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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

Food recommendations please

16 replies

CbeebiesAddict · 17/07/2017 12:04

So this will be our second time hosting but this year we will have an almost two year old so I don't want to make everything from scratch as I have done previously as want to relax as much as possible.

Where would people recommend food from? I believe M&S is quite popular? Any tips on what to get from where and what to avoid?

Also when do the Christmas menus get released does anyone know?

TIA!

OP posts:
NoWordForFluffy · 17/07/2017 13:46

M&S is good. They change their offerings every year, so there aren't many recommendations which can be made.

Booths are lovely too and, if you order enough (£50-£100.00, can't recall which) you will have nominated day delivery if you aren't near a store to collect (we are). I LOVE Booths' Christmas food. It's not cheap though!

Mummysh0rtlegs · 17/07/2017 14:31

I pre-make and freeze. So I spread most of my prep out over December and it makes Christmas day a breeze but also tastes nice.

I par boil and then freeze my potatoes, I do my red cabbage in the slow cooker and freeze, I blanch and freeze my sprouts (then roast them with chestnuts and lardons), I make stuffing balls and freeze, I do JO gravy and freeze it, I do a ham in the slow cooker the day before. I peel and leave in water my parsnips as I don't pre-cook those (but do core them!!). I do carrots on the day, but often just top and tail and roast them in a parcel in the oven whole, I pre-wrap my sausages in bacon and freeze them.

We have Christmas pudding, I will make that and Christmas cake long in advance. If we have a starter it is smoked salmon so no real prep.

BiddyPop · 17/07/2017 15:01

How many are you hosting?

What do they expect? (Turkey, ham and spiced beef; 1 bird, or happy with any roast meat?) ("Must make" bread sauce, or "it's ruined" if there's no cranberry, or happy with whatever is put in front of them?)

Would any bring a dish (starter, or dessert, or a side/2, cheeseboard, etc)?

Would any give any help out in the kitchen in advance or on the day?

Are they only visiting for the day or are there visitors there overnight as well?

Do you have freezer space to do things in advance?

Do you LIKE cooking, or would you prefer to let someone else have the hassle? Or is it more the prepping part, the cooking part, the hostessing part or the cleaning up part (or any combination of those) that you are worried about?

(Slightly irrelevant but some indication of available time - do you WOHM or are you a SAHM?)

Like Mummysh0rtlegs, I prep a fair amount in advance whenever I am hosting (although it's only ever us 3 for Christmas Dinner if at home - but I do host on Boxing Day and do prep ahead for Christmas dinner too).

I like to have at least good chicken stock, if not some turkey stock (I may do a joint for Thanksgiving in November) in the freezer.

I sometimes get the veg prepped and blanched ahead of time and frozen, and the potatoes too.

I make the herby butter for the turkey on Christmas Eve, or even earlier if I get the time (it can be frozen).

I also make the stuffing, if it's bread stuffing - and often do that ahead of time and freeze. That's fine to do. DH though likes to use sausage meat in the stuffing, so that's his job to boil and then make the stuffing (including the traditional phonecall to DMIL to ask how to cook the sausage meat!) on Christmas Eve. Even just buying breadcrumbs or making them as you have crusts that won't get eaten is a good step and both of those options are perfect for freezing.

I always clean and peel the veggies on Christmas Eve, leaving potatoes in pots of cold water, carrot batons in another pot of cold water, sprouts in another, but parsnips need to stay in an airtight container with no water (or they get slimy) and the same with onions/garlic if using.

Decide what you would like to serve - a plate of smoked salmon may be a lovely starter but more tricky if larger numbers and soup may work better there. Or you could have something plated up cold ahead of time - or easy to plate in a hurry. Pate could also work well.

If oven space is an issue, cook ham the day before and serve that cold or steamed to reheat. Use a tiered steamer to cook a couple of types of veggies. Cook the bird, and have everything else ready to throw into the oven once it comes out to rest as that needs at least 30 minutes and can be an hour or more - just pop some tinfoil back over the bird and cover with a couple of folded bath towels to keep it piping hot!

Do a veg or 2 on the hob, while potatoes roast and maybe some roasted root veg. But sprouts are great steamed and then tossed with bacon, or some steamed broccoli, or even frozen peas just quickly boiled at the last minute (petits pois only take the time to bring water back up to the boil, I find).

Have the gravy made in advance (whether the day before or frozen), in a pot on the stove - just make it a little thicker than you would like it, and then add in the turkey juices to it before serving.

Once you have a roast potato for everyone, do a large pot of mashed potatoes (or even herby versions and call it potato stuffing) on the hob. Or have a second tray of smaller ones already parboiled to go in as you take the rest out and all sit down - which will be ready for anyone who wants seconds.

Remember you can use your microwave to cook or reheat things.

