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.

Yorkshire puds are NOT required with turkey.

If you are feeding 12 you don't really need a very big turkey. Pigs can be micro blasted after cooking in advance, as can veg and gravy. You only need the turkey, parsnips and roasties in the oven. Have you thought about narrower roasting tins and putting them in side by side rather than on separate shelves.

Roasties are best on sizzle in hot oil, lower temp and hot to crisp for last 20 and then toss in the oil and turn right down.

I'm hosting my first Christmas lunch this year, but have practiced a few times with different components. I get the timing wrong every single time. I'm planning on doing the meat first, and using a banquet fry pan for the roast spuds.

I have a table top food warmer, it means I can get some things hot and out of the way. It's really useful.

Yorkshire puds are NOT required with turkey.

Ignore this utter madness!
Your best bet in my opinion is to make Yorkshires first, in the morning perhaps. They need to be undisturbed on a high temperature and can be hard to juggle with everything else, so I recommend making them in advance and then just popping them in the oven for a couple of minutes to warm right at the end.

Meat in for longest - potatoes either with the meat or par-boiled and then in later.

I am cooking for 10. I cheat a bit, not a huge fan of cooking really. I also have a large double oven (one fan, one not). I will cook the turkey (crown) in the fan oven, but move to the other oven halfway through, so other things can go in the fan oven (Pigs in Blankets, Stuffing, Potatoes, Parsnips, Yorkshires).

I will peel all veg the day before (potatoes, carrots, parsnips) and leave in water over night. Roast potatoes can be made well in advance and frozen, same for parsnips. Then just reheated on the day. According to my DH they taste better this way. I'm not doing that this Christmas, but have in the past. Just don't overcook them the first time. Always par-boil potatoes and fluff them up a bit in the colander before roasting (makes them more crispy!).

Yorkshire puddings come ready made from the supermarket and take 4 minutes (I am lazy). And I am only doing these as a couple of guests have requested.

Broccoli is steamed over the carrots.

I give sprouts a miss. Disgusting little things.

Pigs in Blankets/Stuffing, comes ready to bung in the oven.

Gravy (this year) is courtesy of M&S - and comes in a tub (x 2).

Bread sauce (only a couple of people like this revolting stuff) comes from a packet mix.

Cranberry comes from a jar (again only a couple of people like this).

Interesting how everyone cooks different things! There will be no red cabbage or cauliflower cheese for us for Christmas - but love both of them!

I work back from what time I'd like us to eat. And write a list of timings. Dishing up is always the problem, especially for lots of people. Warm plates are important, and I use the non-fan oven to warm plates and keep food warm once turkey is properly cooked. Putting food on table for people to serve themselves can work, but depends if people are going to hog all the best things, and is also time consuming if lots of people.

Christmas pudding is microwaveable!

Don't cook the turkey the night before, you'll ruin it. A turkey can rest for 2-3 hours covered with fool and still be nice and warm. I make my stuffing in my slow cooker and it's amazing year after year.

I know this is not what you asked but the other thing to put into timing is that it takes a long time for 12 people to sit down at the table - I allow 2/3 minutes per person - they have to nip the loo, get changed. get drinks, decide where to sit, pull crackers,
it takes forever!

people can wait for the food but hot food should not wait for the people.

I also start my roasties in a deep fat fryer so they are sealed and not soggy

Turkey (not large)
Pigs x 24
Stuffing x 2 packs
Bread and ranberry sauce - M&S
Lux poultry gravy M&S
12 medium spuds thirded
12 parsnips halved
48 sprouts
3 packs chantenay carrots
If you must, one other veg

There is only so much food one person can eat from one plate.

Puddings are one of the few things that are just as good microwaved for a couple of mins as they are steamed for god knows how long.

@karala - I have always said I won't do Christmas dinner until I inherit the Hostess Trolley to help!

@DSHathawayGivesMeFannyGallops
www.aldi.co.uk/ambiano-buffet-food-warmer/p/097042238284200

Next best thing to a hostess trolley.

