Share your secrets!

[Fizzyknickers]

I have never hosted Xmas before. And this year I am cooking for 12. cry

Tell me your failsafe Christmas dinner plans. Time savers and the little things that make the difference.
How early do I need to order meat? MIL normally cooks and orders her turkey etc from the farm shop.

I am weirdly really nervous :/ cooking for OHs family, mum, bil and his Boyfriend, bil and his gf, foster bro and his gf, his nana as well as me, oh and 2 kids.

Delegate as much as you can. If they live close get them to bring something (but make sure you know what everyones bringing) if they are staying at yours rope them in to the prep work (peeling, mixing etc.) then shoo everyone who's not helping out of the kitchen.

Prepare as much as you can in advance; peel spuds, chop veg, make stuffing. Make yourself a timetable of what time to put things in/on...work backwards from the time you want to eat.

Set table the night before (unless you use it for brekky - we usually have brekky in the living room on Christmas day so can set table the night before for dinner)

Remember you need a too while you're hosting!

Forgot to say, wrt to ordering meat, our localish butcher has just started taking his Christmas orders so probably sooner rather than later would be good

I saw that my butchers is taking orders now. Just not sure what to order? How big a turkey for that many people? Also when I was a kid we have lamb but my Oh pulled a face at that so not sure what he's expecting :/

How about more than one meat for that many people? Not everyone likes turkey much so if feeding that many for christmas I'd do a slightly smaller turkey and get some beef or lamb as well (personally I'd leave the turkey altogether and have lamb and beef but I know turkey's usually expected).

Why don't you ask your family what meat they'd like? But I know my mum etc. would just say 'whatever you like dear' very helpfully!

No idea what size tbh, I always just pick one out and then use up remains (only four of us here & two are my dc).

I'd maybe do a couple of meats though as suggested, gives a bit more choice & caters for those not keen on turkey

Ask the butcher for advice on size of turkey, they are the experts! Some butchers helpfully have websites now, so that you can find out what you can order and what sort of price range.

You could roast a joint of pork to have with the turkey, or large sausages which will be a bit more filling than little pigs in blankets.

Just tell butcher how many you are catering for. As it's your first time catering I would personally just stick to turkey!! Also buy in pigs in blankets, frozen roasties etc ( I know I'll get flamed for that but most people like them!) and I usually bake some new potatoes in the oven alongside everything else! M&S food is usually nice - my family like their stuffing but also happy with link/Aldi stuffing - I don't tend to eat it so can't really comment first hand. I also buy the vacuum pack of chestnuts which I chop up with bacon and put through sprouts as dm loves that. Gravy -M&S tut jet gravy us nice if make Jamie's one in advance and freeze. Veg etc, either peel n chop Xmas Eve or buy a couple of trays of veg to roast. Make it an easy starter you can prepare beforehand or do a couple of platters - eg a seafood one with prawns, smoked salmon, lidl lobster etc etc, then a continental nests with salad veg , pate, crusty bread. Or just make soup as that's easy to deal with on Xmas day. Same with pudding, Xmas pud, a trifle (dead easy and will please older folk), meringues pavlova type thing and/or some other choices straight from freezer - Dm will want M&S key lime pie or wee individual melting middle choc cakes, or my dc's fave - make your own sundae with icecream, wafers, meringues, various toppings and sauce. A child can take pudding orders early enough to allow things to defrost! Plenty of wine and enjoy! Don't over complicate things and remember its just a slightly bigger toast than normal!