Is anyone starting their Christmas food shopping?

[IncessantNameChanger]

I don't think I can face doing a traditional big shop in the week before Christmas any more.

I have decided that we always buy too much and the food seems to hang around forever. So bring organised I have started a list and I'm going to buy one or two things a week instead. I have bought a frozen Turkey crown. Pigs in blankets and prawns. I think really if I didnt buy anything else I have Christmas dinner sorted ( kind of!).

If i get the other important things as I see them then leave the money essentials until the last few weeks. Hopefully my teens dont decide to cook a prawn stir fry, what could go wrong? I'm hoping to spend a lot less two this way as I will be more focused. I hope

I've been moving house, and will get my freezers back today - gloriously empty!

I stocked up last year and have been itching to get started.

I need to organise the freezer this week and make some space in the pantry.

I'm currently eating up the bits in the freezer then I will buy a complete Christmas dinner frozen just in case I have issues with getting fresh (I might need to go away just before or even Christmas and dp can manage frozen with instructions!)

Last year in the store I work at we ran out of cranberry sauce and stuffing mix quite early on, mint sauce was also very popular. so I've got all mine now. When ordering click&collect or delivery if its not on the shop shelves to pick it won't be in your order, so may be worth ordering it early.

@Lynne1Cat

No. It's October! My husband's employer gives all the workers a £100 gift card for Tesco (the only time we shop there). We go at about 5 am, a few days before Christmas and get everything in one go. For some reason, we didn't use last year's gift card, so we'll have £200 this time.

Check your gift card is still in date. Some expire after a year.

I’ve decided to buy a couple of things each week - non perishables such as cranberry sauce,gravy etc. Also brought the advent calendars.

We always buy turkey from the local butchers and the turkey farm isn’t too far away so hoping we’ll be okay there.

I have a Marks and Spencer order in for their Shin of Beef. All I’ll need after that is potatoes to roast and mash and some veg. Starter also from Marks and Spencer and is ordered.

We’ve then got family and friends at night for dessert so I am doing a cheese board (going to order the biscuits for cheese to come with my Tesco order soon) and a chocolate board. I’ve got some of the chocolate bits already.

Next time I am in Marks and Spencer, I’m picking up their frozen bags of pastries, cookies and mash for the freezer. All done.

I'm usually pretty relaxed about it but yesterday it was mooted that we might be hosting some of DH's family so I'm in a panic now as SIL always pushes the boat out and they'll want red cabbage and everything

Fortunately it will only be for lunch but DH and I had got into the habit of just having a small roast with a cheese board for supper. I might grab some pigs in blankets later and take out a second mortgage to order a turkey from the butcher.

@mummymayhem18

I sometimes like to add a generous splosh of tia maria in with my baileys for a wee extra kick🤪😁

@Hairwizard 😂😂. Blimey I bet you're the life and soul of the Christmas party 😂😂👍🎄🍷🍷

@2tired2bewitty

Due to a bit of a mix up last year we’ve already got pigs in blankets 🙄

I’ll start snacks after half term with every expectation that they’ll have to be restocked! Meat comes from the butcher who has already said to forget goose this year, so might do beef instead, just waiting on final numbers from family.

Booths have goose in their Christmas Book if you are anywhere in the north. DH mentioned it but I reminded him that the boys weren’t that keen on it. He remembers having it before we married. It is quite traditional here in the rural areas. Lots where we lived before as lots of the local farmers fattened them some had turkeys as well. There is a poultry auction just before Christmas. I order mine from a local butcher.Book is opened 1st November he can tell you which farm it came from and always been good. We have a rolled sirloin beef for New Year. I also usually add Christmas things into normal shopping and eldest DS1 has a homemade hamper. The other two stopped theirs😣 DD and her DP might turn up but at the moment not expecting them. They went travelling and are in NZ. Got caught up in the lockdown there and haven’t been able to fly home have enjoyed most of their stay.

