Want to look at my Christmas meal plans and shopping lists?

[PocketFluff]

Warning - it's a long one!

I've been using Chatgpt to help me organise loads of things recently, one of them being Christmas so I thought I'd share it here in case it helps anyone.

By telling it what I wanted, what my family liked and how I wanted it to run, "we've" come up with everything we need to make Christmas food run smoothly.

And yes, I was a bit hesitant about using AI at first but my goodness it's useful! I also found out that environmentally, up to 300 Chatgpt questions use the same energy as watching 1 hour of Netflix.

Anyway, here it is:

🎄 Christmas Meal Plan (24–28 Dec)

🌟 Christmas Eve (Tapas Grazing Supper)

Beetroot hummus, red pepper hummus + veggie sticks
Mini tortilla bites
Chorizo/cheese/olive skewers
Mozzarella/tomato/basil skewers
Patatas bravas with smoky sauce
Honey-mustard sausages
Garlic thyme mushrooms
Mini Camembert bake with cranberry & rosemary
Flatbread tree with olive oil + rosemary
Chocolate bark, mince pie empanadas, clementines dipped in chocolate
Mulled cider, cava/prosecco, sparkling apple juice

---

🎁 Christmas Day

Breakfast: Eggs Benedict + Bucks Fizz

Nibbles: Mini Yorkshires with beef mousse, beet-cured salmon blinis, spiced nuts, sprout-citrus slaw

Main Feast: Roast turkey with bacon lattice, pigs in blankets, stuffing balls, roast potatoes, honey parsnips & carrots, sprouts with chestnuts & pancetta, braised red cabbage, cranberry-orange compote, sage gravy

Dessert: DIY trifle bar + Christmas cake/pudding

Evening: Cheese board (Stilton, cheddar, soft cheese, quince paste, nuts, crackers)

---

🎶 Boxing Day

Lunch: Honey & mustard glazed gammon (serve hot or cold)

Sides: Potato salad, green salad, coleslaw, bread rolls

Dinner: Bubble & squeak (leftovers fried up), fried eggs on top, pickles

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🎉 27 & 28 December (Low-Effort “Treat + Relax” Days)

Leftover Platters: cold meats, cheese, bread, pickles, chutneys

Traybake: Chicken thighs or sausages roasted with root veg (minimal work)

Treats: Panettone French toast, mince pie ice-cream sundaes, turkey bao buns (from leftovers), soup (turkey stock + veg)

Freezer back-ups: Pizza or pasta bake using frozen sauce

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🛒 Staggered Shopping Lists

October (store cupboard & long shelf)

Oils, vinegars
Spices: paprika, chilli, cinnamon sticks, cloves, nutmeg
Tomato purée, chopped tomatoes
Cranberry sauce, mincemeat
Jars: roasted peppers, olives, pickled onions, chutneys
Dried goods: flour (plain, self-raising), baking powder, sugar, honey, maple syrup, nuts, dried fruit
Crackers, breadsticks
Chocolate for bark
Tea, coffee, hot chocolate, biscuits (festive stash)

---

November (freezer + alcohol)

Frozen pastry / pizza dough
Frozen cocktail sausages & meatballs
Frozen peas (for bubble & squeak, backups)
Frozen bread rolls
Drinks: cava/prosecco, mulled cider, kids fizz, wine/beer

Stock up on butter (freeze blocks), cheese (freeze hard cheeses like cheddar/gruyere grated)

---

Early December

Camembert (long life)
Manchego/cheddar/hard cheeses (vacuum packs)
Stilton (lasts weeks unopened)
Smoked salmon (vacuum packed)
Gammon joint (freeze until Christmas week if needed)
Turkey (if frozen, buy now; if fresh, order with delivery date 22–23 Dec)
Chestnuts (vacuum packs)
Packaged mozzarella
Quince paste or chutney
Crackers for cheeseboard
Panettone (long life)

---

Week Before Christmas (18–22 Dec)

Chorizo slices
Fresh cream cheese
Cream (double & whipping – both freeze if needed)
Milk, custard
Eggs (2–3 dozen)
Fresh herbs (buy pots if possible)
Root veg (carrots, parsnips, potatoes, red cabbage, onions, garlic)
Clementines, lemons, oranges
Mushrooms
Red peppers, cucumbers, salad leaves
Bread (freeze some)

---

23rd & 24th Dec (Freshest Shop)

Cherry tomatoes, basil, rocket/spinach
Fresh bread, baguette, sourdough
Extra salad leaves
Final top-up fruit & veg (carrots, clementines, etc.)

