Help with making hosting super easy

[parentsonthenet]

I never host all year round so why on earth I'm thinking about hosting Christmas I'll never know!

Anyway. Potentially cooking for 8-10 people.

Not enough room to all eat at dining table so is it acceptable to have a few in kitchen and some in living room with dinner on lap?

Sorry to say but don't want them round alll day so what's the best time to do dinner and then what time before that should I have them arrive?

How do I go about the logistics of bringing the whole dinner together so it's all ready at the same time and yet haven't spent loads of time slaving away?

Am I asking the impossible or do you experienced hosters have some nuggets of advice that would help this novice?!

How about a Christmas dinner buffet?
Set all food out and let them help themselves.
Say it's a informal get together between whatever times suit your needs

Not ideal to split people between different rooms to eat if you ask me. Can you create more room at the dining table, e.g. by putting the table diagonally and over laying some plywood larger than the table top and borrowing some chairs? Or by putting another smaller table at one end of the dining table? It could be an outdoor table, just cover it with a sheet.

On the food, prep as much the day before as you can. You can parboil potatoes if you're making your own roast potatoes for example. Remember that a roast turkey or joint can rest out of the oven covered in foil for at least an hour whilst everything else is finished. Get plates and cutlery out and ready in advance. It's just about getting organised. I find a list of things to do and cross off really handy. Get someone on drinks duty so you're not interrupted when you're busy. Don't think you have to do absolutely everything yourself - buy things ready prepped if it helps.

@WeAreTheHeroes

Not ideal to split people between different rooms to eat if you ask me. Can you create more room at the dining table, e.g. by putting the table diagonally and over laying some plywood larger than the table top and borrowing some chairs? Or by putting another smaller table at one end of the dining table? It could be an outdoor table, just cover it with a sheet.

There's not enough room for this

Can you at least get some more chairs in the living room instead of splitting people across two rooms to eat?

Could you fit your table & chairs in the living room? My mum used to do this and we had some at the table and others on the couch with dinner in their lap.

Food wise prep/cook as much as you can the day before so it’s more manageable. We also share out the work between family so host deals with the mains and sides but other family members bring starters/desserts so it’s less work.

Prep as much as possible in advance, obviously.

Don’t do a mass of different veg and side dishes. Keep it fairly simple.

Starting backwards from when you want to sit down to eat (preferably not too early! 3 pm is good, and 5 pm is better) write down every timing, e.g., when to take the meat out to rest (a good half hour before eating), when to put spuds on to parboil, etc. right down to when you need to switch the oven on.

Then write it out in time order and put it somewhere where it won’t get lost/hidden under mess/splashed with fat or gravy. The front of the fridge is good.
Then set a timer to remind you - I find it all too easy to forget when the Buck’s Fizz is flowing merrily.

Definitely hand out tasks to people for instance dh is in charge of drinks and top ups and DC are in charge of nibbles and keeping them topped up.

If you are having Christmas lunch at 2pm then I would say to people to arrive at 1pm. Same timings for Christmas dinner.

Have you got a slow cooker you could pop the Turkey into? I prep all my food on Christmas eve and then bung it in the oven on Christmas day. If guests offer to help then let them. Set the table the night before.

I am not sure of how to get people to leave though as our get togethers tend to go on late.

Keep calm and don't let your guests know of any mishaps. Have Christmas music playing, games out for people to create a Christmas vibe.

I generally do the buffet style and then people can pick what they want to eat and how much. Make sure you have extra food,drinks incase people want seconds. Dh always carves and serves the Turkey.

Lots of luck, I am sure you will have a fantastic day.

If you’re not used to hosting big meals then I’d make as many things as possible in advance (e.g. potatoes, carrots and parsnips can be peeled and parboiled the day before, just add oil, salt and pepper and pop them in the oven on the day. Things like braised red cabbage actually benefit from sitting overnight so you could make that a day or 2 before and then just reheat on the day).
I’d also buy some things ready made (pigs in blankets, stuffing, and Yorkshire puddings if you have them. You can get nice ready made Turkey gravy in most supermarkets in December).

