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?

[ClaraThePigeon]

I'm sorry to hear about your Grandmother and it was very nice of you to do that. I'm impressed that it only took you five hours. I'd still be in the kitchen by the time the follow Christmas rolled around if I tried that. Thankfully I don't think I like anyone enough to attempt it.

[madcatladyforever]

Only in england would you have liquidised bread.

[CherryPavlova]

I am cooking for 17. I shall pop the turkey and Gammon in early before church but other than that, it will be three or four of us pottering around in the kitchen for about an hour and a half as most is already prepared and in the freezers. Just sprouts and gravy to do on the day really. Mainly it’s a glass of wine whilst we warm plates and serving dishes.

[Willow2017]

My last kitchen was tiny no room on worktops and no table but I still managed a decent Xmas dinner. If you are organised there's no need to be up at 5am to start cooking.
Just work.out timings prepare in advance as much as possible and go.with it. It's not the end of the world if it's not some idealised 'perfect' dinner with 15 veg, 10 sauces and stuffing and 8 puddings. Enjoy the family being there, rope them in, instead of stressing and spoiling your own Xmas day.

[Tenpenceabag]

YANBU. Its essentially like a big roast. We dont do starters as there is always other opportunities to overeat! Turkey does take a long time but I think the earliest we put it in is about 8.30 -9am for a 2.30pm dinner. But once it's in the oven you dont have to babysit it, I'm sure we don't enter the kitchen again for a good few hours.
How do people fit everything in the fridge?

[Lovelydovey]

Prep in advance and freeze - my cauli cheese and homemade stuffing are already in the freezer. The Christmas cake has already been started!

[ClaraThePigeon]

But if you get up at 5am tomake it your family will be oh so impressed

I wouldn't willingly get up at 5am if my house was on fire.

[ShowOfHands]

Because it was my Grandma's last Christmas after 94 years of making Christmas perfect for her family and I made a decision to ask everybody what their favourite Christmas dish was and I did the lot. I enjoyed it too. No martyrdom and no complaining, it was perfect.

[evilharpyinapeartree]

My mum used to start the turkey at about 5am on Christmas morning. That's how long to make sure it was properly cremated and as close to cardboard as possible by 3pm when we sat down to eat.

[RhymingRabbit3]

Of course its just a big roast dinner. But if you get up at 5am tomake it your family will be oh so impressed. And if you tell all your friends about it in advance they will be oh so impressed. She is probably exaggerating to make herself seem like some amazing wife and mum when any normal person could do it in a few hours.

[Celebelly]

And actually I wouldn't be the only one in the kitchen anyway!

[Celebelly]

For six people I wouldn't be in the kitchen for more than an hour/hour and a half. Bung turkey in, baste occasionally, stick pre-prepared veg in, heat up gravy etc. voila. If you do everything from scratch I guess it will take ages, but Mr Marks and Spencers does that so I don't have to! Frick spending that much time away from the fun and family on Christmas Day!

[Whattodoabout]

Definitely. My DH is outraged I don’t include Yorkshire puds with my Christmas dinner, they’re Sunday dinner material but somehow don’t make the cut for Christmas dinner .

[YouveDoneItToYourself]

Always takes me ages cos we're all drunk by about 9am



It is a glorified Sunday roast. I usually make it simpler with aunt Bessie roasts and pre made Yorkshire's. I can imagine that if you make everything from scratch and have a large amount of people coming then it will take a while. My dad goes mad when he does it. He LOVES it! We end up with all sorts of random stuff like quails eggs and 4 different kinds of homemade stuffings. He spends hours making his experimental dishes. I wouldn't have him any other way though and he likes to do it so it's a win

[81Byerley]

@ShowOfHands Really? 8 vegetables??

[ClaraThePigeon]

Last year I catered for 13 and was busy from 8am until I served at 1pm BUT was happy about it. I made three different types of stuffing and 8 veg, each one quite complicated in its own right such as braised spicy red cabbage for example. I also did turkey, topside of beef AND a ham as well as a vegan haggis and vegan versions of relevant sides such as pigs in blankets. Plus baking stuff for the evening buffet, making bread, simmering mulled drinks, steaming puddings and so on.

Why?

[NameChangeNugget]

I’m staggered by the martyrdom on here over Christmas dinner prepping & cooking.

YANBU at all, it’s a piece of piss

[ShowOfHands]

Last year I catered for 13 and was busy from 8am until I served at 1pm BUT was happy about it. I made three different types of stuffing and 8 veg, each one quite complicated in its own right such as braised spicy red cabbage for example. I also did turkey, topside of beef AND a ham as well as a vegan haggis and vegan versions of relevant sides such as pigs in blankets. Plus baking stuff for the evening buffet, making bread, simmering mulled drinks, steaming puddings and so on.

We have a large kitchen/diner so the children were in the room and helping or playing with toys and it was very jolly. It was a very posh roast!

[TheFuckingDogs]

Omg Lionel I have such a crush on your kitchen superiority right now! My DH just read this and agrees that you’re me 😂

[ChristmasSpiritsOnThRocksPleas]

Is she cooking a very large animal or makings very elaborate dessert perhaps?

[followthestardis]

it is "just" a roast, but with added extras in terms of dishes and/or diners. (plus having to ooh and ahh over presents, make all the phone calls AND making time to get suitably drunkgrin])

"just" a roast is a lot of cooking for some people in itself. we don't have extra in terms of numbers, just limited working/storage space that makes "just" a roast a fair amount of juggling...

put me in a huge kitchen with a door that shuts, comfy table and a bottle of red at my elbow and the whole thing would be much less onerous. as always ymmv :)

[Confusedbeetle]

Its not posh, theres just a lot more of it. The stress is trying to pull it all together with a houseful of guests and a glass or two of wine. Turkey can be rather easily overcooked

[Andysbestadventure]

5am for a meal that feeds six? She needs to learn to cook more efficiently or rope others in to help. Bloody hell.

[Sparklingbrook]

We don't even have Christmas dinner. It is just a roast dinner and nobody is fussed. We have an all day help yourself buffet.
No deadlines, nobody in the kitchen for hours and the associated clearing up. Visitors can drop in whenever, have something to eat if they want, and it's all very mellow.

[AmberEars]

We are cooking for 16 (aged between 0 and 80) so that will be quite stressful!