To Ask For Your Christmas Dinner Shortcuts?

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I'm cooking this year, for 6 people (all adults, no children). I've never cooked Christmas lunch before, and I know it's basically a fancy Sunday lunch, but I've not cooked one of those for donkeys years either .

Please share your Christmas dinner shortcuts! Thank you!

Watch the Jamie oliver Christmas dinner programme that was on channel 4 last night. Some great tips on it

I discovered frozen button sprouts last year and they are yummy and don't need chopping/crossing. Peel pots and veg day before. Parboil potatoes xmas morning. Write everything down and start cooking times and get all trays, utensils and everything ready on the side. Not doing it this year for first time in 9 years and I am actually going to miss it!

Par boil sprouts Xmas eve and keep in fridge. Xmas day I pop them in an air fryer with diced chorizo. No oil needed as oil comes off chorizo. Spicy chorizo and crispy sprouts...LUSH! My gravy's already in the freezer( bought a cheap small frozen bird two weeks ago and had it for dinner then made stock and gravy) We have 16 this year so cooking turkey & ham Xmas eve and reheating ( sanity insists!) We also eat v late 5-6ish. Wheaten bread baked on 23rd. Prawn cocktails & smoked salmon plated (no sauce) and fridged Xmas eve. Big pot of veg soup alternative starter and also handy if anyone's hungry before dinner Xmas day. Mash and carrots cooked around 1pm and keep perfectly in aga. Spuds for roasties par boiled and rolled in goose fat, placed on baking trays Xmas eve. Then pop in oven for an hour Xmas day. Bacon precooked Xmas eve and kept in fridge. Butter bread, pop bacon in aga on trays - 5 mins bacon butties for Xmas day breakfast. I microwave Xmas pud, trifle made Xmas eve and then a shop bought alternative. I am LOVING the extra hot gravy in a thermos tip...stealing that!

Bottom line for me is to make it simple.

I doubt anyone will complain if a nice meal is put down in front of them.

Lots of candles and stupid Christmas hats and jokes from the crackers, and off you go.

@motherofdoodles those sprouts sound amazing! What setting do you do them on?

That dishwasher tip is absolute genius! Definitely doing that.

@TheNinkiestNonk thank you! I just turn on the actifry tbh. Put the diced chorizo in first and fry for a min or two until it releases its lovely oil, then chuck in parboiled sprouts ( cold) takes mine about 6-10 min for them to heat through and crisp up their edges. Hope you have a (stress free) Christmas!

Thank you for all your useful tips! I didn't know about letting the turkey "rest" , but definitely will cook it a bit earlier and wrap it up in tinfoil and tea towels as turns out my oven is a lot smaller than I thought...I bought some new roasting trays today and they don't fit in . I've done a rough timing plan and doing a practice run tomorrow for dinner, thanks again for all your handy tips, Merry Christmas!