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

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🎁 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)

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🎶 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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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.)

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👩‍🍳 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

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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)

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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

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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

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26th December

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

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

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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

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

I feel utterly exhausted by your lists and all the food. I thought I over did it but honestly, it’s ridiculous! Why has time for all of that? You’re not catering for a wedding.

It looks really quite faffy and like a lot of ‘stuff’ but I think i missed how many you’re catering for.
We just eat whatever on Christmas Eve as have around 22 for Christmas Day so dh does as much prep as possible the 2 days before.
we eat Christmas dinner at about 5pm and then there’s a cheeseboard and cold cuts for anyone who wants it in the evening.
Boxing day I go back to eating normally because otherwise it’s all just too much!
And the day after we go on holiday so any leftovers from Christmas Day tend to get sent home with anyone who wants them.

Me! 😂

I bloody love this menu. Salivating!

On Christmas Day we eat chocolate and snacks while the roast turkey and ham dinner cooks then stuff in some mince pies and ice-cream later. Cheese board and random party food on Boxing Day. Leftover meats, cheese and snacks for the rest of the week. Another roast on 1st of Jan, probably beef.

I might steal some of your ideas and up my game a bit!

My shopping list for Christmas:
Usual food shop, plus bottle of Baileys, box of biscuits and chocolate. Treats for dog.
I am going to family for Christmas dinner, apart from that I just buy a few extras for myself and my labrador.

I do a more simple version of the OP with no need for much planning tbh

Xmas eve x 5

North pole breakfast : christmas themed/decorated breakfast bits

Dinner: party food from M&S/Sainsburys - whatever takes our fancy

Xmas Day x 5

Breakfast: smoked salmon/cream cheese bagels & (frozen) pastries.

Lunch: turkey joint, ham, 2 x stuffing, roast potatoes, cauliflower cheese, honey carrots & parsnips, brussels with chestnuts, pigs n blankets, cranberry sauce, gravy.

A lot of the above is from the M&S/Sainsburys food to order so very minimal prep.

Pudding is normally a trifle & then I get about 6 different cheeses with crackers & chutneys/marmalades

Snacking during the day on choc, crisps, nuts, etc

Boxing Day x 12

Do a buffet which has party food, cheese board from previous day, leftovers from xmas day eg turkey for sandwiches, sausages

Pudding will be from M&S or Sainsbury's and ordered prior.

Food is purchased in the lead up and our preordered food is collected on xmas eve.

Whats a DIY trifle? I love trifle! You deffo need cheese, cheese and more cheese!

I can feel my indigestion starting 🤣🤣

Just pace yourself!

I do the same. I make a ‘Notes From Christmas 2024’ doc every year. List out exactly what I did/ served/ bought/ made/ arranged and what I’d do differently the next year. It’s been refined and refined over the years. I’d say i’ve got it down to a fine art now - but with the proviso that the kids have obviously got older and older and so making Christmas is a bit of a moving target.

PS well done, OP - it all sounds amazing!

How many people are you catering for? It reminds me of our extended family Christmas when the kids were small. Most people who attended are no longer with us, although we do have new ones they can't come for Christmas.

We'll have either 3 or 6. If 3 we do something different. Last year was paella but we've had other things. If 6 it will be a roast turkey.

How many people is that for?

And dare i ask the cost?