To think Christmas dinner is actually a posh Sunday roast?

[wineoclockthanks]

I was chatting to a friend who was stressing hugely about her Christmas dinner (for 6 people). She was saying she would have to be up at 5am at the latest to start preparing and would need to be in the kitchen for at least 5 hours etc

I know everyone does things differently but I'm not quite sure what the heck she'll be doing in there.

How much time will you (or your other half) be spending in the kitchen?

[kinsss]

Women's work and stress again. OMG.

Own worst enemies.

[ReanimatedSGB]

Mind you, I have never found cooking a normal Sunday roast to be that big a deal, either (well, apart from the very first time I did it, which, erm, did involve ringing my mum up for help halfway through.)
Put your meat in the oven, peel the spuds and put them on to boil for a 'few minutes' (ie time for a cigarette and possibly the first drink of the day.)
Drain the water off the spuds into a jug
Then put the spuds in a roasting tin with a bit of olive oil or whatever.
After a while, maybe another cigarette, chop an onion and soften it in a bit more olive oil. Add the water from the spuds and bring to the boil, throw in about 1/3rd of a stock cube, stir in and simmer.
After about 45 minutes to an hour, have a look at it all, turn the spuds over, maybe drain off some of the meat juices into the gravy. Have another cigarette and put some frozen veg on.
Then have your dinner.

[TheHumanSatsuma]

It’s just a roast dinner.

Timing is a bit more crucial if you are trying to fit it round present opening etc, but just go with the flow!

I can see it might be a bit frightening if you don’t cook roast dinners normally, though.

[ReanimatedSGB]

I think some of the mythologising around 5am starts is to do with people buying turkeys that were far too big for their needs and struggling to fit them in the oven along with everything else...

But then I can happily say that I am now 55 years old and I have STILL never cooked a Christmas dinner.

[Wall0ps]

I love spending Christmas morning in the kitchen. The rest of the family sit on the sofa feeling smug that my sister and I are slaving over the preparation. In actual fact we are dancing around the kitchen in our Santa hats drinking all the good champagne.

[AuntieMarys]

That's why I go out. Reminds me of my mother playing the martyr while my dad went to the pub on Xmas day.

[wanderings]

With all the self-inflicted stress of Christmas, sometimes I wonder if Scrooge was right.

[ComeOnGordon]

When the kids were little my MIL would come to us on Xmas eve with a goose that she’d roasted already so it just needed heating up but somehow she was still in the kitchen (and made my FIL help too) at 10am for a 1pm lunch for 4 adults & 3 small kids. I wanted different veg (which weren’t in her meal) so said I’d make themself - just some simple broccoli and carrots and from 11.30 she asked me when I was starting with them . It drove me crazy. Since she’s now my ex MIL the kids and I have an Italian buffet and it’s all very relaxed

[TatianaLarina]

Red cabbage can be done in a one pot weeks in advance and frozen. For some reason it freezes fine.

[GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER]

Oh, yes, and having it later - we have ours around 5 - is infinitely more civilised and makes for a much more relaxed day for whoever's cooking. I can't imagine being ready for it at 1pm. Even when we had it earlier it wasn't until around 3.

IIRC we changed to 5 after one memorable year when I'd had so much Buck's Fizz, I completely forgot about even parboiling the spuds, let alone putting them in the oven, so it was more like 4.30 before it was all on the table. . And everyone was that much more ready for it.
Later gives plenty of time for a walk in daylight, too.

[TeacupDrama]

some people just cook too much for the number of people
I do roast and stuffed turkey, roast potatoes and parsnips, braised spicy red cabbage and sprouts, gravy, pigs in blankets cranberry sauce
followed by Christmas pudding with custard and brandy butter, nice icecream with caramel sauce for pudding haters!!
I make the stuffing day before as well as red cabbage and cranberry sauce and brandy butter
3.5 hours before switch oven on
3 hours before dinner put stuffing in turkey and place in oven then lay table arrange cutlery, glasses sauces and decorations etc white wine / shloer type drinks to chill
2 hours sit down for an hour with nice coffee

1 hour before when turkey almost ready I put roast potatoes, parsnips and pigs in blankets in oven; red wine open to breathe
1/2 hour before remove turkey from oven to rest;while turkey resting put cabbage back in oven to warm through and then put pudding onto steam
15 minutes before , put sprouts on and make gravy plates to warm
10 minutes carve turkey if not been carved at table
5 mins put veg in serving dishes, gravy in jug etc
0 minutes sit down and eat

later make custard serve pudding (? make coffee)

later still someone else washes up and tidies

[Parker231]

Christmas lunch is always at 1pm at our house. DH is great at preparing everything and we all help out so that no one is stuck in the kitchen. We’ve a houseful staying for the week but no stress. We buy as much as we can which is either part or ready prepared ie vegetables and pudding.

[TatianaLarina]

I tried the Christmas Eve peeling/prepping thing last year and it spoiled Christmas Eve for me. I don't want to be in the kitchen on Christmas Eve ever again. We are going back to all on the day this year.