Don’t overcomplicate the menu (especially if you’re not used to hosting large events).
I’d go for:

• Turkey (it’s just a big chicken, don’t be intimidated by it!) The key things to remember are to make sure you give it plenty of time to thaw, check how long it takes to cook and at what temperature (so you can plan oven space) and remember that it can rest for an hour once you take it out so you have time to put other things in the oven.
• Roast potatoes (prep in advance, you’ll need more than you think!)
• Roast parsnips and carrots (prep in advance, really delicious if you drizzle with honey for the last 5-10mins of cooking)
• Stuffing (buy a nice ready made version, most supermarkets and butchers will have something. If you have vegetarians/vegans then I’d buy something readymade that cooks at the same temp so you can cook them together).
• Pigs in blankets (buy readymade or prep the day before, you’ll need more than you think)
• Braised red cabbage (loads of festive flavour and can be made the day before and reheated).
• Brussel sprouts (ask someone to prep them for you or do it the day before. Roasting/frying with pancetta and chestnuts takes extra time and oven/hob space so I’d keep it simple and boil in salt water, drain and then toss in butter).
• Gravy (buy the readymade stuff, you’ll need more than you think!)

Other tips:

• Make sure you have enough crockery and cutlery.
• Put someone else in charge of greeting guests and serving drinks (don’t keep the drinks in the kitchen because you won’t want people wandering in and out whilst you’re busy).
• Have some emergency nibbles like crisps and nuts in case things take longer than you anticipated
• Ask other people to bring the desserts or buy something readymade
• Decline offers to bring things for the main course unless you know you’ll have enough oven space.
• Make a timeline for when everything needs to be cooked (you can find examples online that you can edit to fit your menu).
• Give other people jobs but make sure you don’t end up with too many people in the kitchen at the same time.
• Eat slightly later than normal to give you extra time to cook (it also stops people being there all day). Ask them to come about 30mins-1hr before you plan to eat.
• Don’t panic if things go wrong. No-one will notice if a side dish is missing or if the turkey is a bit over-cooked.
• Make sure you have plenty of drinks (including non-alcoholic ones).
• Make sure you have condiments like salt, pepper, cranberry sauce and mustard in each room (or if you’re serving it as a buffet you can put these on the buffet table).
• Although it’s not ideal you can’t make your house any bigger so eating in different rooms is fine. If certain people need to sit in specific places (e.g. gran needs to sit in a specific chair at the table) then you could use little table presents to show people where to sit (wrap up mini chocolate bars in festive paper and put their names on them).

If you do nothing else then the timed list is probably the most important thing to ensure you have a successful day! You want something like this www.google.ae/amp/s/www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/your-christmas-timeplan/amp

Also, don’t stuff the turkey with stuffing (it’ll take forever to cook and the rest of the bird will dry out whilst the stuffing is still raw). Just do it in a baking dish on the side.
Also, it’s not very eco-friendly but if you don’t have enough oven trays/oven dishes/serving dishes then you can buy disposable foil ones (it’ll also cut down on washing up)

I'd do a ham instead. You boil it the night before. Then it just needs to go in the oven to get some colour and you're not worrying about giving your guests raw (undercooked) or dry meat. A nice pan of parsley sauce and you're good. You can cook the red cabbage before hand and then reheat it. Daphnoise potatoes require prep beforehand and then are fuss free in the oven.

[quote HerbivorousRex]If you’re not used to hosting big meals then I’d make as many things as possible in advance (e.g. potatoes, carrots and parsnips can be peeled and parboiled the day before, just add oil, salt and pepper and pop them in the oven on the day. Things like braised red cabbage actually benefit from sitting overnight so you could make that a day or 2 before and then just reheat on the day).
I’d also buy some things ready made (pigs in blankets, stuffing, and Yorkshire puddings if you have them. You can get nice ready made Turkey gravy in most supermarkets in December).

Don’t overcomplicate the menu (especially if you’re not used to hosting large events).
I’d go for:

• Turkey (it’s just a big chicken, don’t be intimidated by it!) The key things to remember are to make sure you give it plenty of time to thaw, check how long it takes to cook and at what temperature (so you can plan oven space) and remember that it can rest for an hour once you take it out so you have time to put other things in the oven.
• Roast potatoes (prep in advance, you’ll need more than you think!)
• Roast parsnips and carrots (prep in advance, really delicious if you drizzle with honey for the last 5-10mins of cooking)
• Stuffing (buy a nice ready made version, most supermarkets and butchers will have something. If you have vegetarians/vegans then I’d buy something readymade that cooks at the same temp so you can cook them together).
• Pigs in blankets (buy readymade or prep the day before, you’ll need more than you think)
• Braised red cabbage (loads of festive flavour and can be made the day before and reheated).
• Brussel sprouts (ask someone to prep them for you or do it the day before. Roasting/frying with pancetta and chestnuts takes extra time and oven/hob space so I’d keep it simple and boil in salt water, drain and then toss in butter).
• Gravy (buy the readymade stuff, you’ll need more than you think!)

