Christmas Dinner Newbie! Please help

[Bluepenguin20]

Due to an unexpected change in circumstances I am now hosting my family on Christmas day for the very first time.

I'm more than happy to step up but I don't really cook and I've certainly never prepared a christmas dinner before.

Please can you give me tips and any ideas. How do you keep it all warm if the different bits are ready at different times.

God help me 🙀

How many people are we talking about?

6 adults and a toddler

Cook the turkey first. Take it out of the oven and wrap it in tinfoil and a towel and just leave it to rest. Then get on with cooking all the other bits and pieces.

Practice by doing a roast once a week until Christmas.

That'll help you get the timing right and you'll just have to make small adjustments for the fact you're cooking for 6.

Don't overstretch yourself, say yes to frozen veg and don't be shelling peas all morning! 😁

Also, tell them dinner will be 'roughly' at X time, to take the pressure off yourself.

How many ovens do you have? It’s a big consideration! Two ovens - turkey in one and potatoes and parsnips and chipolattas in other. Obviously taking account of cooking times!

Keeping warm - in an oven if you can. Or let turkey stand. Cover with foil. You really do have to coordinate veg but meat can stand. Make sure gravy, bread sauce and stuffing all ready to heat up at the last minute. I often warm dishes after turkey comes out. Works well enough.

One oven would be a struggle. What’s your set up and what are you cooking?

My biggest tip would be to cook a practice roast (chicken is the easiest) as soon as possible - it’s not as hard as you might think and it will be so much easier the second time, (and some things will probably take longer than you imagine).

Also if you’ve got loads of pigs in blankets and roast potatoes and the gravy is tasty, you’ll get a lot of grace with everything else!

Heat your plates to give you more time to serve, and if you’ve got the table space put the (hot) dishes on the table instead of plating up.

And delegate 🥰🎄

You can totally do this!

What are you working with?
oven, hob, air fryer, slow cooker?

do as much prep as you can and practice with small roasts now

Prep as much as possible the night before, so potatoes/veg etc peeled and chopped and left in pans of water. Things like pigs in blankets can also be prepped the night before. Work out cooking times for everything and take into account going oven space, then make a list of what needs to go in and when.

I regularly cook for 9-10 at Christmas and the most useful things I've ever bought are a couple of the buffet warmer things, so can cook things and keep them warm until other stuff is cooked, and a very large slow cooker, as I can carve the meat then pop it in there on keep warm (I never do turkey though as we don't like it).

DH normally cooks for 8 to 10 people and we've only ever had one oven.

He's never struggled.

I suppose it's just what we're used to.

Are you sure this is a good idea OP?
Nothing wrong with hosting a Christmas dinner when you haven’t done it before and I’m sure you’re very capable, but it’s a lot to take on for someone who doesn’t usually cook.

Are the guests aware of this? Is there someone with more experience who can help?

The best bit of advice I can give is to let the Turkey rest, this is how you retain the moisture. Whilst it’s resting you can then cook your potatoes and veg. Cover the Turkey and it will stay warm.

Dont get stressed, just enjoy and it doesn’t matter if it’s late, or you forget something. Hope you have a lovely day.

I put in the potatoes before the turkey has finished cooking but it’s the luxury of 2 ovens. I’ve never had one oven in 43 years of cooking Christmas dinner. I think you do adjust to what you have!

Cook in advance and re heat would be my tip. Especially the sides -
Carrot and swede mash can be cooked now and frozen and re heated on the day
Red cabbage can be cooked now and re heated on the day
Same with gravy if you want to do a home made one
Even roast potatoes can be cooked and frozen - they're not quite the same but if you put some more fat in the tin and re heat they're fine
If you have sprouts prep these in advance and cook last minute
If you have cauliflower cheese you can make the day before and assemble and cook on the day
If you make Yorkshires you can make the batter the day before and cook on the day, or if you buy frozen you can chuck them in the oven while everything else is served

I'd say avoid turkey as it takes up loads of time and oven space, and seems to go from raw to dry. I find beef a bit more forgiving

If you're stuck for oven space, try and re heat some things like side veg in the microwave. Use an air fryer for pigs in blankets if you have one or can borrow one

Buy disposable foil trays for serving on to avoid loads of washing up

If you do starters, make them cold so you can do them in advance or the day before, or serve on a platter so you don't need to plate up.

If you're stuck for table space or a want nice table decor, put everything out on counters for everyone to serve themselves like a buffet

I find with Xmas dinner if you're organised it takes a lot of the stress out of it as it's not cooking its just re heating

Thanks everyone. I've just got one oven. I'm not going to lie that some of the advice has made me feel even more nervous as it has made me realise quite how out of my depth I am with things mentioned that I hadn't even considered. I will go through the responses in slower time and try to make notes of all the tips. I'm definitely going to follow the advice of doing a practice roast every week! And great to know I can prep a lot the night before. Thank you! I'm getting a bit stuck on what to do for starters and desserts too.