---

👩‍🍳 Cooking & Prep Timeline

1–2 Weeks Before

Make chocolate bark, mince pie empanadas (freeze)

Bake/freeze cheese scones

Make trifle custard base + freeze if desired

Roast turkey stock (from wings/necks) & freeze for gravy

---

23rd December

Roast potatoes & onions for tortilla

Mix hummus, refrigerate

Prep skewers (chorizo/cheese/olive & tomato/mozzarella)

Make cranberry glaze for meatballs & sausages

Slice veg sticks

Prep Camembert & flatbread tree dough

Bake bark & mince empanadas (if not frozen)

Bake gammon joint (if serving cold next day)

---

24th December

Cook meatballs & sausages (morning)

Fry mushrooms just before serving

Bake Camembert & flatbread tree in afternoon

Assemble grazing table

Make mulled cider

Evening: relax & graze

---

25th December

Breakfast: eggs benedict + fizz

Turkey in oven by 11:00 (for 14:00 feast)

Cook pigs in blankets, stuffing, roasties, carrots/parsnips, sprouts, cabbage

Reheat make-ahead gravy base, finish with turkey juices

Afternoon: trifle bar + Christmas cake/pudding

Evening: cheese board

---

26th December

Lunch: Serve cold gammon with potato salad, green salad, bread

Dinner: Bubble & squeak with leftover turkey & veg, fried egg, pickles

---

27th & 28th December

Breakfasts: Panettone French toast, clementines

Lunches: Leftover platters (cheese, ham, turkey, salad, bread)

Dinners:

27th: Turkey soup or bao buns with hoisin & pickled veg

28th: Easy traybake (chicken thighs/sausages with root veg)

Treats: mince pie sundaes, hot choc with bark shards

---

✅ This way, Christmas shopping is spread across October–December in small chunks, most prep is freezer-friendly, and Christmas Eve & Day flow smoothly.

I can see how that is useful. I have a similar spreadsheet, although mine isn’t a chat GPT one - it is developed year on year. I like looking though Christmas and cooking magazines, though, so I tweak my spreadsheet each year with new ideas.
I have a second page for Xmas presents, so I keep a track of what I have planned, bought, and still need.
I have a lessons learned session with my partner after every new year to see what we liked/ didn’t like.

That may make me sound a bit dull, but I have a lot to organise.

Faints.

I read with interest. Sounds lovely, wish I was guest.

Mine is nothing at all like that - an M&S order the week before Xmas to cover Xmas eve buffet and Xmas day buffet after we've been out for lunch.

I'm assuming you enjoy all of this and get lots of excitement from planning it.

I collapsed in exhaustion at the tapas list.

How many Netflix-watching hours does all this take?

Looks great. However, I would definitely cook the braised cabbage at least one day ahead.

Also it doesn't seem to have listed veg prep, such as peeling and chopping carrots, parsnips, potatoes. You can keep the potatoes in water over night, then just boil the in that water on 25th Dec morning.

Wow...how many are you catering for op?

I do, I love planning and organising! Unfortunately I'm also an expert in procrastination. For example, I have a very detailed, tailored to me, fortnightly workout plan involving yoga, strength training and cardio. I haven't actually done any of it yet but I have a beautiful plan...

It also dosn't seem to have included your Xmas Day nibbles in the prep days or "Cook on 25th Dec" to do lists?

I’ve got some worries abour the potentially frozen (or languishing in the fridge) custard base for the trifle!
Plus I am impressed/horrified/filled with guilt by the eggs Benedict on Xmas Day morning. I used to do those Boxing Day until I realised that life is too short to make hollandaise. It just always filled me with rage! (Has chat gpt remembered to put muffins & either ingredients for hollandaise, or ready made hollandaise, on the list?)

I don’t have to plan to this degree as I’m coming to yours 🤪. I’m in awe!

Yeah, I'm not seeing muffins on the shopping list. Also sprouts! 😱

Far too complex. Christmas dinner is a glorified roast.

You don't need a cheese board. You'll be stuffed after the Christmas dinner.

Mine is

Christmas eve:
Sausage casserole
Some sort of pudding usually fruit and ice cream

Christmas day:
Smoked salmon on bread or ham for those who don't like it

Turkey
Chipolatas
Sprouts
Broccoli
Roast potatoes
Roast parsnips
Cranberry sauce

Christmas pudding

Boxing day.

DIY.

Rest of time back to normal diet.

Mind you I wouldn't refuse an invitation from OP. sounds amazing!

I make my stuffings and cranberry sauce ahead and freeze them.
I get some nibbles but don't really eat a lot.

I wouldn’t bother freezing your butter or cheese. Just stick them in the fridge.

