Eeek, suddenly cooking for 11 at Christmas. What can I do in advance?

[atticusclaw]

Cooking for 11 is enough stress but added to that we are on holiday right before Christmas and only get back 2 days before. Then to add to the difficulty we are having Christmas day itself at my parents house and the DH's family put Christmas on hold and we repeat Christmas day again on Boxing day since they won't have had the turkey etc. This adds the problem of not having the day before to prepare. Oh yes and I also have three veggetarians to throw into the mix.

So basically I have the time up to 12th December then I have 23rd and 24th. I'd really like not to be running around like a headless chicken. What, if anything, can I do way in advance?

ps - my least stressful 'big' Christmas was when I ordered the whole lot, ready prepared from M&S. Which goes against my 'do it all yourself' mentality, but I was sick by then of watching the DC, who were only little then, open their presents and then disappearing into the kitchen for the rest of the day (despite preparing stuff the day before) and missing the magic.

It actually wasn't all that much more expensive than had I bought everything separately, yes not as cheap, but to bung it all in the oven (even came in foil trays!) and enjoy the day was really lovely.

Soul.

Plan your timing too, I had a list. Oven space is at a premium with a large turkey, roasted veg, sausages etc for a lot of people. So turkey out to rest, then stuffing etc in!!

Lastly, I have had to wash spoons and forks etc between courses too

My tip would be to buy the veg ready prepped wherever possible. I bought carrot batons and ready to cook sprouts last year, and was able to just open the bags and plop them into boiling water about 15 minutes before I was ready to serve. I think there might have been frozen peas too.

In fact, frozen veg might be a useful thing to stash away before you go on holiday so that you don't have to worry if you can't get to the shops for fresh veg on Christmas Eve. And it will keep if you can get fresh.

I froze my bread sauce, cranberry sauce, uncooked stuffing and cooked pigs in blankets last year. The only things that needed cooking from scratch on the day were the stuffed turkey and the potatoes. Everything else was just warmed up. Oh - and parsnip puree.

I regularly cooked for 20+ at Xmas and got it down to a find art. The crucial things to consider are

• utensils - especially pans
• oven space - if you have a turkey in there is there room for anything else?

Timing timing timing .... Make a plan of action, what you want to cook and how long it takes. Will it keep warm once cooked without spoiling? Modify the menu to suit your circumstances. All veg can be prepared the day before. Thinks like mash and red cabbage taste better the next day so you can make, keep in a cool room overnight and the zap in the microwave on the day. Enjoy it ??

I cook for between 11 and 14 each year, stuffing is made, cooked and frozen at the beginning of December, Cranberry, mushroom and chestnut loaf made and frozen for the vegetarian. Veg peeled on Christmas eve in front of a film, pudding will be made next weekend and fed with brandy over the next few weeks. Brandy butter, bread sauce and cranberry sauce is also made and frozen a couple of weeks in advance.
Cut out umpteen different versions of potatoes, just have roast and do either a plain smoked salmon starter of do blinis/soda bread with smoked salmon and creme fraiche to hand round with drinks.
I buy emergency posh gravy from waitrose just in case mine goes wrong, splash of red wine in it and hide the container, no one cares anyway.

Remember it's just a big roast, oh and don't forget to breathe.

Another vote for Jamie's Make Ahead gravy, it is very good.

Also, can you get your guests to contribute? Like, X and Y bring all the booze, someone else the soft drinks, another person the puddings? Even if you pay for it, having others take charge of the shopping will be a help.

We always do this now. Everyone takes responsibility for one part of the meal. Last year I did all the veg at my house, and just turned up at my sisters with it in dishes ready to go.

Watching with interest - looking for all possible shortcuts - as have negotiated with DH that I will go skiing for a week and get back on the 22nd. Deal is that I do the Xmas dinner for the family while he wafts about being fragrant and doing the drinks.

don't forget to breathe

Forget doing a starter because everyone will be too full anyway, if you must, serve a few nibbles (M&S) while they are having pre dinner drinks. Make sure you order what you need well in advance, a local farm shop will put together a box of veggies for you (make your red cabbage at least one day ahead, it tastes better). I make my vegetarian son a sort of nut roast thing which doubles as an extra stuffing for everyone else (there's a lovely recipe in the current Sainsbury's Mag that can be made a couple of days in advance). Do all the stuff everyone has said about freezing and buy a nice pudding. My friend buys all the candied fruit seperate etc. and quite honestly a good shop one is just as nice (don't know where you are but Booth's are lovely). Oh and someone somewhere suggested roasting a chicken a couple of weeks in advance and making gravy from the carcass to freeze. You can then add it to your turkey juices on the day. Let anyone who volunteers help you. Good luck!

