What Christmas food are we buying/preparing in advance and stashing away?

[schoolgaterebel]

I am making the following to freeze:
Red cabbage
Cauliflower cheese
Pigs in blankets
Stuffing balls

And have bought some:
Crackers
Festive serviettes
Nuts
Turkey gravy

I plan to pick up some more bits on my next shopping trip: Pringles, crackers (for cheese), fancy chocolates, a bottle of baileys, nice wine.

Trying to spread the cost over a few months, but need to remember where I've stashed all the treats otherwise I forget what I've bought.

Any tips and ideas?

For the past few weeks every time I have gone shopping or just popped to the local shop I have picked up an extra few bits! Got 2 large bags of nuts, several boxes of Maltesers, Matchmakers, posh big bags of crisps, posh crackers for' cheese night'! ! Reduced bags of popcorn for 'film night'!!. Soon adds up!!

I'm going to make the spiced red cabbage and freeze that. I've bought frozen chestnuts from Waitrose this year - usually I buy, peel and freeze those. I'll be making breadcrumbs for stuffing and bread sauce, and freezing those, as well as the stock for the gravy, which I will make from the carcass of a roast duck - and I'll freeze the meat from that too, for a meal after christmas (sticky asian duck).

I might make the apple sauce too - we have goose, and whilst I have to have bread sauce for me, and gravy for dh and the dses, I think it needs the apple sauce to cut through the richness.

Well I bought some half price m&s truffles last week and ate half a box 😳

don't forget the boring stuff too! I keep an eye on stuff like toilet paper, bin bags, kitchen roll, tin foil (the extra long and strong kind), cling film, parchment, rubber gloves, washing up liquid, handwash and I do a check on cupboard staples like salt, oil, spices, sugar, flour, baking powder, etc
All those things get used at a higher rate than normal over Christmas
I fill the freezer with individual portions of soups and casserole type meals that I can whip out and defrost quickly for impromptu gatherings or unexpected guests (this week I'll make Normandy pork casserole, and vichyssoise and if I have time a nice salted caramel sauce). I make sure I have frozen mash, brown soda bread and good quality vanilla ice cream (if I have the energy I'll make my own)
I can't keep chocolate or biscuits in the house so I just buy them later and I don't start the proper Christmassy cooking until December.
I like to do a goose for the first Sunday of Advent and I strain lots of lovely goose fat into jars for the roast potatoes.
I hate linking to the daily fail but there's a really good article with lots of cook ahead and freeze ideas for Christmas dinner that might be helpful.

I’ve bought a Christmas pudding and will buy a small Christmas cake (only my dad likes it ). Will probably get some snack type stuff - crisps , nuts etc too .

I would love to stash but just end up eating everything so can only buy a couple of days before.

Tesco have a third off their Finest Christmas Cake and Christmas pudding at the moment. Can recommend both.

Does Cauliflower Cheese freeze well?

I am making breadcrumbs tonight to freeze from the remains of a posh loaf of sourdough - that will be the basis of my stuffing.

I have my mincemeat "maturing" in the sitting room.

I have bought the nice wine and dessert wine for Christmas Day. I still have to buy a half bottle of port though (M&S do a nice one) - we have some vintage port but we'd never drink the whole bottle between just 2 of us, so that would be a waste.

II picked up some chocolates for after dinner (silver balls) in M&S a few weeks ago, and 2 large bags of crisps that we like this week.

Otherwise, I will pick up a few things if I see them on offer, but I am more trying to empty cupboards this year (later than usual and lots of old things I want to use up) so I don't want to refill them until that's done.

I don't tend to get loads anyway - O still have a handful of amaretti biscuits (my special treat) from last year, I will get a bag of Leonidas orangettes rather than big tubs of celebrations etc, and I'll get a few packets of biscuits we like for visitors. I know I want to get some party food for a couple of events, and need freezer space for that. And I have some party wine but need some more (there's a few offers due this week so will possibly get it then). And some beer.

The Christmas feast, well, it's only for 3 of us and I will probably just pick it up on the weekly shop over the weekend of 23rd.

