Christmas Dinner in a Box

[PrincessTinselToes]

In an attempt to make Christmas less stressful we’re going away to a remote cottage for Christmas. We’d still like a proper Christmas dinner, but not one that has me slaving away in the kitchen for hours and missing time relaxing with the kids and watching them open presents and enjoying terrible TV.

To this end I’d like to ask for personal experiences of Christmas “dinner in a box” (or just as easy alternatives). I don’t want to have to peel and prep veg, make my own stuffing, wrap sausages in bacon or make my own gravy so a box full of ingredients and instructions isn’t what I want, as I’m perfectly capable of assembling that all myself, I just don’t want to. I also don’t want to go through the palaver of heating 6 sad, individually packaged ready meals, so something in between I suppose?

Add to that, I’m not entirely sure how well-stocked the cottage is, so something that comes in or with its own foil roasting tins would be ideal (I’m usually against disposable anything, but for my own sanity and space in the car I think this will be necessary).

What experience do people have of these types of boxes? Are there any particularly good ones or ones to avoid? I’d also be open to buying all the components separately as long as the prep I need to do is minimal and ideally all from one place so I can place an order to be delivered or picked up en route.

Thanks in advance!

Cotes festive dinner box is on the website now @PrincessTinselToes here's a link. Price has gone up by a tenner.

coteathome.co.uk/the-festive-turkey-feast/

Our local pub does Christmas meals to collect. £20 a head, and collect on the 23rd December. You could see if there is anything like near you?

Otherwise yes, I’d do Cook.

I got the m and s one a couple of years back and it was pretty good, I did make more roast potatoes , stuffing and bread sauce though.

Does everyone empty their freezer in the run up to Christmas? Space in the cupboards , freezer and fridge is an issue for many, though some posters conveniently have spare freezers in garages and utility rooms. All this preparation sounds stressful in itself! I think I would pay a visit to M&S and get pre prepared everything!

I don't really understand how this is difficult. You can walk into any supermarket and choose your preferred Christmas dinner combination that can be easily heated up. It's 2025, nobody needs to be wrapping sausages in bacon. Find a supermarket on the way to the cottage and buy whatever you like.

You can get everything all ready prepped in just about any supermarket these days. Carrots with honey & thyme drizzle in a foil container, likewise parsnips, goose fat roasties in a foil tray, posh stuffing in a foil tray and the same with pigs in blankets. Spiced red cabbage comes in foil trays and so does bread sauce. Ready peeled bags of fresh sprouts are available all year round and so are bags of luxury gravy. Just get a fresh turkey crown, put the lot in a box and voila - dinner in a box!

You’re completely right, of course. But the point is that I don’t want to have to walk into a busy supermarket and make decisions in the overwhelming run up to Christmas. I want to make one decision now while I’m not thinking about everything else, click on a button, provide my card details and be presented a few days before Christmas with a box of everything I need. At a stretch I could make several smaller decisions now-ish/when the supermarkets put their collection and delivery slots up and have those things delivered similarly.

If it were just me, that would be my preference. But we live close to family and would be expected to do lots of things together over the Christmas period. My partner is also struggling with the events of earlier this year and just planning on being somewhere else entirely seems to be comforting to them.

Why not find a decent pub/hotel doing Christmas dinner and eat there? Absolutely no decisions to be made, no cooking, no cleaning, no wondering what facilities the cottage has.

Pre order everything from M&S. It’s all in trays so no need to worry about what pots/ trays etc are in the cottage. Everything from pigs in blankets to gravy to mince pies can be ordered. The Christmas food catalogue will be up in the next few weeks. Order the whole lot for collection 21st/22nd. I’d be wary of some food prep companies as I’ve havent heard good things but you can always depend on M&S for nice food

Honestly, if I found Christmas and the run up to it so stressful that it had induced a breakdown, I would be en route to somewhere Christmas doesn't exist and not giving a shiny shite about going anywhere near a turkey. You're still trying to get it "right' by finding the best Christmas Dinner Box.

I would say delegate what you eat at the rental cottage to your partner and cross it off your list of things to think about this year altogether.

Another vote for Cook, but order early to make sure you can have it delivered. If you leave ordering too late you have to go and collect from the store

The OP clearly said her breakdown wasn't entirely to do with Christmas.

I'd look at what pubs etc. are around the cottage and go out. It'll be much nicer and less stressful. Just do nibbles at the cottage for the evening/boxing day.

Don’t get the Sainsbury’s taste the difference one - we got it last year and the veg were all coated in this slimy butter like stuff but didn’t taste good…

I’d do m&s. Hello fresh does a great Xmas box where you do nearly all of it the night before so you can have a drink on Christmas Day and move trays and baking dishes in and out of the oven etc.

This sounds a lovely idea you could maybe walk to it and just chill in the evening.

I'd probably pre par boil the potatoes and carrots and veg and freeze them, and then take a pre made main so a nut roast or something [we are veggie so some pre cooked meat if you eat it], bung in some pre prepped stuffing balls [I make batches with left over bread and freeze in balls] and some gravy granules. Then bung all the stuff that needs oven cooking into the oven, all the stuff that needs finishing off into one big saucepan and steam or boil, and just do the two pans and a jug of gravy and pop them into the middle of the table.

One of the easiest and nicest Christmases I've had was when my daughter was a few months old and we bought absolutely everything from M&S, right down to the roast potatoes. I just threw everything into the oven or on the hob and relaxed. It was great. Could you do that?

I live alone and am usually alone for Christmas. A local hotel delivers amazing Christmas dinners that just need to be heated up.

Trust me, I've tried a lot!

This year's offering has starters including lobster plus a cheese platter. I've already pre ordered!

I did the Marks and Spencer Christmas Dinner in a Box for Christmas 2023 when my dad was terminally ill and I was totally exhausted. It worked out really well. There was more than enough food, but they really skimped on the sauce, so just make sure you have some Bisto/Oxo or whatever you use. The meat was perfect. Everything was ace apart from the lack of gravy.

Highly recommend.

Wait, you have a partner?

I honestly assumed you were a single parent, having to do all the prep and cooking on your own.

Why is so much of the stress being placed on your shoulders?

That’s an excellent question…

I could leave it to my partner but there’s a certain element of learned helplessness there so I’ve always done the roasts and fancier meals. If I left it to my partner we’d be eating beans on toast or macaroni cheese. My thinking was that a box or at least pre-prepared everything ,all ordered weeks and weeks before the day would mean at least we’d all get a nice Christmas dinner but with much less of the stress for they me.

M&S does a brilliant sides pack. Last year it was roast potatoes, maple roast parsnips & glazed sprouts, carrot & swede mash. I'm sure there was more. It lasts us 2 days. You can also ge a big roasting tray etc alongside the rest of your meal.

Do it all from the Christmas M&S range. It’s all ready just to bung in the oven.

We did Cook. It doesn't take that much space if you take it out of the boxes. Just cut out the instructions off the box.