Freeze ahead Christmas dinner

[trixymalixy]

I'm having 16 for Christmas dinner this year. I'd prefer to prepare as much in advance as I can. I'd like to make a list of what can be frozen.

So far I have:
Soup
Stuffing
Gravy
Bread sauce

And from another thread I'm going to test freezing potatoes at the parboiled stage for roasting.

Anything else anyone can think of?

I freeze LOADS for Christmas dinner.....I like to have it all homemade but can't bear the stress of preparation on Christmas morning. I make and freeze -
Red Cabbage
Winter Root Mash
Pigs in Blankets
Stuffing x 2
And I peel and blanch chantenay carrots, sprouts, parsnips. I also make and freeze flavoured butters for the carrots and sprouts.
I also do the gravy
In fact the only thing I prep on the day are bread sauce and peel and par boil the spuds.....and tbh I don't even do them on the day, I do those on Christmas Eve!!

Same here...do everything on christmas eve (cook turkey,ham,parboil spuds ).Things I always freeze weeks beforehand are mashed carrot and parsnip/swede ,stuffing,whipped cream!

So the parsnips and carrots freeze ok too? I wasn't sure they would not be soggy. Do you defrost first or cook from frozen? I may have to do a test run.

The last couple of times I have done Christmas dinner I hated peeling on Christmas eve. My hands were red raw and my arms ached. I'd love to have most of the veg done in advance.

I freeze the red cabbage,and have done the parboiled toasties which work fine. I buy a pouch of good quality gravy which keeps in the fridge and just add a glug of wine or port on the day. Turkey is cooked and carved the day before.

Potatoes frozen at the parboil stage roast brilliantly - very crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. They don't need defrosting - just bung into hot oil for 45mins.

How do you reheat the turkey demented? Does it not dry out?

I don't. We have a turkey crown so all slices which we serve cold. Everything else is hot so its not a problem. We've done it this way for years.

Mashed carrot and swede/parsnip I thaw overnight and just add extra papper/seasoning and reheat in the microwave before serving.I reheat turkey and ham slices by laying all the slices on a deepish baking tray/roasting pan.I add a few tablespoons water to the pan,around the meat slices, and cover the tray completely with foil tucking the foil around the edges.Reheat for about ten minutes in the oven.The water creates steam which keeps the meat nice and moist.

Icecream for dessert

I usually have managed to blanch and freeze a bag of French beans from the garden in summer for Christmas dinner, but not this year.

Breadcrumbs for over cauliflower cheese and for stuffing. DH has frozen stuffing before. My DM freezes cauli cheese all ready to go.

Nice brown bread for soup (precut and everything!!).

Turkey stock (if I'm really lucky, I'll still have some from last year) for gravy. I have frozen gravy before, but turkey gravy never lasts until the following Christmas - too lush!! I do have a nice chicken one though from a few weeks back.

Nice deserts can also be frozen ahead. I know friends who swear by freezing cheese, but I can't do that - maybe for odds and sods to put into sauces or over pizza, but not for cheeseboard.

Lemon, lime and orange sliced up for drinks - freeze on a tray and bag up once frozen. Reduces the need for ice, and also makes it a lot easier for the drinks person on the day (and keeps them from under the feet of chef person). I tend to slice and freeze any half lemons or limes I have left after needing a half one for a recipe, throughout the year, rather than waste the other half.

And also a tub of ice ready for drinks.

Cranberry sauce?
Paté?

Cocktail sausages for around the turkey? Or sausage rolls for snacks later on?

Mince pies - cooked or uncooked

Cookie dough - to slice and bake fresh cookies in 10-15 mins