Solve me a Christmas riddle! (Food related)

[snowballer]

We have one oven. A totally bog standard, normal, single oven with two shelves and an internal grill.

This year, I have 12 people for Christmas Day - 7 adults and 5 kids aged from 6-12.

How the hell am I going to actually cook dinner for 12?! I have done 9 from it in the past, but the extra three is sending me over the edge! I'm a pretty competent cook so suspect this is about timing and prep, but the fact the turkey takes up the whole oven for around 3.5 hours is rather awkward. (Must have turkey, must be whole bird - just preference).

Hit me with your incredible ideas! 🙏

@justkeepswimmng even if there are pigs in blankets?

It does help that we're used to changing it up for Christmas dinner, so sides change quite naturally depending on what the bird or joint is that year! And no one is particularly bothered about the little piggies. 😁

Definitely get it!

Not to throw another puzzle into the equation, but where is everyone sitting/will you have to do two separate servings?

Could do kids first, then adults??

Have puddings been mentioned

Definitely an extra shelf! Sometimes the best solutions are the simple ones. 🙂

Ah sorry!!!!

No your right, one type of sausage is plenty x

Make and freeze red cabbage in advance (tastes better too), defrost day before then into slow cooker in the morning.

Watch out if freezing potatoes etc, threw our timings last year as it cooled the oven down so much and everything took forever!

Ahhhh I'm getting so excited for Christmas dinner now!

We're doing duck this year, and maybe roast sirloin too. Plus the ham of course.

Yes I wouldn't freeze the potatoes - better left fresh.

Can any of your guests bring dishes?

Hopefully the picture will add but mine looks sort of like this but it's got a bit at the bottom to put plates

Weirdly we have a huge kitchen but only one oven - so plenty of space to set everyone, just not plenty of space to cook for everyone!

And it has to be pigs in blankets AND sausages - this is mainly my own demand...

Heh well as the host/cook you've earnt the right to make whatever demands you want.

I think it's doable.

They can, but will still need to be heated. The prep isn't my issue, it's the oven space and everything still being hot at the same time. I think a hostess may be the 70s answer to my 2024 problem!

Yes they knew what they were doing with hosting/dinner parties in the 70s!

I buy a boned and rolled turkey, even for 12 it takes one hour on one oven shelf.

This is exactly what I do. When the turkey comes out the roast potatoes go in at the top, the carrots in a foil parcel at the bottom, followed shortly after by the roast parsnips, then the cocktail sausages. The stuffing is cooked inside the turkey. Everything else is cooked on the hob.

NRTFT so apologies if already mentioned... you can buy extra shelves for ovens, I got an expandable one off EBay, assuming your oven has extra slots.

You can hire catering equipment. Maybe a bain marie?

eventhireuk.com/product-category/catering-equipment-hire/food-drink-serving-hire/

I'm in the same situation as you OP. I'm planning on cooking the turkey Christmas eve during the day, boiling and mashing the swede on Christmas eve too. I'll make my stuffing a week before and freeze it in its tray. I'm going to borrow my DD's slow cooker - that and my slow cooker can keep 2 lots of veg warm on the day.

Looking at that hostess trolley on Amazon. I may buy one.