What prep can you do Christmas eve?

[JorisBonson]

To save time and stress on Christmas day.

I'm thinking...

Make the mash (can be reheated)
Assemble the cauli cheese
Peel and chop the spuds for roasties, leave in water

Any more?

Parboil & half roast parsnips & potatoes, nothing to stop you doing them this week & freeze them. Christmas Eve, carrot & turnip mash can be done & microwave on Christmas day, sprouts prepped & either put in tray with chestnuts for roasting or parboiled to be warmed up next day, turkey can be sorted, stuffed & sausage meat, bacon layer on breast, gravy made either from giblets or from scratch, bread sauce made to be warmed up next day. Lay table, put wine & drinks in fridge & put turkey in oven so it just needs turning on next morning.

I always do all the veg on Christmas Eve, and put them in bags in the fridge ready, and peel the spuds and leave them in water in a saucepan. I also get the pork & chestnut stuffing & pigs in blankets out of the freezer and sit them on top of the turkey in the fridge. I usually also sort out tablecloths and find all the necessary cutlery, napkins, crackers and whatnot, so they are in a handy place, ready for when I coerce other family members into laying the table.

If you like sprouts and want to free up some room in the fridge, we buy a stalk of them and prop it up outside the back door the week before. We then just pick however many we need off it when we want them.

Another tip for freeing up fridge space, put the wine and other drinks outside in the cold. Don't do this if it is really freezing though, otherwise glass bottles shatter.

I prep all of my veg and put it in the pans with water etc. I do all the pigs in blankets and stuffing ready to cook and then wrap and fridge them. I precook the red cabbage as that reheats beautifully. I might make a trifle and mix up the prawns in sauce if we are having a starter. Make sure the Christmas dishes have all been washed and that we have enough clean matching cutlery etc. Empty the ice machine out again and bag it up so we have enough ice supplies for the 2 days. I will often plate up the cheese board on a lap tray with fruit, honey etc and leave the crackers in sleeves on it and then wrap the lot in Clingfilm ready for the evening. If it's below 6c in the shed I often store low risk food like cheese in there to make space in the fridge.

I wouldn't want to cook some things in advance (in particular the turkey). And I would rather leave the bread sauce, stuffing, pigs in blankets and gravy till the day too.

If I'm making a vegetarian alternative (usually a Wellington of some sort) I make that on Christmas Eve. I won't have to worry about that this year, as my sister will make something for the vegan and vegetarians and bring it with her - so all I will have to do is put it in the oven.

On Christmas Eve I peel potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots and sprouts, and leave them in pans of water overnight. I don't parboil parsnips, so I don't peel them in advance.

I also make cranberry sauce, brandy butter and start/make one of the puddings.

We always have 3 options for pudding: a Christmas pudding, which I buy; a chocolatey thing, which these days has to be vegan and which I will make in advance and freeze; and a fruity thing - something like a pavlova, trifle or lemon possets - all or most of which can be done the night before.

I don't lay the table in advance because otherwise a cat is likely to jump up on it!

I never thought about parboiling the potatoes the day before so I’ll definitely be doing that.

I had a practice run this weekend on a group of friends who were visiting and my biggest tip has to be disposable baking trays where possible. I know it’s not very environmentally friendly but weren’t even that many of us and the sheer amount of washing up was overwhelming.

@pinneddownbytabbies Yes we do this with Bucks fizz, Beer and fizz , all left outside the back door . Some of my used roasting trays end up out there as well as I don't want them cluttering up my kitchen when I'm busy . But yes I never use fridge space for drinks just outside in a bucket of cold water if needed .

I can't put used roasting trays or anything else similarly food-related outside unattended, and the reason for that is clear by my username!

My honest answer is that I pick it up all pre prepped from M&S on Xmas eve

Washing and chopping veg is the biggest pain and somehow takes loads of time, so I tend to focus my efforts there. Christmas Eve I will be:

• Cleaning and slicing up veg used in various dishes. Stored and labelled in individual containers in the fridge for grab and go
• Making red cabbage; into fridge
• Peeling and cubing potatoes for mash; into fridge (I may make and reheat, tbd)
• Slicing fruit and washing salad leaves
• Assembling the biscuit egg bake for Christmas morning to toss straight into the oven when I wake up
• Cut up fruit for fruit salad and toss with lemon juice
• Chop up a head of garlic and a few onions - EVERY recipe seems to require some and its faster to just take whats needed from a container.

In the past when doing a turkey I would pre-make the herbed butter and cut up the aromatics. If having stuffing I would cube/dry the bread, chop up the celery/onion and pre-measure nuts (toasted) and dried fruit. Its all about the dump and go approach.

