Just made my first bit of crimbo dinner today. AIBU

[Whatabloodycircus]

So, I've done it for a few years... make and freeze the yorkshires, roast tats, roast parsnips, carrot and swede mash, braised red cabbage etc. a few weeks before xmas.

Today I got a lidl waste not box and it had carrots, swede and red cabbage in... I've made my first bit of xmas dinner on THE FOURTH OF SEPTEMBER!!! (carrot and swede mash btw... braised red cabbage'll be tomorrow 🤷🏻‍♀️).

I'm feeling a tad unreasonable!

Gosh, we're apparently on the "more lenient" end of the scale with the amount of time some stuff stays in our freezer! Last year I managed to empty one of the three drawers pre-December which was helpful.

Delia does loads of Christmas stuff you can make ahead and freeze: roast potatoes, Parmesan parsnips, braised red cabbage. We get a weekly veg box and the Christmas week one obviously comes with all that sort of stuff in but during the years of hosting both sets of grandparents (DH and I are both only children) with small children of our own I have taken to buying a good quality meat and then just getting the Taste the Difference/M&S boxes of veg sides. We then eat the veg box the following week a bit at a time making huge quantities of everything and freezing (love carrot & swede mash with red cabbage and some bangers).

Delia's chocolate truffle torte is a thing of great deliciousness and can also be made ahead and frozen. Makes a wonderful dessert.

Yabu for saying crimbo.

It’s an excellent idea actually. No different than heating up roast spuds from a roast the following day.
I’m going to do it actually as we’ve only got the small top oven working at the moment (maybe in December though )

I'm a Xmas eve prepper, kids with dad watching a film, me in the kitchen with the radio on and a g and t on the go. Xmas morning time line written out so everything runs like clockwork. Been using this system since I took over Xmas Dinner 8 years ago and it works a treat for me.

Off you pop to the Christmas board with your "crimbo" shite.

Yes, they can. That is why you can buy frozen roast potatoes. Auntie Bessie, supermarket home brand etc. They are fine.

They really aren't, that's a terrible example!

I feel there are several people missing part of the point here...

No, making a dinner for 4 to 8 people is not difficult but why not make it even easier?! Less washing up, less time in the kitchen, more time with my family!

Frozen food is fab! But then we batch cook and freeze on a regular basis. We buy frozen broccoli, green beans, sweetcorn etc as well as it actually keeps it's nutritional values better than "fresh" and reduces food waste.

We had the vegetables in our Waste Not box so I used them.

YABU
This should be posted on the Christmas board.

I freeze my parboiled roasties and then stick them (frozen) straight into the hot oil of the oven pan to finish them off- no need to defrost beforehand!

You’re an inspiration @Whatabloodycircus- those Lidl boxes are amazing.

Yabu. Prepping the veg for Christmas Dinner is done on Christmas eve. You still need to wash up the roasting pans if you cook from scratch or from frozen so it's more washing up overall surely?

I would if I had the freezer space. Keep meaning to buy a chest freezer. I'm due 12th Dec, Xmas dinner will be made and frozen in Nov. I usually make everything (except pudding/cake) the night before/on the day but I think I might be stuck breastfeeding this year!

Another thread where the unthinking assumption that the woman makes the whole Christmas dinner alone and is therefore deprived of all other Christmas Day activities that the rest of her family enjoy makes me feel really frustrated.

To those saying I'm being unreasonable using the word crimbo... I totally agree 🤣. I apologise and I'll not do it again!

Have you put your Brussels sprouts on yet to give them plenty of time to be thoroughly cooked?

@StiffyByng

Another thread where the unthinking assumption that the woman makes the whole Christmas dinner alone and is therefore deprived of all other Christmas Day activities that the rest of her family enjoy makes me feel really frustrated.

Well exactly. I'm not falling into that trap again!

I can imagine the other veg, but cabbage must come out quite weird from a freezer?

I have nothing against prep whenever you are ready to start but we do have a Christmas topic for a reason.

I was sceptical about freezing potatoes until several of my favourite chefs recommended it, not to save time but to improve taste and texture. I tried it last Christmas. I froze the potatoes, parsnips and braised cabbage a few days before Christmas and cooked from frozen. They were right! They were surprisingly good.

Thankfully, in this house we all help with the cooking and we all enjoy it so nobody is stuck in the kitchen while other people play

@Whatabloodycircus but you’re cooking the entire meal, and then presumably planning to be the one who reheats it all too? Why not just get everyone involved in preparing it instead? So many posters on MN who seem to get sent off to the kitchen to cook a big meal while everyone else in the house is enjoying themselves.

@FlumpsAreShit

I would if I had the freezer space. Keep meaning to buy a chest freezer. I'm due 12th Dec, Xmas dinner will be made and frozen in Nov. I usually make everything (except pudding/cake) the night before/on the day but I think I might be stuck breastfeeding this year!

I have a mid Dec baby, you'll have a lifetime of birthday stuff to organise in December! Pre prep is great for reducing the work load otherwise December can be really stressful!

I did this last year and the year before, but I don't start til december, but it's the faffier stuff I do, as I don't want "just a roast with extra bits"

I get the pigs in blankets sorted, some fancy mince pies, parmesan parsnips, cheesy leeks, herby roasts...there are usually loads of ideas in all the christmas magazines that come out and more often than not they have freeze and make ahead instructions. I don't cook the roasties other than to par boil and let them dry out around the edges and then shake them in a little oil.
Def get the red cabbage prepped and frozen too, that's so much nicer than fresh made, it mellows. I usually make several boxes of that to last the winter as it's fab with mash and any casserole.
Last year I also did sprouts, bacon and chestnuts

I did get a vacuum sealer thing in lidl though so I was anxious to use that to the full, and would really recommend one for all your pre christmas freezer prep...everything is so lovely and flat. :o

Do you have the steps for the mash you made? Sounds great and I’d like to copy it!

I would be feeding a similar amount of oeople

I think this is brilliant! This year I am moving house so I have no way of preparing for Christmas, but this brings me joy to do it vicariously through Internet strangers

@Nat6999

Roast potatoes taste better when they have been cooked twice, my mum saves all the leftover ones from Sunday dinners if she can get them before ds disappears in the kitchen to finish them off & fills a bag for Christmas Dinner.

Leftover roast potatoes? Is that a thing?!

[quote StiffyByng]@Whatabloodycircus but you’re cooking the entire meal, and then presumably planning to be the one who reheats it all too? Why not just get everyone involved in preparing it instead? So many posters on MN who seem to get sent off to the kitchen to cook a big meal while everyone else in the house is enjoying themselves.[/quote]
But in my house the 4 people I'm certain that will be here are myself, my husband, my 7 year old and my 5 year old. My kids like to "help" in the kitchen but let's face it, they're often more of a hinderens at that age. Me and my husband will both do our bits but we'd also both like to spend as much time with the kids a poss on xmas day.