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Christmas

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

Freshly made OR store bought?

7 replies

Blablabla1984 · 11/12/2020 13:25

Do you make everything from scratch when it comes to Christmas dinner or do you buy some ready made things? If so, what shortcuts do you take?
We're hosting this year and we have a 6m old baby, so I could do with some shortcuts (although I love everything homemade). Also, any prep I can do before Christmas would be appreciated.

OP posts:
Funkyslippers · 11/12/2020 13:36

Prep whenever you can in the run up to Xmas day. If you want to leave it until Christmas Eve, prepare all the veg and put it in water. Doesn't need to be refrigerated. If you want to get ahead now, prep and then freeze. You could make the gravy now (my OH roasts loads of veg, adds stock then freezes, then adds meat juices on the day). Make the red cabbage now and freeze. It's so easy then to take out on the day and heat up. You could even par-boil the potatoes and freeze them.

As you can tell I don't tend to buy ready made stuff!

ElectricEels · 11/12/2020 13:41

I've got a 4 month old so I'm getting everything ready ahead that I can. So stuffing, red cabbage, pigs in blankets are all made and in the freezer. Then Xmas eve I'll prep all veg, stuff and roll the deboned turkey legs ready for roasting and make the giblet stock for the gravy.

Makes it all pretty manageable for Xmas day.

If you want shop bought then waitrose/M&S stuffings and pigs in blankets are good. I have bought canapés from M&S this year.

ElectricEels · 11/12/2020 13:42

I've made a cake and pudding this year but I have bought Lidl puddings before and they are very good.

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 11/12/2020 14:33

I make in advance and freeze
Stuffing
Pigs in blankets

Make in advance and keep in the fridge
Christmas pudding
Brandy butter (yum)
Cranberry sauce

On Christmas Eve I make turkey stock with the giblets, some fresh sage & leaves and various veggies, ready for making the gravy next day.

I never do a starter - just M&S canapés an hour or so before - usually cold fishy ones that don’t need any faffing to heat up.

Snog · 12/12/2020 13:09

We are buying ready made gravy, red cabbage and swede/carrot mash and pre prepped sprouts. The rest we will make on the day except for dauphinois potatoes and pigs in blankets which we will make the day before.

We don't bother with a starter and my mum will bring a pudding. It's not much more work than a normal roast and there will only be 5 of us.

MrsWhites · 12/12/2020 13:24

I make everything from scratch but I prep everything on Christmas Eve:

All veg peeled, cut up and put in pans of cold water or in fridge.
Carrot and turnip mash is prepped, cooked and mashed and kept in microwave container in fridge.
Mash same as above.
Pigs in blankets, stuffing balls and stuffing parcels all prepped, in trays ready to go in over, cover in foil and keep in fridge.
Gravy made in advance and frozen.
All deserts made on Christmas Eve, kept in tins in cupboard in garage.
Table set and all ready to go too!

TheSandgroper · 13/12/2020 11:20

I eat funny so do it all myself. Usually on the 23rd (sahm). Sponge for trifle.

Stuffing.
Pumpkin cubed, spiced and roasted.
Potatoes parboiled.
Whole ham cut into chunks (bone sawn through) and most frozen for the year.
Custard for trifle.
Cakes/slices.
Carrots peeled.

On the day, 6 am light Weber, stuff bird, bird on, Mass at 9 am this year. Bird out and ham in. Potatoes into oven etc Pumpkin tossed into salad. Syrup pudding whisked, pudding on, carve bird ham. Veges served, eat etc. Clear table, dessert, chocolate then I stop.

Syrup pudding served with trifle, custard, ice cream, fruit of some sort,

Then I stop. It sounds a lot but I just chug along. Peeling vegetables is dead time, I think. Whatever you can do in that line previously is s good thing.

Gosh, this turned into an essay.

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