Christmas dinner cooked in advance?

[Chridtmasnights22]

Hi all, I couldnt find a cooking thread so posting here, sorry if its the wrong place.
Quick cooking question, its my turn to cook Christmas lunch this year (chicken with all the trimmings) however I have a demanding baby so want to cook it super early before she wakes & re-heat for 12pm. Eg waking at 5am, cooking everything before she wakes at 7am. Im a rubbish cook, is it even possible to re-heat everything? Or would it be better to prep everything before she wakes but if so how do I prep vegetables, where do I keep them?
my husband is very ill so I have no help but only cooking for 4. Thanks xx

Prep and pre cook all the sides on Christmas eve. Pop them in the fridge.

Christmas Day, roast the chicken, then while it's resting, warm the sides through.

I think you don't need to get up at 5am. A roast chicken dinner for four isn't too much work and prep. Most of it is just bung in the oven isn't it? You can peel and chop the veg the night before though.

This!

I personally hate re-heated food. Most do taste a lot better freshly cooked. It is just not the same. OK for leftovers but not for the Christmas meal.

How about prepping everything and then bung it in the oven when needed.

Unless it's just you and the baby, I would either hand over the baby to someone or let someone do the cooking.

Thanks all, so do I part boil veg & potatoes the night before? And cook everything on the day?

What veg are you doing?

If I were you, I’d buy posh frozen roast potatoes- Tesco have two kinds. Parsnips are good too.

I’d get ready made braised red cabbage, frozen sprouts, gravy powder.

On the day put the chicken in for 90mins, add the potatoes after 30mins.

Make stuffing and gravy while everything else is in the oven.

Do the sprouts and cabbage in the microwave.

I did a readymade Christmas when I knew I could get called away to a sick relative. It was so much easier, I still do the potatoes now- more relaxing on a day that’s already busy.

Seriously, the chicken bit is grand. You just have it in the fridge, in the roasting tray, wrapped in foil ready to go. Take it out an hour before cooking, then you can just stick it in the oven when it is up to0 temperature.

The sides, yes, do before. Make mash tomorrow or Tuesday, parboil potatoes and coat in Goose fat, wrap in clingfilm, take out of fridge with the chicken and put in the oven about 50 mins pre serving dinner. Let other potatoes cook on after removing roasties, until a fork pierces super easily. Mash those, with a little butter and cream and leave to micro on the day with extra butter and cream. I also put in black pepper, but not everyone likes that, so I would not of feeding unfamiliar people.

Don't know about your other sides, but you can make it so that stuff just needs popping in the oven.

I have done a 3 course meal every year since dc, including the year I had a section on Dec 2nd. As long as you prep slowly, rope in help when needed and write up a plan, it is grand.

Don't stress!

I boiled potatoes tonight. They're in freezer on trays untouching. Once frozen i bung them all together in a bag. Will do the same with parsnips and carrots tomorrow. Potatoes get shoved into oven low down with turkey and later the veg go in. Quick saute of Brussel sprouts. Always done it that way since kids were babies.

Simple suggestions
Day before (or even on 23rd)
Peel and par boil (10mins) potatoes and parsnips if doing- you can also par boill carrots at same time to save fuel.
Cool veg and put potatoes and parsnips in a ray coated in oil or other fat season
Set carrots aside.
If making red cabbage - boil with red wine apple and star anise until soft and then add some sugar and finish until more jammy. Put in fridge microwave before serving
Make stuffing balls and put in fridge
If you have time do make ahead gravy- but this does require oven use so uses fuel- roast chicken wings in tray until brown, add white wine simmer scrub bits off bottom of tray into sauce, pour through sieve into pan Discard wings or pick for cat or dog, add chicken stock, simmer then thicken
Pigs in blankets - roll sausages in bacon set aside in fridge.
Cauliflower cheese- In microwave steam cauliflower in serving pot. remove when soft. Boil milk in same container in microwave- thicken with cornflour. add lumps cheddar. Heat again. Mix back in cauliflower. put in fridge.
On day
Put chicken in oven at 180. If medium put potatoes and parsnips in at same time, if large wait 20 mins.
Half hour before serving add pigs in blankets and stuffing to oven.
Put gravy in pan ready to re-heat.
If doing sprouts fry bacon and set aside and boil sprouts for 10 mins
Add butter and lemon peel to carrots and warm through
Microwave red cabbage

Not the most sophisticated but do-able with minimum effort on day

Usual, carrots, parsnips & potatoes. Do I peel them the night before & put them in the fridge, in water? Or perhaps boil them & roast on the day?!

In your position with a sick husband and baby - I would get ready made side and use a large foil tray (to save cleaning up) to roast the chicken. A flask is my tio for gravy - it will keep it super hot and you could make it slightly earlier than the rest of the last min things

Thanks so much everyone xx

Freezing ahead works for me.
So far I have gravy,cranberry sauce,roast potatoes,stuffing & potato gratin in the freezer.
Lots of good information on line or on YouTube about how to successfully reheat your dishes.
I will cook the potatoes from frozen & defrost the rest.

I have all the Xmas side dishes prepped today and in the freezer. I would normally do it tomorrow/Xmas Eve and just chill but I'm busy. I cook the turkey and ham from scratch on Xmas day.

I am only 'reheating' the things that are fine reheated - like mash. Other dishes, like roast potatoes, I do to a specific point in their cooking, then finishing their cooking on the day. It just speeds thing up and most things can be finished in the oven/microwave in their serving dishes. It means I don't have a load of pans used for parboiling, etc, to deal with on Xmas day.

Look online for what restaurants do to prep ahead for service (and I don't mean those who buy it in and heat it up).