Please post on here your tips for advance preparation for your Christmas meal.

[ChristmasTrolleyRage]

Now I obviously want you to all tell me I can cook all the vegetables tomorrow, out them in serving dishes and pop them on the table and they'll be fine and dandy and correct temperature for TheMeal.

But seriously, what do you prepare before so that the grown-ups can enjoy the day and the pressies without spending all sledging day in the kitchen.

Thanks everso.

chippy - how do you make an ice cream bombe? That sounds good!

There's loads of recipes around.
I adapted this recipe.

Made the chocolate sponge to line the pudding basin (but you could buy one or use brioche)

Then cheated and spread a tub of Ben & Jerry's Cookie Dough (£2 in Sainsburys) leaving an indent which I filled with B&J chocolate brownie ice cream.

Then when it had all frozen again, turned it out and poured over some chocolate sauce and froze it again (instead of the meringue, as I cannot be bothered to faff about on xmas day)

I'm cooking dinner on christmas eve rather than Christmas day (although I'm also cooking some of the christmas day lunch as well).

We'll be out at the Panto until about 5pm, so when we get back I need dinner ready asap ((pil eat really early usually).

My plan is to prepare the beef wellington before we go to the panto (the mushroom part will be done in the morning, the beef will be sealed and wrapped in pastry in the afternoon, it will sit in the fridge until we get back. I'm veggie so mushroom and blue cheese wellington for me.

I'm doing roast potatoes, so I'm planning to par boil them before we go out and then leave them in cold water until we get back, other veggies will be prepared and left in bags in the fridge.

I'll set the timer so the oven comes on at 4:30, when we get back I'll bang the wellington in, heat oil for the roasties on the hob and stick them in with some parsnips and carrots cut quite small. Any other veg in the steamer (not decided yet)

Should all be ready in about 50 mins?

As we'll be eating ourselves silly the next day, I'm not doing a starter and pudding will be a cheese board, fruit and crackers, then posh mince pies and truffles with the coffee.

Does that sound OK?