To ask how you do a Christmas Dinner?

[Hofuckingho]

By that I mean, how do you get everything cooked ready at the same time? How can you roast meat, cook roasties, parsnips, Yorkshire puds, stuffing for a lot of people, with a domestic oven?

I have 12 coming, help.

Do veggies which can be reheated in the micro. Red cabbage with apple, swede and carrot purée, mash, (not sprouts though). Cook your meat first, and put in the roasties at the appropriate time. Take the meat out when it’s cooked cover it with foil and a few tea towels to keep it warm whilst it ‘rests’, and put the Yorkshire’s in. Simple!

You need to make a proper plan with precise timings etc.

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2001/dec/09/foodanddrink.recipes1

Delia's above is good, just adjust the timings for when you want to serve.

Another vote for writing everything down in a timetable [not that I have done that this year]. Huge reduction in stress results.

Yorkshire puddings first. They can be reheated

Buying pots of bread sauce & turkey gravy and trays of chestnut stuffing from M&S is a perfectly acceptable ‘cheat’ .

Delegate all tasks other than actual cooking.

Peel spuds & prep veg the night before.

Good luck!

So, not wishing to sound completely stupid... how can you do your Yorkshire Puds and have other stuff in the oven? What if something is cooked and needs to come out? I understand if you open the oven it's all over with the Yorkies.

There really is no need to cook the turkey the day before.

A generously sized turkey should rest for at least one hour and can happily sit for two hours resting and will still be warm. Take the turkey out, put your potatoes in, put carrots and parsnips in later, stuffing and pigs in blankets for the last 25 min or so.

If you want to make it even easier on yourself parboil the potatoes in advance, turn them in goose fat and freeze them. Carrots and parsnips don’t have to be roasted, you can can steam them in advance and on the day just warm them on the hob and turn them in butter and maple syrup (or whatever you want, maybe honey and lemon or honey and thyme).

Most importantly make sure you have a meat thermometer. Takes all the guesswork and stress out of cooking the turkey.

But actually it’s just practice. I’ve made loads of mistakes over the past 40 years. Not many these days though. Just remember lovely thick boiling gravy can mask many a lukewarm veggie! 😀

If you want to make sure your Yorkshire puddings are perfect I’d make your veg on the hob. One less thing to coordinate.

Work out your timings - If the Yorkshires are going to need thirty minutes, put them in half an hour before the potatoes are due to be done. Stuffing can go in at the same time, and the pigs in blankets.

I'd buy Waitrose fresh Yorkshires which only require 5 mins in top heat oven to reheat nicely. Or just not bother. You have enough to do!

Are you doing pudding? Nigella has good advice if you want to do a traditional Xmas pud and a chocolate pud for kids/non xmas pudding lovers. Steam the Xmas pud (for about 3hrs) then halfway through you add the choc pud on the top of the steamer- it will take 1.5hrs.

OP that's why you do your Yorkshire puddings first. You should cook them with nothing else in the oven. Cook them, put them to one side then heat when required. I do this every Sunday 👍

Work out all your cooking times in advance, then work backwards from the time you plan to serve up.

Cranberry sauce can be made a couple of days before and refrigerated, we don't bother with bread sauce.

My routine is normally turkey in oven, mix yorkshire pudding batter. Prep pigs in blankets and pop in oven. When done, put to one side, they can be reheated nearer the time.

In the meantime, prep all veg. Potatoes, roast only, mash is such a faff, and an extra pan to find / wash up. Cook roasties 90 mins before serving, for an hour. We have stuffing separate, M&S chestnut and pork, cooked in its foil tray whilst the roasties are cooking. Leaves 30 mins to cook yorkshire puddings.

As each thing is ready, put in a covered serving dish, use foil to cover if necessary. Either keep warm in hostess trolley or top oven. If you have neither, then bung everything in the oven for 10 minutes at the end. And warm the dinner plates too.

Usually green beans, sprouts, carrots and peas is enough. Cook just before serving, they only need 5 minutes or so simmering / steaming in a little boiling water. Cook your usual sunday dinner gravy or get ready made if you cba. I always make my own, but have had years of practice.

We don't have starters these days, but have christmas pudding (shop-bought premium range and microwaveable) with brandy butter (make a couple of days before and refrigerate) and fresh cream.

