Christmas Eve dinner ideas- no time!

[DrivingHomeForChristmaaargh]

Due to a very complicated set of circumstances, DH and I (plus kids) are going to be away for about 5 days in the run up to Christmas. We get back early afternoon on Christmas Eve. My parents arrive late afternoon.

We're going to be very short of time to get everything ready so I'm trying to plan ahead and have most of the food ready in the freezer. DH can go out and get a few last minute bits but we won't have time for a big shop.

I've got my head round Christmas dinner but I'd love some ideas for freeze-ahead meals for Christmas Eve. The best I've come up with is boeuf bourguignon- we tend to do a proper meal on Christmas Eve so I'm looking for that sort of thing rather than just bung a few pizzas in the oven (although that's tempting...) We live in the country so no takeaways to hand.

Can you suggest anything?

For pud I usually do Nigella's yule log- I think I can make the cake ahead and freeze it and then just assemble with buttercream before we eat.

A lasagne, frozen garlic bread then nip out for salad?

Do you make a Christmas ham? I do Nigella ham in coke and it freezes well in slices. Have that with warm baguettes (can get the part baked ones), French butter with the salt crystals, celery, salad, chutney and pickles etc?

Beef in red wine (can't spell the french way!) would be ideal, it freezes well and you can just get fresh veg on the day. Could you parents bring a dessert? Most guests are more than happy to contribute something.

Fish pie.

We always have fish on Christmas Eve so I’d make a fish pie - either a trad one with mash or a salmon one with flaky pastry. That will freeze.
We also have Nigellas Yule log Christmas Eve ❤️

Curry freezes well. You could make a slow cooked beef madras, and a milder vegetable or chicken korma. Freeze naan, samosas, bhajis. Then poppadoms and mango chutney.

Sausage plait - great recipe, and very straightforward once I had Googled how to make pastry plait!
Venison sausage and chestnut casserole

I do a pork and cider casserole when we have the Yule log for dessert, not Christmas Eve though so it may be a bit rustic. I serve with mash and red cabbage and crusty bread.

Given your timings, are you going to have sufficient time to defrost something for dinner that night?

Ihavedogs anything frozen can be defrosted in a microwave

Could your parents bring the meal for heating up at your house?

A take away?

If you are short of time, I would recommend buying a couple of COOK meals and putting them in the freezer.

Can highly recommend Nigella's Gelato Cake as any alternative pudding that freezes.

www.nigella.com/recipes/meringue-gelato-cake-with-chocolate-sauce

I always cook a large gain ham and mashed potatoes carrots and peas. Shop bought frozen dessert eg cheese cake or rouland.

I was also going to suggest Cook as well @DrivingHomeForChristmaaargh

I’d suggest the Cook meals, or otherwise we have an Indian takeaway on Christmas Eve

I did Mexican Spiced Lamb from Mary Berry’s Christmas Collection one Christmas Eve when short on time and needed something freezable. Went down very well.

Our tradition is to have something from Cook on Christmas Eve! It started when the kids were needed for a performance ending about 7 on Christmas Eve & it's what everyone expects now!

There are lots of things I would not defrost in a microwave. But each to their own.

Also suggest something from Cook. The last thing you will want to be doing is worrying about defrosting something on time and one of you rushing out to get vegetables. I assume your parents are flying in from somewhere else they would offer to bring the meal if they are driving from somewhere? Another option would be to do steak and oven chips with a good sauce, steaks don't take long to defrost.

Do the beef bourginon. Have baby potatoes in the fridge that you can boil and dress with butter and parsley. Do frozen peas (if you want to be fancy have frozen endamame in the freezer too and do a mix or dice some bacon and fry, add onion, then add frozen peas). Buy a dessert.

We have: smoked salmon, salmon fillets,, prawns - in sauce and naked, green salad, sliced avocado, cherry tomato, mozzarella and black olive salad, really good bread or new potatoes (buttered), followed by Mince pies and boozy cream.

Keep it easy I say.

Last year we had ready-made salmon en croute with green veg and baby potatoes. Tasty but light enough to feel we'd not spoiled appetites for the next day!

I like the sound of @RosesAndHellebores too

Make the beef b week before and freeze
Could even make daphannoise pots and freeze.

Serve bag good quality frozen beans