Food - what are you making from scratch?

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We have never hosted Christmas before but are doing so for the first time this year! I'm planning on making life as easy as possible for myself (frozen/pre-prepared stuff) but I'd like to try to make a few easy things myself.
What are you making? What's easy to make?

Roast potatoes and a shed load of them Don't even allow the thought of the possibility of an Aunt Bessie Roastie to even contemplate gracing your table .

Proper roasties are king , everyone has their own way and will claim it is The Right Way .
This is mine -
I use Maris Pipers (or King Edward if I cannot get them)
Peel, cut into 3 , use a T shaped cut so lots of edges . Not too small
steam (not boil, they can break up ) till they're part cooked , they'll be opaque at the edges .
Cool a bit with a clean dish towel over , then give them a good shake in the steamer basket or colander to make the edges fluffy
Let them go cold then they go into hot oil ( I'm vegetarian so no goosefat for me)
Baste and turn till they're perfect . ( Timing will vary )

I love sprouts and Teddy Bears Noses ( vacuum packed chestnuts )

Steaming is loads easier than boiling and easier to control.

Make your pudding in October (dead easy , just weigh everything out , make sure you have everything you need )

I'll do a cake (Delia ) and my own marzipan if we have company otherwise I know we don't eat it all so don't bother .

Bread sauce is easy
Lots of people make and freeze red cabbage and Jamie Oliver gravy

Chocolate Brownies are far better made than bought (I'll dig out a recipe ) make them a couple of days ahead .

There was a Martha Stewart Cookie recipe that was The Best Ever , I need to find it again, translating the American names took times and I used the Cups measurements .

Amazing! Thanks so much :)

I've done the Jamie Oliver make ahead gravy before and it's really good!

I like to do my own roast potatoes on the day as I think they really make the meal. I baste the turkey and prep the veg the day before so it's all just to bung on during the actual day.

I buy pigs in blankets and stuffing balls ready prepared, and ready made cauliflower cheese if we're having that, as I'm less fussed about these so make it easy as possible.

I make most stuff from scratch a lot of stuff fan be made ahead and frozen e.g. sausage meat stuffing, braised red cabbage, pigs in blankets, some desserts.

I buy christmas pudding because it is such a faff to make and a luxury m&s one is just as good as one I could make

I normally make Christmas pudding in mid October. I also make my own brandy butter. There's little scope for error, though over-whipping the brandy butter can make it oily, and adding lots of brandy too quickly might make it curdle.
Cream together 150g of icing sugar and 150g of room temperature butter. Add 2 tbsp of brandy, to taste, and serve.
You can make gravy now and freeze and then just add the juices from your Christmas turkey to it before serving.
Stuffing freezes well and I even freeze mine in the oven dish so once it's defrosted it can go straight in the oven. Some people go so far as to cook the stuffing before freezing, so on the day it only requires warming up: a good idea when oven space is at a premium.
Some people parboil and freeze their potatoes.
If you're making soup for starters, that can be made now and frozen.
Bread sauce can be made a month in advance and frozen. Nigella's recipe includes freezing and reheating instructions www.nigella.com/recipes/my-mothers-bread-sauce but it also keeps for a surprisingly long time in the fridge - just make it a few days before, and you'll only need to add a splash of milk and microwave it.
You can boil your parsnips and keep them in the fridge for up to a day before, to cut down on the cooking time. Alternatively, you could freeze them. Delia's Parmesan parsnips have freezing instructions.
Cold desserts that can be made ahead and served straight away, like a chocolate mousse or a frozen dessert, are ideal.
Braised red cabbage and the cheese sauce if you serve cauliflower cheese can be frozen for one month. This recipe for red cabbage has freezing instructions www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3064/braised-red-cabbage-with-cider-and-apples
Yorkshire puds freeze well and can also be made one month ahead www.saga.co.uk/magazine/food/cooking-tips/best-ever-yorkshire-pudding-recipe

Christmas cake
Roast potatoes
Pigs in blanket
Gravy
Stuffing

I do braised red cabbage, which I make ahead and freeze, and make a Christmas cake. I buy a stuffed turkey crown which is the easiest option, and do veggies and roast potatoes on the day. I buy a good quality ready made gravy and add a splash of port or red currant sauce.
This year I have made black currant and red currant gin.