Ive also been pre-baking and filling the freezer. Christmas morning muffins, homemade crackers for cheese, and cut-out sugar cookies are all done and waiting for baking or icing on 22 and 23rd. I freeze a little packet of icing glaze with the muffins so I dont have to deal with that on the morning, it defrosts with the muffins overnight and I drizzle while the egg bake cools. Makes them extra special!

Don't forget it's the law to have a Sherry while doing the prep, while also listening to Carols from Kings .😁

Put champagne in the fridge.

"a sherry". Not in this house... I'll be at least half a bottle of red down by the end of it!

@GerbilsForever24 I do limit myself to one sherry while doing the prep as I'm too afraid of getting a bit pissed and ending up in a&e by cutting myself, and being rushed there while still in my apron . It would be so embarrassing .😬

I'll be parboiling the potatoes this week, then open freezing them. Once frozen, I'll bag them up and cook them on the day from frozen. They're even crisper than normal done this way.

Parsnips and carrots will be parboiled and frozen before roasting straight from the freezer, bread sauce will be made and frozen, cheese sauce for cauliflower cheese will be made in advance and put in the fridge, stuffing made and frozen. There's very little to do on the day really.

I peel pots/ parsnips/ carrots
Make stuffing
Make cranberry sauce
Assemble pigs in blankets
Make brandy butter
Check enough breadcrumbs and make more if necessary .
Get plates, serving spoons etc out
I usually shop on Xmas eve and often work so that is enough .

I do a fair bit of prep on Christma eve!
Make pancake batter for breakfast
I make smoked mackerel pate and chicken liver pate
Make the red cabbage
Make carrot and swede mashed up
Make braised celery
Make the glaze for the ham
Make cranberry sauce
Put the pigs into the blanket ready for the oven
Make Snow queen and leave in the freezer

I have no idea why but I just can't risk the roast potatoes any other way than fresh on the day! I have it in my head they'll go black and there's no getting any sense into me. It means that the roasties, yorkshires, meat and sprouts need to be done on Christmas day. I might have to throw caution to the wind and pre prep everything as we're eating earlier this year. I love late afternoon on Chritmas eve when everything is ready.

I make stuffing this week and put in freezer. Mind I make it from scratch…would be no point if you’re using packet stuff.

Agree that making ahead and freezing is the way to go…red cabbage, stuffing, sauces, par boiled veg,
I also make the mince pies and pastry- assemble and freeze pre cooked. I can then take out however many I need and bake to have fresh at the time.
same with homemade biscuits - make well ahead and freeze

It works nicely with freezer capacity..I eat my way through the batch cooked meals I have on my Christmas cooking days, and create the space for the Christmas stuff .. and then don’t have to cook tea as well as Christmas cooking on same evening 🤣🤣

We peel and prep all the veg, the turkey crown will be sitting in its brining solution overnight, the pigs in blankets are made. I will probably have the leg of lamb prepped with garlic and rosemary in it and then wrap the dish in foil and leave it in a cupboard in the unheated utility, and will do the same with the ham which will have been baked earlier.
I will still run over time on the day but it all helps to lessen the stress, especially after starting the day with a few glasses of Prosecco 🥂

Peel spuds and carrots - put in water - I always leave the parsnips until the day.
Prep the pigs in blankets.
Make my stuffing - ready to bung in oven next day.
That’s it really for food. We have ready bought nibbles for starters and easy puddings too.
The biggest job on Christmas Eve is setting the table, getting all glasses, serving dishes ready etc.
Naturally my sprouts are going on the hob three days before so they’ll be grand.

You can do your roasties now. Parboil and shake to get thr fluffy edges, then cool and freeze. Cook from frozen on the day. They are even better this way than ones made on the day (plus saves time and storage). I did mine a few weeks ago.

You're supposed to freeze them 'flat' on a tray, so they don't freeze in a big clump, but I don't bother - I just freeze in a freezer bag and they come part if you bang it on the worktop.

Day before prep - stuffing mixed, infuse the milk for bread sauce, all veg chopping. Red cabbage is already in the freezer.

I get everything prepped in advance. I've already got my braised red cabbage and gravy made and frozen.

23/24th Dec I'll make my mash, roasties, par boil parsnips and carrots for roasting, make stuffing and prep turkey. I'll assemble the crumble (extra dessert option) Everything will go on trays or in bags (luckily I have an outside fridge to store it all!)

All I'll be doing on xmas day is cooking the turkey and pigs in blankets, and bunging my trays in the oven/heating things through.

Me too! I feel rather inadequate I don’t do all this home made prep stuff but I hate cooking so I’m happy with this!

God. You lot are so organised and make do many bits. Seeing it written down is seriously impressive.