Xmas cooking timetable or book

[Cheaptrick]

Hello

I have never made xmas cake or cooked anything for xmas before.

Is there a cookbook that tells me when and what to do?

Thanks

I have never used a specialist Christmas recipe book, but you can find lots of helpful recipes in Prima and Essentials magazines from October onwards. I am sure someone will be along with the name of a useful book soon. (My knowledge is based on cookery at school, watching my mum, and many years of experience!)

Christmas cakes are usually made in October to allow them to 'mature' and be soaked with brandy before the marzipan and icing are done.

If you shop at a butchers, they give a date from which you can place orders for all your Christmas meat, ours is at the start of November.

The trick is to plan meals in advance, and for how many. There are quite a few things that can be made in advance and frozen. Keep an eye on this topic, because there are always loads of helpful suggestions. Also look at the recipes section on mumsnet, there are some Christmas ones.

Thank you Girlywhirly

Delia has a good book that came out a couple of years ago - or her original Christmas book from the early 90s is good too:

www.amazon.co.uk/Delias-Happy-Christmas-Delia-Smith/dp/0091933064/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312554943&sr=8-1

It's got loads of recipes, but also a handy countdown and planner.

The best thing she ever did was a WHSmith magazine back in 2004 (?) with make ahead recipes, a planner and shopping lists. Lots of it is reproduced in the book I've linked to above, but the book is a lot bulkier and doesn't have the make ahead planner. Sadly, I'm not sure you'd get the WHSmith thing now (although it might be worth checking their stores from late October).

I bought Good Housekeepings Christmas special last year (separate edition to the magazine) which is fab. Has receipes, timetable and ideas of loads of things to cook over the festive season. The plum brandy (homemade) was a real hit.

My MIL is a Domsetci Goddess of the highest order, and swears by Delia.

My mum always made Christmas cake in Oct half term so we could all have a stir for good luck, so I do this now.

For recipe books in general I find local library useful as you can see if they are any good before deciding if you want to buy a copy.

I find a mix of Delia and Good Housekeeping and Woman & Home really good!

Agree with above-
the Good Housekeeping/ Prima/ Essentials/ Woman & Home mags are out early November ( for Christmas) so plenty of time.

Delia Christmas cake as good as any .I use all sultanas, white granulated sugar and Amarettoas I don't like a dark cake.

Christmas Dinner is basically a glorified Roast Dinner.
Just remember the world and his cat will be cooking so the National Grid tends to 'dip' a bit.
Spend your time setting the table extra nice.

It's all the extra things that make the difference.

Remember to take the Bread Sauce out of the microwave

The original Delia Christmas book has a timetable and is in my opinion one of the best Christmas books ever published. I have the new Delia one but can't remember if a timetable is in there.

Thanks Everyone

I have place an order with DH to get me the book linked to above. We are due our second child on the 5th of December so i wanted to make as much as poss before hand and freeze it.

twinklypearl the Delia Christmas Countdown is shown on Good Food Channel leading up to Christmas- last one in the series.
They show the Nigella and Delia,& Fanny Craddock but they're always shown quite late in December ,so no good if you want to get ahead.

If you do a Heston Blumenthal it might be next Christmas that you eat your meal- by the time you waft up to the North Pole to get your reindeer milk; and hand rear your Free Range Goose on Pine Goose Food !!

Aw. Cheaptrick - my DC2 is due the week before yours. If my Christmas prep isn't done by November 25th, then it's not going to happen........