Agree about the frozen veg.
Much easier to cook than 'fresh', and far less stress.
Do not be peeling when you can be:

• watching an old movie

- drinking sherry - watching the DC opening presents - having a long scented bath...

So many tips. These are great!

I am definitely tempted to enlist a bit of help. We were supposed to be at MILs and so I might ask her to do a starter and then SIL never lifts a finger and has never cooked for anyone so I might allocate the cheese board to her.

I am also tempted by the full M&S order!!!

Oh forgot to mention: we have nice late breakfast and don't eat dinner until about 4pm. That way you give yourself more time and the kids will have had a good long play and hopefully a walk by then.

For the past three years I've had all DH's family on Christmas Eve (16) and my family on Christmas Day (11)
Pork and chestnut stuffing, sage and onion stuffing and pigs in blankets are already made in the freezer in foil trays so can go straight in the oven. Jamie's gravy is also done.
I do all peeling on the 23rd, I put carrots sprouts and parsnips in ziplock bags with herbs and olive oil they then just get tipped in a roasting tin.
The peeled potatoes go in two gigantic pans of water in the shed.
I make two cauliflower cheeses and bung them in the fridge, and braise the red cabbage so they all just need reheating.

The good thing is it's boxing day that I'm catering for and so it won't be as busy in the morning as Christmas day. The DCs will juts want to play with their presents and we can hopefully persuade everyone to come over a bit later.

The bad thing is it's boxing day that I'm catering for and therefore I'm going to end up doing stuff on Christmas night when we get home rather than drinking wine and eating chocolates in front of Christmas tv.

(For those with young DCs - do not miss out on the present opening/playing with toys. When they are teenagers you will look back with nostalgia and wish you still had that...)

I regularly cook for double digit Christmas.

Never do a starter. Nibbles and drinks.

Buy trays that fit neatly in your oven. Ovals are out.

Pigs in blankets 5 minute job. Cook early, warm later.

Buy pre prepared runner beans: m/wave in bag

I have a 3 tier steamer. That does sprouts/carrots/peas

Cauliflower cheese sorts the veggies, or a. Linda. Mc savoury is always good.

Buy turkey gravy.

Don't forget gravy for veges also separate utensils.

Buy Waitrose pudding, microwave is nicer than steamed.

Commandeer runners to get plates to the table.

Another mashed ppotato freezer gee! And mashed swede! Mine are all done and in the freezer. I can also vouch for the frozen raw root veg - food bags plus chopped raw root veg plus veg oil plus fresh rosemary. Chuck onto hot roasting tray. Done. Apparently the frozen starch actually helps the roasting process(?!) We do this all the time. I have a good trick for re-heating yorkies too if anyone's interested! I have made 20 and put in freezer. They're currently light golden. On the day I will shove in steamer trays for 2 minutes whilst I put theveg in bowls and then just 1 minute into the already red hot oven that I've just taken the root veg out of - perfect every time and quick!

Here, not gee ... Getting too excited about Christmas!

Red cabbage from Delia's recipe is always a good one to freeze and defrost on the day (as I'm the only one that likes it)....same for carrot and swede mash with nutmeg and cream.

I have tried every single pre-made gravy available and Tesco finest was the best but they discontinued and reformulated. Now I make sure I do a giant M&S rotisserie chicken Sunday lunch in Early December and make huge amounts of gravy with added madeira and freeze it. I always find it's the most time consuming part of the dinner but it either makes or breaks it.

Chesnuts sell out before Xmas too, so get those in if you are doing sprouts with bacon and chesnut.

Make the gravy head of time saves loads of time at the end. I like jamie's make ahead gravy.

My get ahead tip is to start boiling the sprouts about now ...

Seriously though, following on from ineed and Like's posts, I have a spreadsheet in which I note which pots /pans /dishes I will be using as it avoids the head-scratching business of needing the same pan for 3 things at the same time.

My spreadsheet is ace as I can use it to work out all the prep / cooking / serving up times as well.

All my serving dishes are put on the kitchen table with a slip of paper inside them to say what will go in them.

Christmas pud is reheated in slow cooker with foil tent lid. No steamy kitchen and a free cooker ring.

Turkey and ham cooked the night before ,sliced and gravied and into oven.

Time plan on kitchen wall. Buzzer set for each stage.

Lots of Buck's Fizz.

Enjoy.

Tamsin Day-Lewis's recipe book has a fantastic Christmas prep and cooking plan.

I use an electric steamer for green beans, sprouts and carrots, frees up the hob, less steam in the kitchen, no chance of boiling dry due to bucks fizz overload and it keeps them warm when finished.