What can be frozen in advance?

[Italianasoitis]

I love cooking but have had some issues with burnout/stress lately and need to take things easy. The last few times I did dinner I was floored afterwards.

I only cook for me, DH and the kids but I like it to last several days. I love doing all the fancy bits and have to make almost everything from scratch as I live abroad.

I normally spend all Christmas Eve cooking and reheat the next day.

This year I'd like to do the cooking I'm smaller chunks, freeze and thaw on Christmas Eve.
Meat will just be chicken fillets cooked in bacon.

Stuffing and roast potatoes can both be cooked ahead and frozen. Gravy too. Red cabbage is fine after being frozen. I've not tried parsnips or sprouts but plenty if time before Christmas to test those.

Loads! I parboil and give the spuds an initial roast in oven, cool then freeze - second roast on the day in v hot oil takes much less time and they are delicious - think twice-cooked chips!
Par boil and freeze carrots and parsnips. Into the oven in a dish with butter and tight foil to finish on the day.

Gravy - Jamie Oliver’s Get Ahead Gravy make from chicken wings now and freeze.

Stuffing - I make like a meatloaf and freeze
Pigs in blankets can be done day before and reheated.
Turkey goes in aga overnight Xmas eve and is done by morning - covered in foil and tea towels will hold heat. Pretty much all I do Christmas Day is reheat and make the bread sauce, I like that made fresh!

Gravy www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chicken-recipes/get-ahead-gravy/

Bread sauce www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/creamy-bread-sauce-2/

Stuffing www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/sage_and_onion_stuffing_09013

Red cabbage www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/make-ahead_red_cabbage_13106#:~:text=The%20red%20cabbage%20should%20be,or%20overnight%20in%20the%20fridge.

Roast potatoes www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/freeze-ahead-roasties

Good call on bread sauce. I tried making it myself a few years back and it was a disaster so will get my friend to pick some Colmans up for me when they next fly home!

I can't get parsnips where I am. My friend is going back home in a few weeks. I might get them to bring some back and I'll roast and freeze them in advance!

Ideally I prefer to have nothing to do except reheat on Christmas Day, eg all food cooked and edible just cold!

Ooh fab thank you!

What about trifle? Can that be frozen or is that just yuck?

Pretty much everything to be honest, the only thing I don't do ahead is potatoes and turkey as I'm always worried the potatoes won't be nice but other people rave about them. And actually I do my Yorkshire's Christmas morning and then reheat as I'm dishing up everything else, but I make the batter the night before. I find Christmas dinner so effortless, never understand why people do it all on the day.

I prep and freeze the following throughout November:

• parboil carrots and dress with goose fat, salt, pepper and fresh thyme. I whack satsuma halved in the dish before cooking.
• parboil parsnips, dress with goose fat and S&P (while still hot so they soak it all up)
• stuffing (freeze in dish you're cooking it in)
• Brussels sprout gratin
• red cabbage
• bread sauce
• gravy
• I also make soup ahead and we have that for a starter

Cauli cheese !

I never realised it was a thing to freeze stuff in November! Maybe I can really do this! Does anyone do mash in advance. We normally just do roasting but am considering mash too.

Oh yes! And pigs in blankets too - I do big sausages wrapped in streaky bacon!

Of course you can freeze mash. I remember telling a friend this and it changed her life. Lol. I work on the basis of you can buy it in M&S frozen then I can freeze it.

No to freezing triffle. Sorry. You could make it the day before of possibly the day before that and add the cream on the day.

I do this too - have booked 1st Dec off work to get mine done, will have the Christmas tunes on - very excited!

I will do roast pots, Yorkshire puds, sprouts, carrots and parsnips, cauliflower cheese. Hadn't thought about stuffing but may do that as well this year. I make mash (because I insist on 2 pots) on Xmas Eve and then it only really (meat aside) takes about an hour to prepare lunch on the day.

Love this thread. Thank you for starting it OP. I am going to get some silver foil trays and freeze everything on there so all I have to do on Christmas Day is to whack them in the oven.

What should I defrost first before cooking?

I make and freeze stuffing and pigs in blankets at least a week in advance. Take out to thaw late on Christmas Eve.

Roast potatoes are genuinely better for being frozen first, it’s a win-win. Parboil then freeze.

You can make a trifle the day before and just put it in the fridge.

All of the roasted veg (potatoes, parsnips, carrots), par boil, shake up and freeze. Red cabbage freezes perfectly, gravy too.

Just saw this on bbcgoodfood

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/how-freeze-your-way-through-christmas?utmcontent=&utmmcampaign=20231111gffsatnlactt3242199BBC%20Good%20FooddNewsletters3462412&utmmmedium=Email&utmsource=Adestra

How long do you all cook frozen par boiled veg for on the day?