And if your gammon is vac packed, I wouldn’t freeze that either. If it’s fresh, I would cook it, carve it into large chunks and freeze them. Defrost the day before use. I buy a whole ham leg and that ends up with pieces in the freezer for the rest of the year.

I once read Bear Grylls autobiography, and while it was inspiring and amazing I came away feeling wholey inadequate & asking what I was doing with my life.

Similar vibes.

I wouldn’t bother freezing your butter or cheese. Just stick them in the fridge.

I agree with this. Why bother freezing the two things that are a) very easy to get hold of, and b) keep well without freezing?!

That bit sounds very American.

Ditto the idea of freezing the gammon.

You don't need a cheese board. You'll be stuffed after the Christmas dinner.

You absolutely do!

I can't explain the level of genius that this is on.

Lol. Planning is the best part!

This looks great (and I use ChatGPT for weekly shopping lists very successfully).

However, what size is the turkey if you are only putting it into the oven at 11am for a 2pm sit down? The turkey can stay hot under foil for 2h (after which you whack the oven up so you can cook the roast potatoes, parsnips, pigs in blankets etc).

I picked up the Good Housekeeping Christmas Collection today which used to come with a little booklet with timings and recipes for a 'traditional' Christmas dinner and another one for an 'easy/speedy' Christmas dinner. Its a shame it no longer comes with that booklet as it was immaculate!

Im in admiration OP and wish you were my friend. I love very organised people (because I appreciate the effort and I wish I was better organised!)

Perfectly delicious sounding but writing it out makes it seem far more complicated than it is. I’m pretty much doing the same though no nibbles on Xmas day, and complicated breakfast - it’s bagels and smoked salmon and cream cheese for me, some have egg muffins the vegan sorts himself out! Nibbles is chocolate in my house then onto main event about 2pm, all sides are vegetarian in my house due to the 3 fussy ones, I do vegetarian pigs in blankets (vegan sausages wrapped in red peppers)

Absolutely epic! Am in awe!

I love to be organised but you beat me hands down. Christmas for us doesn’t start until Christmas Eve evening because we will be at work during the day, my table for six will look like..
Chritmas Eve Dinner
Honey roasted ham, cooked the day before and served cold.
shredded ham and leek mini pot pies, cheese board, hot crusty bread, chutneys, mince pies, Quality Streets, posh crisp, crackers.
Christmas Day breakfast
salmon mousse and watercress
blinis, Fruit platter, crepes.
On the table while dinner cooks..
Cheese board, anything left from Christmas Eve (pies ect)
Dinner
Turkey, roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, sausage meat stuffing, pigs in blankets, honey roasted carrots/parsnips, red cabbage, bread sauce, Christmas gravy. I tend to follow Jamie Oliver recipes, you can’t beat his make in advance gravy.
Dessert
Chocolate cake, chocolate custard.
Breakfast Boxing Day
Salmon and cream cheese bagels
Lunch
Turkey/stuffing sandwiches
Dinner
Cold meat, mash potatoes, petits pois, pickles.
Dessert
Any Quality street, Ferraro Rocher, selection box that you fancy.

Can I come to yours? 🤣

Seriously though I love planning and prepping for Christmas more than the actual day itself I reckon! Like a PP I have a Christmas spreadsheet with different tabs for food, gifts and a card list with addresses listed.

It means that I can put my budget in for gifts, note down what I've bought and can easily see how much money I've spent. I even colour code it as red (nothing bought), orange (have bought some gifts for that person), green (gifts all purchased) and purple (gifts wrapped.)

I am totally aware this makes me sound extremely dull but I just love organising! 😄

My food list is nowhere near as detailed as that though. But I've got everything listed that I need to buy for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, hosting our Christmas party with buffet and just generally for the season. I start buying bits in September and just buy one or two items off the list and tick them off each week. Things like chutneys, foil roasting trays, alcohol etc can all be bought now a bit at a time and stashed away.

My food list doesn't change much year on year but if I see something I really want to make I add it on or if something doesn't work well I can note it down. E.g. last year I'd made a note that the lebkuchen and stollen bites didn't get eaten at our Christmas party we hosted so they're off the list this year.

Our menus tend to look like:

Christmas Eve - some sort of seafood....Aldi do frozen coquilles st jacques in a champagne butter usually that are amazing so we'll often have those. Or I do garlic butter lobster tails with fries and aioli.

Christmas Day - salmon and cream cheese bagels for breakfast then the full traditional turkey roast followed by Christmas pudding and custard

Boxing Day Buffet - gammon, smoked salmon, quiche and salads plus baked potatoes and a cheeseboard.

I have two observations @PocketFluff.

Won't you drink the booze you buy in November long before Christmas?

WTF is long life brie?

Final point, M&S and simple help.