Give me your best advice for my first time cooking Christmas dinner

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I am hosting Christmas for the first time ever this year, just me, DD(9), and my Mum and Dad. Having never cooked a full on Christmas dinner before, and not having hosted Sunday lunch more than a handful of times, what is your best bit of advice for getting it all done at the same time, and not collapsing in a ball of stress on the day?

Despite how it sounds I can't wait, it's DD's first ever Christmas dinner at home and she is so excited to set everything up and have them at ours

Only do stuff you really want - for example if no one likes sprouts, don’t do sprouts!

buy some of the trimmings now e.g. jar of cranberry sauce, soft drinks, wine etc.

If you like a glass of wine/fizz whilst cooking, wait for the meat to be out of the oven first.

heat the plates and if using serving dishes pre heat these too. Buy ready made gravy unless you are great at making gravy. If there is loads of boiling hot gravy this keeps the rest of it hot too

make the meat as easy as possible, I get a turkey crown or joint from M&S

ask visitors to bring pudding and/or starter. Don’t do a starter unless you really want one.

Cook the turkey and leave to rest and then use the ovens space for other things
peel everything the day before and leave in water until you’re ready to cook
stuffing and red cabbage can be cooked the day before and reheated in the oven when the turkey is out

Oh and make a list of timings, tick it off as you go along.for example meat in at 11am, out at 1pm, rest for 50 minutes (keep warm) before carving.

give your dd some jobs such as set table, pour welcome drinks etc

It is just a fancy Sunday roast dinner which you have done before-no need to panic!
Prep as much as you can before, set the table the day before if you can, if people offer to help wash up etc, let them!
Have Christmas music on in the background and don’t forget the crackers, and remember to enjoy the day-it’s your Christmas Day too 🎄

Don’t panic. It’s meant to be fun not perfect,
Now - buy meat and whatever else, stuffing etc you fancy from the ready made ranges and freeze.
Night before - get DD to set the table with her choice of pretty bits.
Meanwhile spuds - par boil some, toss in oil butter and seasoning poly bag to roast next day. Make mash.
Make cauliflower cheese (dd might help with this!)
Carrot and turnip if you like it.
Yorkshire pudding batter.
Peel and prep whatever other veg you’re having.
Between now and Christmas decide what starters and puddings you want to serve. Encourage easy stuff - soup, or something cold prawns salad etc.
On Christmas Day plate starters then working backwards from time you want to eat roast your meat, take it out to rest and pop roasties stuffing purges in blankets and yorkshires in with veg to reheat while it rests. Steam greens and make gravy.

Keep desert simple - microwave Christmas pud, something else fruity/chocolate whatever and a cheeseboard.

Starter and dessert, have something that can just be dished up. Prep everything for the main course the day before and then it’s a doddle. Cook what you want don’t worry about aunt Kate doesn’t like sprouts and gertie hates pigs in blankets, you’ll never please everyone.

Definitely timers and write them down too, I've stuck the list on a kitchen cupboard so I can delegate if need be. Prep what you can the night before, parboiled potatoes and sprouts can be done the night before and put in the fridge. Keep telling yourself that it's just a roast dinner with pigs in blankets.

You don’t have to make everything from scratch. I choose what I want to cook from scratch (roasties, Yorkshire puddings) and buy prepped veg - waitrose do frozen honey roast carrots for example. Just check your timings for popping them in the oven.

I also cook the turkey first - I get a boneless crown, cook it, put it to one side to rest, carve it just before serving.

For pudding, we usually have something like profiteroles or ice cream - no hassle or prep required

Don’t over complicate, side dishes do not have to be super complicated and/or choose things you can make ahead. Keep quantity of different dishes down too

I prepare ALL the vegetables in advance and just heat them in the microwave on the day. Sprouts, mash, glazed carrots, peas can all go in the freezer.
Keep back and freeze some chicken gravy over the next few weeks so you can just add the turkey pan juices to that.
Christmas pudding can cook in the microwave without ever touching a double boiler. I serve it with Ambrosia custard, it’s better than any I could make!
The only things my family cares about are crispy roast potatoes and Saxo stuffing balls so I put my time and effort into those. If you can cook a roast chicken a turkey is no different- I buy a frozen 4kilo bird and thaw it in the fridge. Just check you’ve taken out any giblets and make sure the roasting tin will fit your oven.

get one visiting family to bring the cheese or starter and one to bring the puddings. Your job is main course only!