If we have room, then a cheese board (no real prep required).

You can cook the turkey the day before and warm up slices in gravy.

Do not do this, too reminiscent of a leftovers supper .

Prep as much in advance as possible! Stuffing, pigs in blankets, cauliflower cheese etc all made in advanced in foil dishes that can be wrapped, Cooked with then tossed afterwards.

Veg peeled cut and in cold water night before.

Gammon cooked and Turkey prepped night before.

Set table/get out serving dishes etc night before.

Bottle of wine in fridge for the chef

Sprouts cooked on the hob in a frying pan after a bit of parboiling. Carrots in the microwave steamer, then into hot dish with some herby butter.

Turkey comes out at least an hour before we want to eat. Wrap in foil and pile teatowels on top of it, it will stay warm for ages.

Spuds peeled and kept in water overnight, par boil for a few minutes and then roasted for about 40 mins in the oven. Cut them smallish so they cook more quickly. Parmesan parsnips par boiled and frozen - need half an hour max in the oven.

So once the turkey is out, dish goes in the oven to warm for spuds. Parboil spuds, whack them in the oven, shortly followed by parsnips then pigs in blankets. Watch cooking times as they take longer if the oven is full of other goodies. Sprouts, red cabbage and carrots on hob or in microwave.

When spuds and veg nearly done, carve turkey and plate up onto warm plates, add veg and you’re done.

Make the gravy in advance.

For two reasons:

It’s not difficult, but it is extra faff when you have cooking clutter everywhere already and have to make room on the hob for another saucepan and are half cut anyway

Also, a turkey does not produce enough juice to make enough gravy for everyone from the pan drippings.

Ironically though, once the turkey is all eaten, you will have a carcass that will give you oodles of lovely rich stock. It’s too late then!

Although I’m not American, I have considered celebrating Thanksgiving in order to have a turkey carcass from which to make the Christmas gravy.

Watching Jamie's quick Christmas- anyone tried his stuffing?

Make the Yorkshires the day (or a few days before and freeze them) then pile on one tray and re heat for 5 mins. I do this every Sunday...making Yorkies at 9am on s Sunday is normal in this (Yorkshire located) house!!

Follow Delia to the letter and ignore my mother's helpful advice. Though when I had a gas oven I realised that gas pressure seems to drop on Christmas day so the oven needs to be higher/ timings longer if we want to eat before 2.30.

I inherited my aunt’s hostess trolley. It’s only used for two days at Christmas but it’s amazing, and it’s got a certain retro kitsch about it.

Yorkshire puddings on Christmas dinner??? Really?!!!?

A key thing, besides timings, is figuring out oven/hob space. No point in having loads of things that need to go in the oven at the same time, or seven things to prep simultaneously on only four hobs. Also, streamline your jobs on the day - prep as much ahead of time as possible. For example, I'm making red cabbage the day before so it can just warm up on the hob at the last minute. I've also opted for a carrot puree rather than roast veg to save oven space. The tip about prepping roasties ahead sounds promising too.

My friendship group has always had a tradition of big roast dinners, so I've been making them for 10+ people for about a decade and am pretty confident with my timings. But I totally understand how daunting it seems when you don't do it often. You CAN do it, just plan as much as possible and don't panic.

I write a detailed list of timings. Then an hour before it's all done it all goes tits up and I run around mildly panicking and madly sweating whilst downing prosecco. Seems to work out fine in the end though. I also have 12 for xmas lunch. Good luck!

Yes, write a schedule. That's actually a happy part of my Christmas festive routine now - the Christmas Schedule. I get great joy in adding in ridiculous items like "13:15 - put the cranberry sauce in a bowl" - but it helps. Work out when you want to eat and work backwards. The meat, whatever it is, can sit quite happily for an hour in foil so that gives you oven space for potatoes, yourkshires etc.

If it is your first time and you are daunted, then cut out unnecessary stuff.

• you do not need 5 veg, pick your 2 favourite
• you do not need to make your own cranberry sauce or bread sauce
• you do not need Yorkshire puddings
• you do not need starters
• you do not need to make your own gravy

I've been doing Xmas lunch for ~25 years (that makes me feel old). As I have got more confident I have added a few things, but only because I know I can manage it.

Plus, you want to be able to socialise with all your guests!