Christmas dinner prep tips

[kylie122]

Any good Christmas prep dinner tips ? Anything I can do the night before for a less stressful day ?

Peel and chop veg.
If you’re making pigs in blankets pre wrap/ roll them.
Cook anything that can be heated up again the next day!

You can measure all your dry ingredients in advance. Even a week or two ahead. Just be sure to label carefully. You would be surprised at how much time this can save on the day.
Pretty much all vegetables can be peeled and chopped up to two days before, definitely the day before.
Make copies of all of your recipes so they are in one place.

Mashed vegetables can actually benefit from being made the day before. Just make them a bit wet and be prepared to add moisture at reheat if needed.

Parboil your potatoes for roasting - you can also parboil other veggies so they’re quicker to cook on the day (carrots, sprouts etc)

Make the bread sauce

Set the table, get all the serving dishes out that you want to use

Write a step by step list with all the timings of what you want to cook. Check you can set multiple timers on your phone with what they are for.

Delegate tasks like peeling the veg.

Check all your roasting trays fit in the oven at the same time - if not then plan on having the turkey/meat done before and cover with tinfoil and a few towels to 'rest' and keep warm while you do the yorkshire pudding etc.

Don't try to cook anything new on the day, stick to what you know. Cheat with gravy, stuffing, Yorkshire puddings etc.

Don't massively over complicate it - it's a fancy roast!

You can do loads the day before. It all depends on how busy you want to be on Christmas Eve! Prep veg, it can even be par cooked and cooled down, make base for gravy, boil your ham for glazing next day, have desserts ready etc

Plan your timings in advance so you know when the turkey goes in, potatoes goin, get turned etc. write it on your fridge using a white board marker and wipe it off as you go. Or use a piece of paper but write it down somewhere!

Put posts it notes in the serving dishes so you know that the sprouts go in this bowl and the potatoes in that one and you aren’t left trying to find a dish for the Christmas pud and having to wash something in a hurry because it has already been used. Particularly useful when you have more than one cook and a number of side dishes.

As much as can be pre done Christmas Eve

A handwritten prep plan & meal plan

Pull out serving bowls you need etc to check you still have them in advance

Clean & tidy as much as possible beforehand so you have a calm ish atmosphere to cook in

Delegate stuff like making the table pretty to others

Enjoy the process! Radio on, nice drinks etc it’s all part of the fun

Ooooh I need this! We have a tiny crap fridge that will be stuffed with meat… if we prep veg and parboil potatoes can we leave in water on the side overnight provided we turn the heating down? I remember my gran doing this but her house was freezing….

Buy ready made pigs in blankets, cranberry sauce, bread sauce etc, stuffing balls too if you don;t want the faff of making them.

Sprouts don't need crosses in them, just trim off the stub and outer leaves.

Remember it's just a Sunday roast with a huge bird. It's a pretty simple dinner.

Roasties are at their best if you use twice the fat you usually would. Just for Christmas.

Part boil sprouts night before. Leave them in fridge. Fry them off in butter and black pepper for 10 mins before you serve dinner.

Surely the sprouts have been on since November, it was that just my mum?

I make the soup, bread sauce, cranberry sauce & trifle on Christmas Eve. Plus cook the sprouts with bacon and leave overnight in the bacon grease in the fridge, then just heat with creme fraiche on the day.

I prep all veg the day before including par boiling potatoes for roasting. I toss them in oil whilst still warm, put them in the oven tray and cover with cling film, I put them in the fridge (if there is room) or the empty oven until I'm ready to roast.
I get all the table settings and serving bowls out on Christmas Eve.
If it can be made in advance it's already in the freezer, nut roast, braised red cabbage and caramelised onion gravy just need taking out to defrost.