I freeze leftover cauliflower cheese to have for easy dinners when DH is not there (reheat in oven, while cooking some roast potatoes, and if I really feel I need meat, a couple of chicken thighs still with their skin on) and that works well. Slightly watery, and I tend to not put any grated cheese on top until it has defrosted as that gives a better result in the oven.

Cointreau
Baconfoil trays
Goose fat

2 packs Aldi Mince pies - all eaten
Biscuits for cheese - all eaten as well

All by me

I’ve got chocolate stashed away already (lord knows how I’ve not eaten it yet)

I’ll pick these up soon to store away
Booze
Crisps
Crackers
Biscuits
Stolen (although I’m in danger of eating that)

I wasn’t planning to premake anything for the freezer but might do some stuffing balls.

I’m normally well prepared by now but we moved house last week so I’m a bit behind. I like to buy a few bits a week from October so I had a catch up today and I’ve bought
Stollen (which will need replacing )
Nuts x 3 types
Florentines
Biscuits
Shortbread
Pretzels
Chocolates x 3 types
Lebkuchen
Crackers
Cards
So feeling a bit better about being behind!

I have:

Nuts (3 types here too)
Pringles
Tortilla chips
Biscuits
Crackers for cheese
Lebkuchen
Chocolate coins
Some new Walkers pita chips or something!

I also have 3 x Schloer, 1 litre of Absolut, 5 x bottles of wine and 2 x bottles of prosecco (I've done the Sainsbury's double up for the wine today, as well as getting 1 free from M&S for ordering food early!).

We have , crisps, biscuits and that's about it so far. Usually we have loads more by now but money is tight this year

I bottled a load of plums from my garden in gin in JULY. Beat that youbastards

Bought various chocolates, biscuits when on offer at M&S, crackers for cheese, prosecco, champers, port, peach schnapps, lemonade, bag of ice, pringles, after eights, mint matchmakers, prawns, pigs in blankets, Ferrero rocher, cat Christmas dinner!!

I’ve bought a cheap bottle of Baileys three times so far. I think I’ll have to get DH to hide the next one :(

I have got crackers (both the ones you pull and the ones for cheese), prosecco, sherry, baileys, posh jam, nice mayonnaise and churros in the freezer for Christmas Eve. I made some quince brandy and a Christmas cake.

I will buy a few extra things each week. I have my Ocado slot booked for Christmas Eve, they haven't let me down.... Yet.

Have bought the chocolate and will freeze and make cranberry sauce. Have just discovered the m and s connoisseur stollen bites, soooo much nicer than the aldi/lidl options and on offer, they are fabulous.

Oh no no no , way too early

Not only the storage but my teenagers will graze on things ie scoff them .

Early December trip to Costco to stock up on :
binbags, looroll , J2O (hide in the garage), big tubs of olives, part baked french bread, cheddar.

Then mid December a Christmas Treats Shop to get the crisps,biscuits,mince pies, soft drinks , beer for DH (hide in the garage with the J2O )
Selection boxes
Chocolates to put in the glass jar

Nearer Christmas The Big Shop (using my Nectar Points) might do the Friday before.

DH and I wandered round on Christmas Eve last year just to see what was going on. Answer : not much

Aldi Christmas pudding was vv good last year. After Christmas when they reduced them we stocked up and kept having them.

I bought some lebkuchen in lidl on Monday, to start my Christmas stash. They were delicious

So far:
12 bottles of naive wine from naked wines (3 left!!)
Aldi Florentines - evidence of piggery (empty boxes) hidden in recycling
Tubs of heroes and Q street - all the good ones eaten and soft centres left.
M&S posh roast potaties - freezer
M&S chocolately melt in middle type dessert - freezer
Other M&S fancy potatoes (might be dauphinois) - freezer
Fancy ice cream - again evidence of piggery is hidden in recycling box.

I can’t trust myself so am buying no more till nearer the time. We do have a home made Christmas cake which no one actually eats (we give it to people as Wee visiting gifts as dd is a fab baker) so that has survived. Has a shedload if brandy in it though so maybe a warning label will have to go on it!!!

The wine was naice not naive!!

Some beautifully patterned vintage plates off eBay which will form the basis of my table setting this year.

I.Need.Help.