Lots of hot gravy will be a saving grace is anything goes cold before being served.

Make whatever you can in advance. I make the gravy a few days before(add turkey juices at the end), also cranberry sauce, bread sauce, pudding. I peel and cut the vegetables the day before (also parboil the potatoes).
Any special ice or ingredients for special cocktails and cocktails.

Have a foolproof set of timings for everything in order and stick to it rigidly.
After breakfast lay the table (it always takes longer than you think!) whole family gets involved while I p
I put the potatoes in to roast while the turkey is resting, followed by the PIBS and maple glazed parsnips and carrots then finally the stir fried sprouts and chestnuts.
White they're cooking I warm the plates and serving bowls.
Wash up as you go along and run the dishwasher as soon as it's full. It usually has about four runs on Christmas Day!

You guys are fab, I didn't know you could parboil the potatoes and then start again the next day! Can you do the same with shredded brussels??

Off to go and write a schedule..

I used to put the packages in order of when I needed to put them in on the counter (I bought a lot of prepped stuff from m&s) So at the last 10 minute rush I didn't forget the bread sauce or gravy.

If you are anything like my mum..... Don't open the bloody oven every 5 minutes just to panic that nothings cooking 😂. I wonder why mum?!

My ex-future MIL, a wonderful and sweet lady, advised me to have a glass of sherry while cooking. I have followed her advice ever since.

I actually know someone who cooks the turkey the day before and wraps it in an entire roll of foil 😂.

I put labelled timers for everything on my phone and then follow it. Makes it so easy.

Also do all my veg prep the day before.

When you take the Turkey out to rest cover it with foil then layer over sone towels to keep it hot

work out in advance what pans you will use to cook what elements in - same with serving dishes.

Jamie's make ahead gravy (without the star anise) is delicious and can go in the freezer

Roast a couple of chickens instead of a turkey. Much easier to cook and much tastier.

Cut and peel all veg the night before. I have made roast new potatoes before when I cannot be bothered to peel, cut, parboil and roast potatoes.

To save feeling overwhelmed, I generally do not do anything that requires two methods of cooking e.g. boiling then roasting veg.

Have plenty of snacks on hand if the cooking is delayed in anyway!

Do a dummy run, honestly. I always do a scaled down Xmas roast for just me and my husband around the 1st to get an idea for how long everything takes. Give everything 5-10 minutes more to account for more stuff being in the oven on the day.

Timing is everything. Roast dinners are actually piss easy if you time everything right - hence doing the dummy run (or runs, we have a roast every other week so I've got it down now exactly how long everything takes).. set timers for every ingredient so you know exactly when you need to be doing stuff.

Prep in advance. Par boil your roasties the day before, rough them up then fridge them - not only does it make extra glassy-outside-fluffy-inside roasties it saves you a pan on the stove on the day. Anything you can do the day before, do it. Save your drippings from one of your dummy roasts and make a gravy from it well in advance, even freeze it, then you don't have to piss about with that on the day either. Do starters and puds that can be made in advance and kept in the fridge.

Get a meat thermometer don't follow the timings on the meat use the meat thermometer,. Everyone's ovens are different so the meat thermometer means you cook it right - 74 degrees internal (check breast at a angle) then leave it to rest for about an hour with foil and a tee towel.

If you have a air fryer then use it for bits that you can - I like to roast sprouts in it!

Prep veg and make dessert the day before.

I love everyone who has included day drinking as part of their advice.

I love making jelly with tinned manderins Christmas day. It reminds me of my granny. It is genuinely refreshing compared to the rich foods and looks pretty. Your daughter can help make this.
https://www.hartleysfruit.co.uk/recipes/wobbilicious/mandarin-in-jelly/#

Buy some ‘keep warm’ dishes now is my best ever advice. Totally transformed my Christmas and also Sunday lunches!
Mash/veg/roasties/pigs in blankets etc all cooked and ready with all pans washed up and then put into the dishes which keep them warm for hours.

Unless you really want the drama of a full bird, I would do a turkey crown. They cook more quickly and are less likely to dry out. They take up less space in the oven and there’s hardly any waste.