Christmas pudding - I love the Christmassy smell when mixing up, and it's miles nicer and less dense and heavy than shop ones.
Masses of mince pies throughout December, and probably Delia's mincemeat too.

Stuffing, pigs in blankets - both made and frozen in advance - and cranberry sauce.
Roast potatoes - can't beat good homemade ones.
Proper gravy made in the roasting tin, with the juices and turkey giblet stock, simmered the day before. It's very easy, I can't think why people buy gravy.

I always make Nigella’s Christmas puddings and steam in my slow cooker instead of a pan. I also make her Christmas cake and I make sausage rolls and Delia’s cheese and onion rolls and open freeze them before bagging them so I can cook them from frozen as needed.

All the cakes, desserts, yorkshires, gravies, stuffing and my sister does all the vegan menu herself from scratch. Gahhh! Cannot wait!

Red cabbage is easy. I make it on stir up Sunday (same day I make the Xmas pud) then freeze in foil trays. Defrost overnight, 20mins in the oven on the day still in the tray. It's always better second time round too.

And as above. Xmas pud is easy to make. Store somewhere cool n dark. Then we ping it in the microwave

Orlando Murrin's easy mince pie recipe - freeze at the filled but not cooked stage (I usually cling film my mince pie time before filling and adding the pastry tops, then put the whole thing in the freezer - ping out into freezer bags when ready!). Then cook from frozen for 25 mins on his recommended gas mark. You look like a domestic goddess! Mmm I still have some in the freezer from last year! Might have to put the oven on.....

*Mince pie tin - not time - gah!!!

I've never made a Christmas pudding from scratch. I love it but happy with cheap ones throughout Dec (!) and a good bought one on the day. I do normally make a Christmas cake though.
Stuffing and red cabbage made ahead and frozen. All other veg and gravy on the day. Pigs in blankets assembled day before but cooked on the day. Cranberry sauce made a day or two before. I make Mary Berry's nut roast for my veggie sister, we all like it. Invariably I start to make bread sauce but forget about it

I parboil the potatoes in advance, open freeze them on trays, then bag up. Put them straight into the hot fat frozen on Christmas Day and cook 5 -10 mins longer than usual. They are even better than normal roast potatoes (crispier). I also do the same with parsnips then roast from frozen in maple syrup and oil.

I hate having loads of boiling pans to deal with so do roast carrots and red onions together in foil packets. They are very forgiving time wise too! For the sprouts, they are prepped the day before, and snippets of bacon are fried ready to add when the sprouts are cooked.

Delia's bread sauce is great. I freeze that before the final stage, including the onion studded with cloves. I think it's a bit thinner if frozen, so if you like thick bread sauce, reduce the milk a bit. Stuffing is made weeks in advance and also frozen. HTH.

I made pudding and cake last year. I could have made twice the number of puddings but only I ate the cake (it was yummy). Might make a tiny one, or try a Yule log or similar this year.

I don't buy or make Christmas cake or Christmas pudding because I don't really like it. We had mince pies last Xmas for the first time in 5 or 6 years.

We will make our own roast potatoes. That's about it really. I buy everything else including a chicken and stuffing balls.

Oh ds will want to make Xmas cookies and gingerbread men so we will make them ourselves

I'm a prepper so most stuff I make in advance and freeze.

Roasties - blanche, dry, freeze
Stuffing - two types, made and frozen
Brussels and carrots - cut and blanches
Pigs in blankets - wrapped and frozen
Mash potato - make and freeze

I'm not going to make a cake this year, MIL was the only taker last year. I will make and gift mince meat, make a gingerbread house and cookies, potentially a fun sponge cake.

Oh and three types of sausageroll. And cinnamon rolls. And some croissants.

Oh yes, we made a gingerbread house (we pick a wet day after the 25th!). We'll do that again.

I make my own pudding from delia recipe - very easy, I find the shopping for the ingredients the most time consuming. I get the ingredients for pudding and the ingredients for mincemeat at same time. Mince meat (delia again) very easy and I make pastry in food processor. I enjoy that but personally find peeling etc very tedious!

Christmas cake being made next week so I can feed it brandy for 16 weeks

Bread sauce.

I'm looking for fresh but maybe a bit lighter ideas. I love Xmas cake and I've a fab recipe but my hips don't need it. So I'm thinking Christmasy salads? Is there such a thing?