you are hosting Christmas dinner for more people than you’d usually cook for. If you are just cooking for your own family, just think normal Sunday roast, with a few extras like pigs in blankets and stuffing balls!
🍽The meat or main element. For turkey, allow approximately 500g per person, so to feed 8 – 10 people, you’ll need a 4 – 4 1/2 kg turkey. If the meat is off the bone, allow for approximately 250g per person.
🍽What about stuffing? Allow for about 100g per person
🍽How many roast potatoes? Allow for about 250g per person
🍽How much veg? Allow for about 80-100g of any veg per person
🍽Don’t forget the gravy! Allow for about 50ml per person or more if you have a few gravy soup fans!
Children will obviously eat a bit less than mentioned above, but there is no harm in leftovers – that’s Boxing Day Lunch sorted!
There are some great tips on how to cook a turkey on the BBC Good Food website and the British Turkey website (yes really!), has a handy cooking times calculator.
Maybe you have a vegetarian in the family or coming round for dinner? Or maybe you just want to eat less meat or save some money? Here are some of our favourite ideas for a vegetarian centrepiece for Christmas Day:
🎄🎄We hope you have a wonderful, stress-free Christmas dinner 🎄🎄