And while you think about what you can do ahead of time easily for yourself, and what you want to buy in, think about what will save YOU the most in terms of energy. And what will make the biggest impression as well - so you may want to buy the bags of potatoes that are pre-peeled and ready to cook, or you may want to buy a "WOW" inducing starter, or ready to plate desserts, instead of the whole thing. Or you may decide that it is worth the cost to YOU to buy it all in - just bear in mind the cost per person and overall to feed everyone, and the hassle of ordering and collecting/getting delivered in those manic few days.

CbeebiesAddict · 17/07/2017 19:47

Thanks fluffy will check out Booths :)

I usually do lots of prep but I still find it quite time consuming mummy so reading through Biddy's post it's probably best if I decide what is important to me to have homemade and what would be good to get it.

Biddy thanks for such a detailed answer! I work full time (over 4 days) so time is quite scarce. Number of guests not confirmed yet but it will be between 2-5 all staying a couple of nights so have several meals to cater.

They have to travel some distance so they probably couldn't bring cooked food buy could definitely ask them to bring snacks, drinks etc. They aren't confident cooks at all and don't enjoy it so although they would help I think it might make things harder. They will do all the washing up though :)

I usually enjoy cooking but really want a relaxing day this year that I can spend almost all of it with DS so will chat to DH and agree what we will make and what we will buy in. I have never prepped the veg before so that's a great tip, especially the roasties!

OP posts:
NoWordForFluffy · 17/07/2017 19:50

If you want super-crispy roasties, sprinkle polenta on them before battering them in the saucepan post-draining. We started to do this after I saw it mentioned on here, and they're the best roasties ever!

Even if I didn't work full time and have two small children I wouldn't do as much from scratch as Biddy does...she's a veritable Christmas goddess!

MusicToMyEars800 · 28/07/2017 19:45

I'm quite lazy at Christmas, so I buy from M&S, Morrisons and sometimes Asda and Sainsburys too, I tend to buy in advance and freeze, I do make quite a bit from scatch such as cheese straws, sausage rolls, mince pies.

schoolgaterebel · 28/07/2017 19:50

I also prepare & freeze what I can, or prepare & refrigerate the day before.

I also cook the turkey the day before and carved it, poured its cooking juice over it and refrigerate. (And make gravy)

On the day I cook the pigs in blankets, roast potatoes & Yorkshire puddings (if we're having) and warm up the rest. It's easy peasy.

Crabbo · 04/08/2017 18:29

If you buy the m&s pre-made stuff (the one you order in advance from the catalogue) does it literally come ready to stick in the oven in disposable roasting trays or is there a bit to do to it? I ordered from Sainsbury's last year which was very nice but still needed a little bit of prep and putting in your own tins etc. That was fine last year but this year I'll have a 2 year old and a newborn and with no dishwasher and a tiny kitchen I want to make it as easy as possible.

NoWordForFluffy · 04/08/2017 20:17

M&S stuff does come in trays (or the stuff we bought did). It's all very easy to do!

FridgeCut · 04/08/2017 20:20

If it doesn't you can buy the foil trays from Wilko or the supermarket and decant into that.

Two christmases ago I had a 2 year old and a three month old, that was actually pretty easy :) they both went for a nap after an early lunch and we just lay on the sofa! Get your butcher to do you a stuffed crown, really easy to cook and carve and nicer than the prepared ones.

TomFun · 05/08/2017 08:08

Following with interest as I am cooking for seven on Christmas Day.

My parents used to get M&S pre-prepared Christmas food and it really is lovely and easy to cook.

Crabbo · 05/08/2017 22:31

Oh that's a good idea with the trays FridgeCut, I'll pick up some of those.

wobblywonderwoman · 07/08/2017 18:23

Tesco sell a lovely Wiltshire ham. It is just perfect for Christmas dinner. Just slice and heat.

Lidl sell fancy gratins (in a box of four - cheese and brocolli or garlic) that look gorgeous and taste gorgeous.

M&s though.. You can't go wrong

NoWordForFluffy · 07/08/2017 19:03

Except I think you HAVE to collect in-store with M&S and a new baby may make that a touch difficult.

BendydickCuminsnatch · 08/08/2017 20:13

Sorry to be dense but if you prep veg and freeze, do you then roast/boil etc from frozen or leave it out to defrost and then cook?

I'll have a 2 year old and a newborn but only the 4 of us at home this year :) (unless something goes desperately wrong and the in laws come round). So should be simple, will deffo try a turkey crown this year, I think last year we just did a chicken!

FridgeCut · 08/08/2017 22:53

Sprouts I roast after blanching and freezing so I just lob them in a pyrex dish with some lardons and chestnuts and whack it in the oven. If I have frozen finished roasties I reheat from frozen in the oven. If I have par boiled my potatoes I defrost and flour them before cooking in boiling oil. Red cabbage I freeze in foil containers and again straight in the oven or I pop it out into a pan and heat it that way.

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