what food bits can I start picking up now

[iloveholidays]

apart from drink, crisps and biscuits??

just had our kitchen done so have avoided buying anything extra for the last few weeks but want to start picking stuff up on offer.

what should I be looking out for? first Christmas at home and although just us for christmas lunch we have family over mid afternoon and evening.

Thank you

Chocolate? You missed chocolate
Definitely stick up on drinks if you're entertaining, soft drinks, mixers and alcohol.
Biscuits for cheese, any party type food that can be frozen.

I've been thinking of this also

Although I do worry it'll get eaten and I'll have to re-buy

Mince pies if not making own, ditto Yule log and stollen cake. Love stollen cake!

Cheese balls of course

I've also seen this year a KP tub of mixed up crisps that looks nice.

Booze chocolate chutneys posh coffee biscuits frozen party food.

Cheese biscuits & chutneys.
Packs of sweet shortcuts pastry to put in fridge or freezer, jars of mincemeat.
pannatone, stollen chocolate biscuits.
Christmas cake or the ingredients
Whole hams and packs of smoked salmon have good sell by dates.
Ingredients for trifle , sponge fingers, frozen raspberries etc.
Baileys, sherry, port, lemonade, coke, tonic water, orange juice, apple juice.

Peeled sweet chestnuts to go in stuffing, breadcrumbs for stuffing unless you make your own.

Can't think of anything else which won't be eaten if bought early.

If you need to buy coke tesco currently have 24 cans for half price so £5 instead of £10. That's what I have stocked up on so far and two tubs of chocolate

second the chutneys, all the condiments and extras...

Due DC2 around christmas, so I am doing as much as poss ahead of time. All the meat is ready in the freezer: bird; pigs in blankets; ham; nice sausages for christmas day. Need to get a piece of beef because DH wants to do a wellington for new year.

Have tins of chocs ready to go, although I may gave eaten some and will have to top up...Also have done DH a big hamper of treaty snacks, and have posh hot chocolate powder, marsh mallows, popping corn etc. stashed and ready to go. There will be no booze, because DC1 was premature, so DH is permanently on standby in case it happens again. Obviously christmas cakes cooked months ago and being fed regularly.

Also in the freezer have a big tub of mulled red cabbage with apples and other goodies. This is like curry, it gets better if you cook in advance and freeze!

In the larder I have all the things for doing christmas baking at the last minute, like mincemeat, and cranberries for breakfast muffins, as well as christmas muffin cases.