I’m 46 and I’ve never made a Christmas dinner

[nevercooked]

And I don’t know where to start.

Just me? Anyone?

Yes, I second everyone else that it's about timings and planings to ensure you have oven space, at the right time

I also think you need to make it as simple or as complicated as you feel up to, and in my world, that's almost always simple. So what things can you do in advance? eg if you want cauliflower cheese, I alwaysmake that the day before and leave in the fridge overnight then take out on the morning to put in the oven while the meat rests.

Yorkshire puddings - if you have them at christmas - jamie oliver recipe and you make the batter first thing then put them to the side ready to go.

I can't be bothered with lots of complicated sides usually so something green and something red/orange with some appropriate seasoning etc.

Gravy is not as hard as people make out and worst case, bisto added to the meat juices is delicious.

Do you have a branch of COOK near you - high quality ready prepared (to make it easier).

Yes, cook a turkey crown rather than a turkey. Unless there are real turkey leg fans.

I am envious of those who have never cooked Christmas dinner. I have cooked Christmas dinner every year since 1979.

How many are you cooking for? Any absolute must-have sides aside from the turkey main? Are you willing to embrace some 'cheats' or must it be home-cooked from scratch throughout? Christmas dinner only actually gets really complicated/challenging if it's for large numbers so oven space becomes an issue OR you have lots of different dietary needs to cater for AND/OR you're a matryr who refuses any short cuts. Assuming we're talking 4-6 people here with no dietary needs, I'd get a small turkey or even a turkey crown (don't buy a huge bird unless you have a crowd to feed as it will take so long to cook) and look at getting some of the sides like the gravy, roasties, stuffing, pigs in blankets and maybe a veg side like a green veg or red cabbage ready done from M&S or similar. Then make a list of each item and how long it takes to cook, whether oven/hob or microwave and at what temp (the benefit of the ready done sides is it will say on the packet how long it takes to cook). Then decide when you want to be serving lunch, then write yourself a schedule e.g. 9am turkey in, 11am potatos on to par-boil, 12 noon potatos into oven or whatever. Take note of any clashes e.g. if your bird takes up 3/4 of the oven you'll need to account for the fact you can't then cook lots of other things in there at the same time. Luckily turkey takes quite a lot of resting so you can whip other things in to finish at a high temperature once it's out of the oven. Don't forget to account for how long it will take you to do things like peel and chop carrots.

How many people?
If 6 or less get a turkey crown or a ready stuffed breast joint - way easier than a whole bird.

With the rest the main thing is timing, write a list of when you need to start cooking everything. Remember your turkey will need at least half an hour to rest so you can cook a lot of things after the turkey comes out of the oven.

Don't go crazy with homemade stuff. Sauces , stuffing, even gravy can be bought. Pigs in blankets etc buy ready prepared.

Make a plan working back from when you want to serve up. And write down when everything needs to go in the oven or be switched on. Then you stay in control and follow the plan.

Roasties take an hour.
Stuffing half hour.
Pigs in blankets half hour.
Etc.

You'll be fine!

What do you like? Are you skilled in the kitchen? There are loads of websites that will talk you through planning and cooking (with timings etc). DS cooks our family Christmas lunch every year now (has sone since he was about 16).

I’m in my mid 50’s and have never cooked one. We always have a huge cold buffet on Christmas Day (for up to 20 people) as no one likes the traditional roast which we don’t have at any time of the year.

53 and never cooked a roast - my dh is an amazing cook 😄

Oh and you can peel veg the night before and leave soaking in cold water. Or on foil trays in the fridge if you're roasting, just stick straight in the oven.

In the past I have par-boiled potatoes then basted them in goose fat and stuck in the freezer ready on foil trays - you can cook from frozen they will just need a bit of extra time.

You can make mash in advance too and freeze it, so it just needs microwaving on the day.

Is there no one else to Cook?

If you have never cooked a roast, Xmas dinner is going to really difficult

Me too since 1981 . Would love a year off .

If you want to cook a whole turkey - you need a meat thermometer. Just a cheap Amazon one will do. That way you won’t over or undercook it.

The key to success is -

if a big turkey is frozen allow a few DAYS for it to defrost in the fridge - don’t forget to remove the packet containing the giblets you shouldn’t be finding ice crystals in the body cavity when it’s defrosted.

and an hour before cooking bring it out into the kitchen to let it come to room temp - that way it will cook more evenly.

If you Stuff it, it will take longer to cook.

You can cook it quite early and leave it to rest for an hour, leave it wrappedup in foil and put some spare tea towels round it to keep warm. In that hour you can finish your veg and gravy.

Truly you can make the gravy with Bisto topped up with all the juice from the turkey pan, and water from the sprouts for example.

It will be delicious!

Look up Taming Twins on Instagram if you have it, she has a really simple but effective plan for Christmas dinner which I used quite successfully last year when I was doing my first. I grew up vegetarian so am extra clueless!

Unless the OP has cooked the components of a roast dinner in various ways but just not put them together (which is of course very possible), then debuting her roast potatoes/gravy/yorkshires and roasting a large piece of poultry (even a crown) all in one go, for a high stakes meal, for an audience, is going to be far more stressful than many of you seem to be assuming. Which is why I'd go Cook in her shoes every time.

It's a roast.

A bigger bit of meat than a normal roast. And more trimmings.

But it's just a roast. It isn't complicated if you work out your predicted finish time for cooking the turkey and work backwards. A bit of paper with scribbles on is a good way to plan it.

@Parker231 what goes in your buffet please? Need help as that’s what I’m doing this year - ironically it’s the first year I haven’t cooked a roast turkey in about 15 years! I especially need things for vegans, that are somehow Christmassy. I’m stumped.

Get a copy of the December Good Housekeeping or a similar magazine, that will have a Christmas dinner timetable that you you can follow, plus tips for shortcuts etc.

Keep it all simple, buy ready made items like cranberry sauce (add a splash of port to the jar to give it a lift) red cabbage, sausagemeat stuffing. Prepare as much as possible ahead of time, eg the vegetables.

If you've got the space, lay the table on Christmas Eve.

Make sure you baste it well. It really makes a difference.

I am the same. I don't intend on doing one either 😂

This is my advice too! Work your timings backward and stick your to-do list to a kitchen cupboard. You’ll do it no bother😊Also, I very much take the view that we’ll eat when it’s ready- I refuse to get bothered by it anymore!

I've never cooked one...the only perk of a December 25th birthday.

I think then don't start doing it for christmas. Either you do two trial runs in the next two weekends, or buy something in. It's going to be stressful to be cooking something you've never done before for a group of people.

Some really good advice above - I'd also do a practice run if you've never done a roast before. I don't mean replicating exactly what you're planning to cook for Christmas, but could you do a roast chicken with roast potatoes and a couple of veg? (I like steamed, nice and easy). That'll give you an idea of what's involved with timings, resting a bird, getting things in and out of the oven and so on. How many people will you be cooking for?