Stop. This is all about timing. Write down a plan with timings. Work out what time you want to eat and work backwards. Write a shopping list. Prepare all the veg Xmas eve. Lay the table (or get someone else to). Get all the crockery you will need. Buy in pre prepared stuffing, pudding, custard, order a turkey etc. Get cold buffet things for tea as it's surprising how much people can put away. Lay off the wine until boxing day. Cook a Sunday roast or two in the interim. Good luck 🍀

1. Make gravy ahead of time and freeze it (Jamie Oliver has a recipe for get ahead gravy which I loosely follow - roasting a big tray of chicken wings, bacon and veg then cooking out the flour on the hob and adding stock, simmering then sieving it - he only uses water and it tastes crap) I also don't put star anise in mine.
2. Prep as much as you can the day before - I par boil parsnips/carrots and the potatoes for roasties and have them on trays brushed with oil or butter ready to go in the oven.
3. Buy stuffing balls and pigs in blankets ready made, much less hassle. I do mine in the air fryer to save oven space.
4. Depending what veg you like, a big dish of mixed greens tossed with a bit of butter and seasoning is an easy option - green beans, leeks, peas, sprouts or cabbage.
5. Turkey can rest for a long time under foil, so get it done a good hour before you want to carve it so you can use the oven space. Get a meat thermometer and check the cooking time online.

Cheat. I can relate, I'm not a confident cook, really actually not that interested in cooking and it stresses me out way too much at a time of year that's already stressful. So I'm buying high end pre-prepared Christmas dinner components and trimmings, and will coordinate the various oven timings via Alexa on the day. (There's a referral for a discount at Cook on the referral codes thread, if there's one nearby to you).

Enlist the help of your guests, give them specific tasks. Plan and manage expectations towards a relaxed serving-up schedule if you can, with enough time for you to come out of the kitchen and socialise in between courses. Pud should come after a 'rest'. And other people, not you, should be responsible for clearing dishes from the table and loading the dishwasher/washing them.

Nobody needs a starter on Christmas Day - and if it's stressing you out just buy a couple of nice desserts from M&S.

No it's an absolutely terrible idea to be honest! But unfortunately due to family circumstances it realistically is the only option this year and apart from my husband I don't think I will have much help. My husband is at least a better cook but he has never made a roast either!

I would use frozen roast potatoes, frozen mash and yorkies if you have them. Keep the veg simple, parsnips peas and carrots. For dessert I would go for a choice of cold and Christmas pud. Keep it really simple by doing a few things really well rather than try a feast.

Christmas dinner doesn't have to be a roast! I don't cook much either, so if I was forced to cater Christmas it would be pizza or macaroni cheese! Just do a fancy version of whatever you'd have for a nice meal normally and if anyone complains, they know where the door is!

I'm so grateful for all the advice. I might come back to you all after my first practice go with more specific questions 😆

Lots of good advice on here, especially prepping things ahead and delegating eg 2 of your guests to bring Xmas pudding and a trifle, the other 2 to bring crackers and an aperitif (not a big starter, you'll be too full).

Then, the best thing I did for my first full Xmas dinner was spend 30 mins in WHSmith flicking through Xmas editions of women's magazines. Do that. Guaranteed to be one with a full breakdown of Xmas dinner prep, including timings and dish options, starting from weeks before with prep and freeze. Just buy the one called something like 'No stress Christmas dinner' (don't buy the one called 'extra glamour, fuss and ponciness Christmas dinner) and follow it. And then keep it for future years - I've still got mine! You'll have lots of fun, feel really proud and start setting ip yoyr own way of doing Xmas.

@Bluepenguin20 I am trained to cordon bleu standards. Remember you are cooking for 6, not the 5000.

Go to M&S and put the following into your trolley:

1 turkey crown for 6-8 (stuffed)
2 packs pigs in blankets
2 tubs turkey gravy
1 large braised red cabbage pack
Oven ready roast potatoes
1 pack sprouts
1 pack carrot

Cook sprouts and Carrots in advance and heat in the microwave as you are carving. The red cabbage goes in the microwave too.

Whilst the turkey is resting bung in plates and serving dishes to warm. Gravy in a pan on the hob, jar of cranberry into a serving dish, warm through the bought bread sauce if you are having it.

Have a a bought pudding and some fresh fruit salad (bought) with bought boozy cream.

What lovely lovely people. Thank you.