Prepping for Christmas & filling the freezer

[StackOfFuckers]

Hosting Xmas this year and will have DM and DMIL happy and willing to help provide bits and pieces which is v helpful.... BUT I am being a bit of a child as I want to serve up a sumptuous feast myself and get all the praise (I do know this is pathetic but I want to do as much as possible myself)

So how can I get ahead of the game ? I have a great stuffing roll I do that can make ahead and freeze ... Any other ideas about pre-prepped stuff? Can you freeze bread sauce?

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Sorry, DP has always cooked our Christmas dinner so I have no idea what can be prepped and frozen, but today I'm making delias sausage rolls with her quick flaky pastry. I will freeze them on open baking sheets and transfer them to containers once frozen. They can be cooked straight from frozen pretty quickly and are so so tasty. 2 things I do differently though, I don't add sage, and I blitz the onions in my little Kenwood thingy, and squeeze them through a muslin.
Hope someone can give you some good advice about the dinner :)

Jamie Olivers get ahead gravy can be and it's fabulous

A lot of the stuff in Nigella Christmas can be frozen. For the last 4 years I've done gingerbread stuffing, chestnut stuffing, bread sauce, cranberry sauce, gravy, potato gratin and spiced chocolate cake in November. I just whip them all out to defrost on Christmas Eve, it's brilliant : )

Ooh this all sounds great - keep them coming!

How is the gingerbread stuffing? Is it v sickly?

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Get the Christmas issue of Good Food mag. It had a section in there of things to make ahead.

www.nigella.com/recipes/christmas

I hope this helps along with the xmas ed of good food mag.

There's a freeze ahead roasties recipe on the good food website. Did them last year and they were great. I'm planning to make mini mince pies this weekend and freeze

My mum prepares the pigs in blankets and freezes them on a disposable foil tray wrapped in cling film. Whip them out Xmas am and they defrost ready to go straight into the oven.

I've just looked at the freeze ahead roasties - do you cook them from frozen? (I assume so but it doesn't actually say it...)

Yes, I did anyway! They worked perfectly