What can you pre-prepare to make Xmas dinner easier on the day?

[maria2bela1]

Any tips/tricks welcome please!!

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I love Christmas and despite being a single mum and very busy…. I don’t get any of this depression and stress around Christmas and I think in large part because I spend a small fortune on marks gorgeous Christmas food and only actually prepare the roast potatoes and honey carrots and parsnips. That. Is. It. Want to be with my children, not huffing in kitchen!

I peel potatoes and veg the night before, put them in cold water and they'll keep for about 24 hours.
I order my meat cooked from my local butcher so I'm not running around all morning cooking. It's expensive but if you can afford it it's worth it.

Pre order your takeaway curry so you just have to pick it up on the day. That’s what I’ve done the last 2 years. This year my family have decided they want a more traditional meal so they can crack on with that.

I don't cook a traditional Christmas dinner, but I'm in the US so I do cook Thanksgiving dinner which is pretty similar to Christmas dinner. I don't always make the exact same recipes. There are some staples, but I like to mix in a few new things (like different vegetables) every year. What I do is sit down with all the recipes and read through them. Often a recipe will state that it can be made up to two days in advance (for example), kept in the fridge and then reheated. Or some parts of recipes can be made in advance and finished nearer the time. Anything that can be done ahead of time I do. I use all this information to make a schedule of what to do when.

So, for example:
Sunday - make cranberry chutney
Monday - toast the bread for the stuffing
Tuesday - bake a pie
Wednesday - make the artichoke dip (for a nibble earlier in the day).

I also do a pretty detailed schedule for the day itself, including things that can be done earlier in the day - prep veggies, etc. And then work backwards from when I want to serve the meal, including things such as changing the oven temperature, taking dishes in and out, and even laying the table and getting out serving dishes.

I enjoy this process and I enjoy creating a feast for my loved ones, but I do also like to have time to relax on the day itself and planning carefully like this enables me to do so.

Currently made and frozen, red cabbage, 2 types of stuffing, gravy and pigs in blankets. Do veg night before and defrost everything else.

I have already prepared and frozen the bread sauce, cranberry sauce, 2 stuffings, wrapped the sausages in bacon, red cabbage, brandy butter, some parmesan biscuits to have with pre dinner drinks. The pudding is one I made last year. I will put butter under the turkey skin etc and make giblet stock the day before.
Makes it all so much easier.

I've also made and frozen boeuf bourguingnon and dauphinoise for Christmas Eve.

On Christmas Eve:
peel potatoes, carrots, parsnips
prepare sprouts
steep onion and cloves for bread sauce
defrost breadcrumbs for bread sauce
make stuffing
stuff turkey and cover breast and legs with butter and streaky bacon
chop red cabbage, onion and apple and preparered cabbage
make cranberry sauce
prepare pigs in blankets
write timetable for Christmas Day
defrost mince pies

I’ve already prepared and frozen the roast potatoes, pigs in blankets, chicken, carrots and parsnips. All that will be done on the day is do the vegetables.

How many are you hosting? Does anyone help?!

Stuffing, gravy, red cabbage and brandy butter made last wknd and is in the freezer. Making for freezer this wknd; pigs in blankets, bread sauce and cauliflower cheese. On Christmas eve I think I'm going to try part roasting the potatoes and then just finishing them off on Christmas day. Also going to prepare the other veg so they're ready to just roast or steam on the day. I've got a bought Christmas pudding this year because I can't be arsed to make it and it's probably cheaper than having to buy all the ingredients anyway.

The batch lady has a Christmas book out you know!
I save the stock from a slow cooker roast chicken for the gravy and freeze that.
Red cabbage I buy ready to go.
Roast potatoes are prepped the day before, as are carrots and parsnips. Might do them this weekend actually and stick them in the freezer too.

I cook the Turkey, gammon and any other meat joint on Christmas Eve.

You obviously have a bigger freezer than me!

Don’t do it and cook something easier and enjoy your day instead

Personally I never flaff or stress over Christmas dinner it is a roast dinner after all,

I cook my meat night before I don't eat turkey
I prep and roll the stuffing and put in the fridge to cook same with potatoes etc everything is pre prepped and meat cooked easy hassle free roast dinner I don't do 3 courses and we are usually to full after lunch to eat dessert I don't see why anyone stresses out over this even if I did dessert it still wouldn't be a issue

I made the gravy last week and it’s currently in the freezer.

23rd I’ll make the stuffing and once cool pop it in the fridge

24th

• Ill stuff the turkey and prep it (season, butter and bacon
• prepare the carrots and parsnips in a foil tray, (par boil and season, oil and honey)
• prep the spouts and into a sandwich bag
• prep the roasties. Parboil, season goose fat and into a foil tray
• soak the peas (Irish so marrow peas will be on the table)
• boil the ham that evening
• make the trifle
• prepare a meringue for a pavlova
• whip the cream for the Pav
• make a Bakewell tart (shop bought pastry)

Once everything’s cooled that needs it I’ll pop in the fridge.

it means Christmas Day I have no prepping to do so not stuck in the kitchen for hours. The turkey gets popped in the oven and when that comes out the carrots and parsnips, roasties and ham (glazed) go in. Boil the potatoes peas and sprouts and heat the gravy. Dessert is just assembly as all prepped from the day before

This is my 12th year hosting so have it down to a T.

I have my roasties par boiled and in the freezer now (6 mins boiling, rough up in colander, left to dry a bit then tossed in flour, salt, pepper and a spoon of goose fat. I’ll defrost overnight and they’ll go into a roasting tray if hot goose fat)

Parsnips have been blanched (3 mins in salted water) and dressed in a honey and oil mix. Flash frozen and bagged)

Carrot, turnip and ginger mash is in the freezer too.

I’m making a Genoise sponge for the trifle this evening, I want that to be slightly stale, and I’ll do pastry for some of the starters and mince pies.

My rule of thumb is that if I can buy it pre-made or half-made in the supermarket, I can make similar and freeze ahead.

Prep veg Christmas Eve and leave covered in water. I’m going to cook the turkey crown too. Least as poss to do Christmas Day. Lovely

Make a list of when everything’s got to go in the oven, on the hob.
Start from when you want to sit down to eat, and work backwards.

So, eat at 3 pm, turkey out of the oven at 2.30, etc. - going right back to when you need to switch the oven on.

Then write it ll out in time order, and stick it on e.g. the front of the fridge, where it won’t get lost or covered with ‘stuff’.

If you’re having turkey and want to make proper gravy in the roasting tin, take the giblets out on the 24th and simmer with a quartered onion and some fresh sage leaves, but dried will do. That way you have a really good turkey stock for the gravy.

I find making ahead more stressful in a way. The trick is to not over complicate side dishes

On Xmas eve I season meats, wrap in foil etc ready to go in oven
Make stuffing and pigs in blankets
Parboil roasties and season, make cauliflower cheese, make carrot and swede mash, prepare sprouts and broccoli
All I have to do on day is put things in oven in correct time order, make gravy and steam green veg - I aim to spend about 20 minutes in kitchen - usually 4 x 5 minutes just checking things, basting, putting things on hob etc
All starters are made night before and just assembled on a plate
None of us bother with dessert

This is exactly what I do!

Ensure that chores are divided so that everyone in the household knows what to do.

I make my stuffing and Ps in Bs well in advance and stick in the freezer.
Ps in Bs are very quick and easy to make, are miles cheaper than ready made, , and at least you know the quality/origin of the sausages and bacon. (I won’t buy any non U.K. pork or bacon, since it’s almost bound to be factory farmed.)

(If they’re free they’ll are old enough) the kids.