It depends on your facilities
I have 2 ovens and a microwave that is also convection oven
Our Xmas dinner consists of 2 different roasts - pigs in blankets - home made stuffing - roast potatoes - butternut squash/sweet potato mash - red cabbage with cranberries - cauliflower cheese - mashed swede/carrot - broccoli - Brussel sprouts - roast parsnips - gravy
I prep all the veg on Xmas eve so all ready just to microwave or pop in oven
Roast goes on in time to come out 1 hour before we eat - which gives me plenty of time to put other stuff in oven or microwave

No help to you whatsoever but we use the Hostess trolley I rescued from my parents house when we cleared it out.

As others have said do the turkey and take it out to rest. Stuffing in the turkey. Potatoes, parsnips can then go in and after 30 minutes put in pigs in blankets, extra stuffing balls, sausages etc, do mini Yorkshires in bun or muffin tray as they only take 10 -15 minutes. Check potatoes/parsnips before putting Yorkshires in. Rest of veg and gravy goes on hob. Cook ham the night before too.

Prepare veg the night before and I would stuff the turkey too. Remember a stuffed turkey takes longer.

Buy ready made Yorkshires and bung them in as you begin to dish up. They only take 4 minutes.

I start my roasts/parsnips off when the meat is still in and when the meat comes out it rests for 30 minutes whilst the rest cooks. Veg gets microwaved as much as possible once I've started the gravy making process off ( I like proper gravy, made with the juices and red wine because we have beef as turkey is rank).

It generally all goes just fine as the sherry gets opened once the roasts go in.

I have never cooked for 12 though.

Forgets king Yorkshire puddings or cauliflower cheese.
Prep veg the night before,leave potatoes soaking in a pan of water Make gravey the night before..I do my pigs in blankets the week before and freeze,move to fridge the night before.

Put the turkey on first and parboil potatoes.Take turkey out when cooked and cover with tinfoil and towels.Put the oven up and put potatoes on for 10min then add pigs in blankets and any other veg like carrots.Boil any other veg,heat gravey boil water and last of all cook sprouts for about 8mins.
I usually find room Inthe oven for some of the serving dishes but warm plates in hot water.
If this is your first dinner please make sure the Turkey you get is not too big for the oven!
I have a timetable and could set the timer for the next thing to do which stops you being distracted or flustered and lets you chat to guests.
If you do a starter make it something like page or salmon so no cooking involved.Also remember the golden rule,the cook never washes up .In our family the men seem to do that while polishing off any left over pigs in blankets or roasties.

I am not from UK, so would some kind soul please tell me about the pigs in blankets tradition! thanks....

nicola it gives me great pleasure to inform you that pigs in blankets are..... drumroll....sausages that are wrapped in bacon. They’re amazing, and nobody eats them at any other time of year for some reason!

Yorkshire’s I would do 24 and I would make the day before as they’re the only part of a roast that tastes fine pre-made IMO. Chuck them in for about 3 minutes when your roast potatoes are extremely close to being done. I pile them all on a tray all on top of each other as they’re actually cooked and they’re so thin that they will warm through fine.

@Baltic thanks! I really fancy one of these, esp as I don't have room for the full size Hostess Trolley in all her 70s glory (but god it's good) but think they're pretty handy.

Don't tell DM I have it though!

Figure out how long everything takes and what time you're eating. Do as much on the job as possible and then make a precise timeline with set timers. Then, cry for 20 minutes and buckle in.

Or, buy a heated buffet rest soupy can keep things hot while you finish things up

Carrots, sprouts and potatoes I parboil a day earlier, the potatoes will then go in for roasting on the day. The carrots and sprouts go into a serving dish with butter. covered with foil and sit low in the oven with the potatoes. If you're doing beef you need to factor the waiting time after taking it out into the cooking time, I ruined a beautiful piece of beef as it continued to cook as it was keeping hot. I use Aunt Bessie's parsnips, for some reason they're terrible when I do them from scratch.

Buy good quality -
Bread sauce
Cranberry
Red cabbage
Gravy

Don’t bother with cauli cheese or Yorkshire puddings (those are not Christmas dinner items!)

Prep veg night before
Parboil potato’s and parsnips
Do the meat, rest
Roast the pigs in blankets, potatoes and parsnips whilst resting and the stuffing
Boil the sprouts and carrots, and fry the lardons and chestnuts (for the sprouts)
Serve!

Cook the turkey Christmas Eve . Have it cold Christmas Day as it’s to bloody hot on Christmas Day to have a roast