Happy shopping!😀

@mummymayhem18 give you a lovely warm fuzzy vibe😆👍

Got the Turkey crown frozen
Making my own pigs so got sausages and bacon
Got Christmas puds (still have 2 large ones from last year in date!!)
KP cheese footballs
Frozen breakfast pastries
Frozen m and s cauliflower cheese (would have preferred to collect and not to freeze but it was about the only thing they have on offer this year that I had on my list so I wasnt going just for that)
Got mincemeat and all the cake ingredients
Plus a few other odds and ends like biscuits for cheese

Recommendation (also to remind myself 😩) start using up some freezer food so you’ve got plenty of room for Christmas goodies that you can start stocking up on from now until then. (And reminder to self: do not eat them until Christmas!)

I've got a turkey crown, gammon, cocktail sausages and fish pie mix in the freezer. I always get those at this time of year, as they form the basis of our Christmas food for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Once I've got those I relax, because I only need veg really.

I will then buy things like pickles, cranberry sauce and so on, one thing a week going forwards.

We’re doing it differently this year. Going out for Xmas dinner so don’t need to shop for that. We are however buying pigs in blankets and other snacky bits for later on should we feel hungry. Then Boxing Day we’ll be having a gammon roast most likely with everything in the fridge. Just need to buy the gammon. Not sure about Xmas eve uet but we normally have Salmon and loads of veg .

This year -
I will make sure I have enough bread flour and yeast as I bought a breadmaker in April and it is a revelarion
I make loaves , pizza dough and sweet dough for Cinnamon Buns .

I make slow cook pizza sauce and freeze in portions . DS has Pizza Saturday (his new tradition) we always have pizza on Boxing Day ( I make )

We don;t eat meat but DS (and the cats) eat chicken so I;ll buy a couple of Free Range chicken breasts ( hopefully with skin) to roast
Tried the Linda McCartney chicken roast but it wasn't nice . Though their herby stuffing roast is delicious .

I have last years Christmas Pudding in the pantry .
Not making a cake this year .
No-one really eats pudding so I'm not doing trifle or cheesecake . Maybe some ice cream sundae .

I go to Sainsbury early morning about a week before and use all my Nectar Points . I can get the Terrys Chocolate Oranges and After Eights ( Christmas Essentials )
Then its just last minute fresh vegetables .

Today we bought flour, vanilla bean paste, golden icing sugar, unsalted butter, jar of mincemeat.

(a big net of shell on hazlenuts) for the squirrels, Cyril and Nutella. Yes it is their Christmas too!

deliberately not buying crisps/chocolates because I know they wouldn't make it to the end of the week let alone Christmas!!

Will buy cheeses, fresh fruit and fresh veg around 21st Dec.

Must add homemade steak pie to baking list.. buy steak and bottle of naice Ale

.........roast potatoes in duck fat already bought and in the freezer plus beef.

Must get sausagement for the sausage rolls and some cooking apples.....

@DarlingCoffee - we’re having a Cook Christmas. We have for the last two years. There will be 17 of us to feed so there is no way I’m preparing that amount of food. I keep looking online at the pictures - lovely?
Wine and other drinks have been ordered and a normal weekly shop delivery is on 23 December. Am thankful I won’t have to go inside a single food shop.

We just do a meat shop from the butchers and then an everything else shop comes online the day before Christmas.
It’s just a big roast, we have one every week anyway so not worried about not being able to track stuff down. We will get what we can and won’t worry about what we can’t!
If I started buying stuff now it would all be eaten well before Christmas.
We go away the day after Boxing Day and go to MIL’s on actual BD too so aren’t around to eat leftovers or sit and eat lots of chocolate while watching telly on those days between Xmas and new year so we don’t need masses.

I stock up early and slowly, so that everything is sorted except perishables. I like to be done by mid November at the latest so that December is relaxing.

I ordered our turkey and ham from M&S yesterday. Will try and get a few bits in here and there for the next month or so but I know from experience if I stock up too early on crocs or wine it all needs to be replaced before Christmas!

@clare8allthepies It's the same here, I don't buy things like crisps, nibbles and booze too early or it just means I'll be replacing it before Christmas! 😂

I ordered M&S based on this thread so thank you. Only 4 small bits. Brie and 2 x pigs in blankets, plus the ricotta which I just fancied trying. Was shocked at how many things were already sold out.