Christmas Dinner - Tips and Advice please!

[CeliaFate]

I'm cooking for the first time. There'll be 7 of us. What tips and advice have you got for me? Any help greatly appreciated!!!

Cook as much as possible in advance and freeze, then reheat on the day. BBC Good Food has lots of recipes for this. I did Christmas a few years ago cooking one dish per week in the run up and then just did the turkey on the day - it was all really yummy!The November issue of the Good Food magazine will normally have a timetable printed which is very helpful.

Pick a starter that doesn't need too much prep - melon boats, toast and pate and smoked salmon are all good.

Buy a xmas pud and microwave it - mcu heasier than steaming.

HTH

Don't do it all-delegate! For example, does all the veg prep have to be done by you or even at your house? Perhaps one guest could prepare and bring the raw vegetables for you to cook, another guest could do wine, yet another pudding etc.

If you are determined to do it all, I don't recommend doing everything on the day. Last year, I did a lot the day before:

-made cranberry sauce which is easy peasy (cranberries, orange juice and red wine);

-made the gravy using the excellent Jamie Oliver method (using chicken wings and turkey giblets and veg);

-got the potatoes to the parboiled stage, then put them in the fridge;

-made a sausagemeat stuffing.

My other tips are:
-start with what time you want to eat and work back from there. Do a list of timings to help you;
-brine the turkey;
-don't cook too much. You only need 3 veg including potatoes. Stuffing, chestnuts and sausages are nice but optional;
-make sure you've got enough fridge space (or space in the shed if needs must) for all the food;
-totally ask for help if you're getting stressed. Kitchen martyrdom ruins many a Christmas.

My sister (ace cook) swears by soaking the turkey in brine for a few days before cooking. It's common in the US and the Martha Stewart website will show you how.

Otherwise, both Delia and Jamie Oliver have really good, easy to follow recipes. See if you can find the Jamie Oliver Xmas special on Youtube, it was really good. It also had an excellent carving lesson which mean we got slices of meat last year instead of my father's usual crumbs and lumps.

ooh I'm excited about Christmas now!

if your family care then do suggestions from the posts so far. if they are like mine and won't notice either way, get as much as you can from packets/tins etc.

i spend a bit extra on turkey. i think i use the french cooking method for this - you smear with lots of butter and stuff an onion in its cavity and then wrap in double layer of foil, - leaving space around turkey but no gaps in foil - easiest to have long strips under turkey and put together at top. this steams it and you baste it for last 30 mins. and is moist. leave to rest before carving.

don't bother with starter - they will already have eaten chocolate and they can nibble on nuts and things.

do a timing plan and check you have enough rings on hob

order your turkey or don't leave till very last min to buy as supermarkets sometimes run out.

did brining one year when keen and seemed to make ziltch difference and added to my workload.

Look at it as just doing a large roast lunch. You are basically roasting a large bird, some pots and doing some veg to go with it. Do a simple starter. Smoked salmon, creme fraiche & brown bread would be nice. Pate & toast would be too. Or just do informal canapes before you sit down to the main event.

Delegate the peeling/chopping of vegetables or do them the day before.

Make bread sauce It is essential for Christmas dinner

Be organised and tidy as you go.

Have a large glass of wine or champagne by your side.

Agree that Xmas pub should be put in the microwave.

good housekeeping mag usually has a good step by step guide in its Dec issue

Don't overdo it. A few years back, I went mad and had about 12 items on the plate - carrots, sprouts with bacon, braised red cabbage with apple,sultanas etc, hm cranberry compote, hm bread suce, pigs in blankets, 2 types of stuffing, mashed swede,roast potatoes,roast parsnips, turkey and gravy.

Insane. Loads left over, and leftover cooked veg are not appealing IMO.

Remember the more different items on the plate, the smaller amount people will eat. So for 7 people, I would do turkey, gravy, hm cran compote made early Dec, bought M and S bread sauce, carrots, sprouts, parsnips and potatoes ( small amounts of all ) plus gravy. I'd buy ready done pigs in blankets, stretching out rashers of bacon on Christmas Eve isn't much fun, and I'd make the stuffing ahead and freeze it - one sort only.

Concentrate on cooking the turkey. Once its done, cover in foil and 2 teatowels and then cook everything else. Have your potatoes parboiled whilst the turkey is in the oven so you can put them in a tray with oil once turkey is out. Hot oven for all the rest. Hob for sprouts and carrots.

Rellies always bring/make Xmas Pud. Get in accompaniments - custard/cream/ice cream.

We never have a starter - its too much. We don't eat til at least 3 though and tend to have posh nibbles and fizz on the go from around 12.