Other tips:

• Make sure you have enough crockery and cutlery.
• Put someone else in charge of greeting guests and serving drinks (don’t keep the drinks in the kitchen because you won’t want people wandering in and out whilst you’re busy).
• Have some emergency nibbles like crisps and nuts in case things take longer than you anticipated
• Ask other people to bring the desserts or buy something readymade
• Decline offers to bring things for the main course unless you know you’ll have enough oven space.
• Make a timeline for when everything needs to be cooked (you can find examples online that you can edit to fit your menu).
• Give other people jobs but make sure you don’t end up with too many people in the kitchen at the same time.
• Eat slightly later than normal to give you extra time to cook (it also stops people being there all day). Ask them to come about 30mins-1hr before you plan to eat.
• Don’t panic if things go wrong. No-one will notice if a side dish is missing or if the turkey is a bit over-cooked.
• Make sure you have plenty of drinks (including non-alcoholic ones).
• Make sure you have condiments like salt, pepper, cranberry sauce and mustard in each room (or if you’re serving it as a buffet you can put these on the buffet table).
• Although it’s not ideal you can’t make your house any bigger so eating in different rooms is fine. If certain people need to sit in specific places (e.g. gran needs to sit in a specific chair at the table) then you could use little table presents to show people where to sit (wrap up mini chocolate bars in festive paper and put their names on them).

If you do nothing else then the timed list is probably the most important thing to ensure you have a successful day! You want something like this www.google.ae/amp/s/www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/your-christmas-timeplan/amp[/quote]
Wow that is great advice. Thanks

id try and do it as self service.cut the meat/turkey into slices and cover. put all veg into nice bowls, platters. huge jug of gravy. I put all cutlery in holder, napkins near. I'd get large, sturdy disposable plates for once.
the people eating in the room will need somewhere to put their drinks, small tables etc, could you borrow some?

Order your turkey to pick up at 8am on Christmas Eve otherwise you'll have no room for any other food in the fridge. It has to be kept cold and will take up the whole thing. Your order is for 8am because they are less likely to run out first thing in the day, your husband can go get it (and any other bits you've forgotten, taking children to get out of under your feet). And if there's a problem, still time to find something else. That also gives you clear morning to do food prep and clean the house. You can wrap presents when they are out too.
If you work, you'll need Xmas Eve off.

Have you already invited them for Christmas dinner? I’m just thinking would Christmas supper be easier? I just can’t imagine eating Christmas dinner off my lap, I have images of pulling crackers with a plate of sprouts and stuffing balls Balanced on my knee and granny ending up wearing the gravy.

Unless of course some of the guests are children and you could set up a little children’s table.

If it were supper, you could go finger food and cheeseboards which would be a lot easier logistically.

I’d say if you are set on the whole shebang I’d keep it more simple then usual and self service, even if this was serving dishes on the kitchen work tops and then carried to table/lounge.

Eating in different rooms is ok but I wouldn’t want to eat a Christmas dinner off my lap! Teens might be ok with that though if you have any in your party.

No you need to try and fit everyone in one room. As PPs have says, if there are young children could probably do a small children's table in an adjacent room (depending on age of kids).

And you can't really limit (too much) how long people stay for. It's Christmas Day, people will expect to be coming for the day! They will usually do the morning at home though and arrive 11/12 ime.

I really don't think it's appropriate to split the group, this will make serving up difficult too. Depends partly on ages tho. As PP suggested, if you have enough teenagers/pre teens, they might enjoy having their meal separately.

If you really can't sit everyone at at table eg in the lounge as also suggested, then id be honest with the group and say the logistics won't allow you all sit together. Options are separate rooms, or they come for Nibbles in the evening (or in the morning, or a Christmas Eve/Boxing Day buffet (whichever of those works for you). If enough say 'we don't mind being in a separate room' then you're sorted.