So you spoil Christmas Day instead?

If you’re organised all you have to do is peel carrots and parsnips on Christmas Eve. I make devils on horseback because I like them. The whole thing takes 30 mins max.

[BarbedBloom]

Oh and we always have Yorkshire puddings as they are my favourite - chef privilege

[BarbedBloom]

I make dessert on christmas eve and prep veg the night before. We do have more bits for Christmas though, two types of stuffing, cauliflower cheese etc to try and please everyone. The venison will take two hours, but I imagine it won't take too much longer than normal due to prepping the day before.

Having said that, some people are feeding vast amounts or are having starters etc so I can see why that may involve a lot of prep. I have a veggie coming and am making them a wreath type thing with spinach and pine nuts, so that will take a while.

[SilverySurfer]

You're right, except it's the best one of the year. I've ordered a free range capon chicken will make pigs in blankets and stuffing, some extra veg, apart from that it's like a Sunday lunch. Second only to Boxing Day with all the leftovers, salad and bubble and squeak.

[YouTheCat]

I always prep on Christmas Eve. I'll get the meat ready to go in the oven before I go out for a couple of hours to visit my ds on Christmas Day. Then it's meat in and back in to cook veg at various intervals. Once things get busy, in the last 30 minutes, I start downing sherry. Once I get to the singing stage the food is almost ready.

It isn't that tricky.

[notangelinajolie]

I tried the Christmas Eve peeling/prepping thing last year and it spoiled Christmas Eve for me. I don't want to be in the kitchen on Christmas Eve ever again. We are going back to all on the day this year.

[GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER]

Yes, just a Sunday roast with a few extras and crackers.

I don't know why some people make such a thing of it - unless they give themselves extra stress by doing more than one roast, umpteen different veg, roast, boiled and mashed potatoes, FGS, plus Yorkshire puds on top.

And 3 different puddings. Only (all too often) to chuck a load of it in the bin a day or two later.

All we ever have is no starter (canapés beforehand) turkey, loads of pigs in blankets, stuffing, roast spuds and parsnips, carrots and sprouts, plenty of proper turkey gravy, cranberry sauce, and afterwards Christmas pud with brandy butter or cream, and a cheeseboard/fruit.
None of it is ever wasted.

I make the P in B and stuffing beforehand and freeze.

I suspect that the reason some people find it such a major operation is not just because they do so many dishes, but because they never - or hardly ever - make a Sunday roast anyway. So they find the timings and all the last minute stuff difficult to manage.

[Celebelly]

@tillytrotter1 Well I expect my husband to do his share of chopping veg and other stuff! If we are hosting, we are hosting together. That doesn't mean he gets to sit on his arse while I do it all

[OhTheRoses]

If it's for 6 people a large turkey isn't necessary:

We are having: part boned, stuffed duck, a very small turkey.
Pigs in blankets - sainsbury
Probs will make stuffing because I like making it
Bought gravy, bread sauce and cranberry
Sprouts - ready done, micro
Red cabbage - ready done micro
Carrots, baked in the oven
Roasties
I'll do the veg first thing and blast later

Christmas pud for 3; something chocolatey and unctious for 3. Both bought.

I am cordon bleu trained. The stuff in the shops now is so good there's no need to stress at all.

Will be up at 8ish because I usually sides at 9.30 mass on Christmas morning. First thing there's a pot of tea and bixs and toast.

At 11.30ish we do smoked salmon triangles and champagne with presents so no need for a starter.

Lunch is planned for 2pm but usually happens at 3pm.

Cold meat, salad, my special roasties, pickles and anti-pasti on boxing day, with leftover pud and break into the cake. Supper is cheese, crackers and left over salady bits.

27th is the piece de resistance. The turkey and ham pie with mash and whatever veg is still in the fridge.

It's so bloody easy, it's like rolling off a log.

[handbagsatdawn33]

I've never understood why people who have dinner as usual in the evening change it to lunchtime on Sundays & Xmas day - it's just after breakfast.

Have dinner in the evening as usual - much less stress.

[ShinyGiratina]

I've only cooked for 5 including two children so there's been no point in getting extravagant, so yes, a nice roast dinner with a few extra trimmings. It's filling and doesn't need extra hassle with starters and puddings like Christmas pudding just need heating.

If I was catering for a large number, then things would get a bit more elaborate, but for a normal size family, it's fine starting around 11:30 after getting in from church.

[TatianaLarina]

Between Delia and Nigella I have it all ready prepared by the day before.

• A couple weeks before I make the cranberry relish.
  
• A few days before I start soaking the milk for bread sauce with an onion with cloves stuck in and a bay leaf and make the breadcrumbs for the bread sauce and the stuffing.
  
• Day before I make the devils on horseback and par boil the carrots and parsnips. Put them out on trays,
  
• On the day all I have to do is mix the stuffing together and stuff the turkey.
  
• DH peels and par boils the potatoes.
  

Then shove in oven at correct time.

[ColleysMill]

Ha ha ha im like that - get out of my kitchen and stop interferring!!