Taking Xmas dinner to relative’s house. How can I manage this?

[Jacaranda75]

I feel awful about this, but relative’s house is not very clean and her oven doesn’t work properly. For this reason, I am looking at cooking Xmas dinner at home and taking it there. It’s a 15 min drive but we are due to go over in the morning and eating around 3pm.

How can this work? Any ideas? Is anyone else doing this?

Thanks.

We've done this - we cleaned the boot of the car, and put a clean sheet in. I cooked it all, put everything in oven proof dishes/wrapped and took it over literally as lunch was due to be served. We put a few things in their oven still wrapped in the foil just to make sure they were hot, and microwaved the mash while we heated the gravy up in a saucepan. Most things will stay hot for 15 mins.

We bought a couple of those cheap pizza take away bags with some sort of foil inside, and they are really good. Keeps at least the pizza hot for at least 1,5 hrs (yes, we tried this once). We got the bags in a local pizza restaurant.

If you are doing a traditional Christmas meal, the only thing I would use the slow cooker for, is red cabbage.

[quote Jacaranda75]@Hydrate what is an electric roaster please?[/quote]
It is like this one, but I am not in the UK and it is a different brand. I thought have used it to make chili also.

www.u-buy.co.uk/product/11VJFIWG-18-quart-electric-roaster-oven-roaster-oven-turkey-roaster-electric-electric-roaster-selfbasting-lid#gallery-1

I would eat at your house with your family and then go over for an afternoon visit and leave your relative a full meal to eat as her dinner. If its cooked and plated she can microwave it for 3 mins.

Insulated food carriers. www.amazon.co.uk/s?ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_2_17&crid=21L7P0GN9WYFN&sprefix=insulated+food+ca%2Caps%2C409&k=insulated+food+carrier+box&tag=mumsnetforu03-21

When my grandmother was older and less able to move around and her eyesight was not as good, I would go there early on Christmas Day and we would discuss the plates and cups and cutlery glasses etc for the meal and I would wash and dry them all.
I took over the cooking completely and she would set the table and be happy someone was there to 'help' even though I did everything !
For one day, you can see past a bit of dirt if you love them and if needs be then cook the Turkey at home and do the rest on the hob?

@LittleMissTake the OP has probably already bought all the ingredients for a large family Christmas dinner.

It might already be too late to change plans for this year but OP can think ahead to next year. Has the relative received therapy for her anxiety and agoraphobia? It could be something to consider for the new year otherwise you'll be repeating this next year.

Definitely try and get your relative to dress the Christmas table so you can get a stealth clean done in the house. I'd drop the leftover gravy over the counter accidentally on purpose so I'd end up cleaning the kitchen.

@thickthighs73 thanks for posting that, I was very upset by @LittleMissTake’s post. The lady in question is elderly and ill and this is likely to be her last Christmas. For this reason, I want it to be lovely for her.

So sorry Jacaranda75.
I had not appreciated from your post that your relative was extremely unwell.
I do sincerely apologise and hope you have treasured memories of the day.
Kind regards,
LMT

I'd drop the leftover gravy over the counter accidentally on purpose so I'd end up cleaning the kitchen.

I love this idea!

Ah @Jacaranda75 I’m sorry to hear that.

I think I would use your slow cooker to keep the meat warm once it’s cooked. Tip the meat juices in as well to keep it moist.

The veg can be microwaved. As can gravy. Potatoes will be a little more tricky. I’m not sure what I’d do.

Plate up after having heated things through rather than microwaving individual plates.

hope you have a lovely day.

@HollyandIvyandAllThingsYule thank you 😊.

I was going to say if you have a good cool box for summer picnics/camping, it would work well in reverse for this. As it is about insulating what's inside from the conditions outside.

So as others have suggested, preHEAT it with hot water, have everything going in roasting hot, pack tightly (and use hot water bottles or towels to fill space if needed) and keep closed until you are ready to dish out. Also reheat gravy so it's hot going over everything, and preheat plates (even just by soaking in hot water and quickly drying them as you serve - but that might be a good use of the oven) so food is going onto a hot plate.

Do you or anyone you know have an air fryer that you can borrow? They do pretty decent roast potatoes l, my cousin does her roasties in the air fryer. Makes them really crispy and leaves the oven free for other things.

Oh yes an air fryer would be ideal for the roast potatoes!

I would cook the turkey at home, triple wrap in foil and wrap in thick towels ready to transport (my turkey usually comes out of thee oven around 11am and rests till we eat at 1pm and is always moist and just right to eat.)

Use an air fryer for potatoes when you get there and a steam for the rest of the veg.

That way everything can be prepped before and cooked somewhere clean.