What else can be prepared in advance for Christmas lunch?

[Shufflebumnessie]

On Christmas eve we plan to peel the veggies, prepare the stuffing, lay out pigs in blankets on baking tray.
What else can we do in advance to reduce the amount of time spent in the kitchen on Christmas day? Thanks

Par boil your potatoes and coat them in melted goose fat (or whatever you roast them in) - then just put them on roasting trays and cover, they roast up beautifully the next day.

Par boil the parsnips and potatoes and keep in an air lock bag in fridge overnight.

Gravy (Jamie), cranberry sauce, bread sauce all done in advance.

Can make chicken liver pate for starter in advance too.

We always make a cauliflower cheese in advance (I appreciate not everyone sees this as Christmas dinner though). Easy to make the day before or freeze. Same with bread sauce. Roast potatoes can be par boiled and put in the fridge the day before then just roasted on the day(Mary Berry tip) or even cooked fully and roasted again to heat the next day, although I've never done that.

I always make my own stuffing in advance, like you said and I know some people even cook the turkey the day before but never done that myself either.

And cranberry sauce too obviously!

I make roast potatoes from frozen - par boil potatoes, cook and freeze on a tray (to stop sticking together), when frozen put in zip lock bag, add some oil/goosefat into the bag, shake to coat evenly, and leave in freezer until needed. Makes lovely roasties.

The thing with roasties the day before is to allow extra cooking time. Cooking a bigger quantity on the day takes longer, especially if old, chilled or frozen.

Red cabbage done the day or so before it improves with resting

Isn't for everyone but I prep and cook everything (apart from the roasties and gravy, always make them fresh on the day) on Christmas eve. So it's just a case of reheating when everyone's ready to eat on Christmas day.

Cranberry sauce (Delia)
Gravy (Jamie)
Braised red cabbage (Gordon)
Par boil potatoes and keep in air tight container
Same with carrots and parsnips
Roast ham on Christmas Eve

spuds are better for being parboiled the day before and then cooled completely. Don't store in the fat though - heat the fat. Cold spud going into hot fat= maximum crispiness.

I make the stuffing (pork sage and onion) the day before, get the batter made for Yorkshires - batter improves with resting as well. I do braised red cabbage a week before and freeze.

Perfect! Thanks so much for all the suggestions. I'm determined that DH & I will spend as little time as possible in the kitchen on Christmas day this year.

You can always bung the turkey in the oven overnight at gas mark 1/2.

I make the red cabbage and apple end of September, it needs a good day to rest and a stint in the freezer!

And we have some for the first roast of winter.

I'm cooking the whole lot on Christmas Eve this year. Nobody minds a reheated Christmas dinner.

The red cabbage and stuffing balls I make at the start of December and freeze, along with prepping the pigs in blankets and then just defrost in the fridge over Christmas Eve night. We usually cook the turkey first on Christmas morning then take out and wrap tightly in foil while the veg and other sides cook. It's still warm when you're ready to eat as long as you wrap it really tightly.

I did Jamie's gravy and Mary Berry's spuds last year and it was a revelation. Will definitely repeat this year if we're hosting. Mary Berry is very good at telling you how you can prepare her recipes ahead.

My aunt puts all the veg & the turkey in the oven the night before, then cooks it the next day

Surely your sprouts are already on op?

Jamie's gravy (minus star anise) frozen
Cranberry sauce made about a week before for flavours to mingle
Parboiled potatoes the day before (not in fat, I heat it first)
Peeled veg the day before
Pigs in blankets rolled and frozen
Stuffing balls made and frozen

We also make cinnamon buns the night before and let them rise in a cool place so they can be baked first thing for breakfast.

Then there is very little to do on the day. I wouldn't cook the meat the day before though, the roasting smells are part of the big day and I'm not keen on it reheated.

24th involves:
Peeling potatoes and soaking in a pot in cold water
Peeling and slicing carrots and soaking in a separate pot in cold water
Washing and cleaning sprouts and putting in airtight tub
Peeling and slicing parsnips and putting in airtight tub
Peeling and chopping buttnernut squash, airtight tub
Peeling and slicing onions, peeling cloves of garlic, (same and VERY) airtight tub
Using (CLEAN) carrot and onion peelings to add to pot with turkey giblets, black pepper and a bay leaf to boil for stock for gravy
Cooking sausage meat and making stuffing, airtight tub in fridge
Sometimes I will cook cauliflower and make cheese sauce or garlic breadcrumbs topping, put it into it's cooking/serving dish ready to just reheat/get golden once turkey is resting on 25th (we don't always have cauliflower)
Making herby butter (to go under the skin of turkey before cooking next morning)
Brining turkey (if we are doing that this year) - into a very large clean bucket of salty seasoned water for an overnight bath

We don't do starters (just a tray of M&S party food cooked while we prep things and get turkey organised, and eaten while we drink wine and open presents) - but you could make soup or vol au vent fillings etc on 24th.

And for dessert, things like whipping cream or making brandy butter, making jelly or trifle, putting together fruit salad, making chocolate desserts, rolling ice cream into balls to freeze ready to serve, are all useful to do ahead of time.

And making any mince pies or cookies or petits fours or chocs etc for having later with coffee. Or sausage rolls for buffets (if that's what you do).

On 25th, we spend about 30-45 minutes getting the turkey stuffed and into the oven at the same time as lighting the fire, getting party food cooked, lighting candles, opening wine and pouring drinks etc. when we get home from mass and a visit to elderly DAunt.

Then we have occasional forays into the kitchen (usually coinciding with needing a refill of a glass or bowl of crisps) to:
baste turkey,
throw potatoes into oven,
a 15 minute one to steam carrots/parsnips before tossing those with squash and onions in marinade (olive oil, balsamic vinegar, juice of a clementine, chopped marjoram, 1 crushed clove garlic, salt/pepper) to roast, (that usually coincides with turkey coming out so I make the gravy while waiting for steaming to finish),
and maybe 1 more to toss last veg into oven/steamer as needed and some plates to warm.

So it's not slaving over the stove all day.

We usually have the fruit salad for breakfast rather than dessert.

To those who have said they parboil the potatoes on Christmas eve, how do you store them overnight?

By the way, I have just discovered this Christmas section and I am in heaven finally, somewhere I can discuss Christmas without being shouted at by DH for it being too early

Possibly a silly question but can I ask, to those who make cranberry sauce, where do you buy the cranberries? Thinking of trying it this year but when I type cranberries into Asda it shows juice, sauce etc but not the actual fruit.

Parboiled potatoes go in a plastic bag or box in the fridge or another cool place like the garage.

Cranberries don't go on sale till much nearer the time but the supermarkets usually have fresh and frozen ones.