Prepping for Christmas dinner - help!

[seeyouinanotherlifewhenwearebothcats]

Hi all, I am hosting Christmas this year. I did it last year and didn’t enjoy at all, it felt such pressure, I didn’t get enough prepped in advance. I see people talking about prepping everything ahead of time but how?! Please could you point me in the direction of a good Christmas cook book or advise me what you do? I had the attached menu in mind. So for example, do you just par boil the carrots the day before and then leave them in pot to roast on the day? I always to goose fat potatoes but will they freeze well? Do dauphionise freeze ok? Thanks in advance, all festive advice appreciated 🎅🏻

Honestly, if you didn’t enjoy it - simplify. Cook a turkey, do one kind of potatoes (roast) if you want something like a mash how about carrot and Swede that you can microwave. Keep veg as just boiled. Airfry some pigs in blankets. Don’t be a martyr to the meal!

You can do almost all of it in advance!

• Roll your stuffing balls and put out on trays ready to go in the oven
• Ditto get your piggies in your blankets
• You can boil your potatoes the day before and put in the fridge ready for roasting the next day
• All veg can be chopped and left in water over night - no need to refrigerate
• Your turkey can be stuffed, giblets out and covered in bacon ready to go in the oven OR it can be cooked Christmas Eve and you can do what my mum does, slice it up and heat it up slowly in the gravy. It works extremely well but people aren’t half sniffy about it!

What else?
All your puddings can be made on the 23rd. Cold can just sit in the fridge waiting and hot can be assembled up to the point of needing to go in the oven - crumble works well for this.

Get your table laid on Christmas Eve as well - you can get one of the DC to do this

So many potatoes!! 😮 I try to do a reasonable amount in advance and simplify the rest; don't be a martyr. I fry the bacon and Brussels a week or two in advance and freeze so just a quick reheat in microwave is needed. Cook the ham as dinner in Christmas eve and serve cold with turkey as gravy can warm it a bit. Buy good quality ready made gravy from chilled section of supermarket to save last minute stress. Slice carrots in half longways and just throw in bottom of turkey roasting tin half an hour before the end of cooking so they cook in roasting fat which is much nicer. Make a cheesecake for pudding in advance and freeze or the morning before and put in fridge. Can't remember what else I do!

Yes to the gravy thing - I buy a taste the difference gravy granules and poor in some fat from the meat right at the end

Hosting and having an elaborate menu is wonderful if you're up for it. I've done it for many years and enjoyed the challenge.
If it's way too much work, you got a scale back.
Gently, I suggest the menu is a bit ambitious but only if you're stressed for time/willing to scale down (things can be made more simply).
To try to answer your question directly, I noticed that you have four different types of potatoes on your menu. I have never frozen potatoes but I have seen frozen mashed potatoes and possibly frozen scalloped potatoes at the store, I guess if they're made commercially they must be able to be frozen and recooked successfully. There's a possibility that you could do that as a prep ahead of time?
I've made sauteed brussel sprouts with bacon many times, but never prepped ahead of time aside from washing and trimming the sprouts, cutting in a half, and storing in the fridge but we're talking only a day or two ahead of time. Not something that can be done 5 weeks ahead.
Same with your savory stuffing, can be made a few days ahead of time. Not so sure that you'd want to make it now and freeze it.
Ditto with the carrots, they might be able to be washed peeled sliced and put in the fridge a couple of days ahead of time. The turkey and the ham will have to be done the day of. I can imagine myself making your menu there and I can see making sure the house is clean ahead of time, then prepping the potatoes carrots and brussels, and then a lot of work leading up to dinner time as you'll have all your burners on the stove running as well as the oven full.

Going "more simply" does not mean less of an experience. It's taken me 20 years to realize that in the end, nobody cares how fancy the potatoes were or if you made your own scratch bacon whiskey jam from scratch. In the end all they remember is how smoothly the day went, and how relaxed the hostess was and how the day made them feel.

I'm guilty of having elaborate menus, elaborate decorations, having made everything from scratch, no help, and when everyone comes I never get to sit down, I never get to eat with everyone, I never get to greet anyone properly, I never get to be a part of the day I feel like I'm the maid/cook/bus person.

The last year or so I've started forcing myself to cut a couple of courses out of the meal that I've planned, and simplifying just a little, and it's given everyone so much more pleasure, myself included. It has been extremely difficult for me to learn to scale back a bit as I enjoy the challenge of making an event more and more memorable... But in the end, it's the experience not the food that matters.
If that helps.

I prepare and cook veg like swede and roast parsnips day or two before and keep in fridge, Christmas Eve I peel potatoes and other veg so I don't have to do that in the morning. I also make up stuffing or buy a ready prepared one. I buy Yorkshire puddings that can just be put in the oven for minimum time to heat through, I never make them.

I also use as many foil dishes as possible, any that are easy to wash up I keep and reuse, other ones I just bin.

Lay the table day before, put wine etc. in fridge too.

Thank you so much. Yes I was raised by my mother doing very elaborate dinners and now I’m hosting her I feel I need to do the same but honestly my kids are small and I don’t want to be chained to the cooker all day.

Thank you all so much so far for the tips! Simplifying is the key!

I agree. A few things done well is so much better than loads of different sides.

Look at the batch lady for what you can pre prepare and freeze
I do carrots and parsnips, Brussel sprouts, pigs in blankets in advance
roast potatoes you can do and freeze but I don’t because my oven isn’t the best and they take forever even not from frozen.
Definitely simplify and cook for how many you have. It’s often too much anyway.

Take out at least two potato dishes, preferably the more complicated ones, and buy some Tesco Finest stuffing balls.

Peel and slice sprouts and carrots the day before and leave in one big saucepan in water overnight, to be boiled on the hob before serving.

I was also going to suggest the Batch Lady. She has a Christmas book but just have a look on her Instagram to start with.

And definitely simplify. It’s hard when you’ve been raised with things being a certain way, but four types of potatoes is a lot and no one needs to be making croquettes and dauphinoise on Christmas Day. Strip it back and also buy what you can (gravy, stuffing, etc) - there’s no prizes for making everything from scratch.

I would definitely simplify if you have small children and you want to see something of them and enjoy the day more. You say your mum used to do the cooking would she be up for bringing a couple of sides?
I do my stuffing balls ahead of time and freeze those, ditto the pigs in blankets.
I buy spiced red cabbage ready made and no one cares.
All the veg can be prepped and on the hob in water.
My dear DM used to par boil and sprinkle with a bit of flour and freeze her roasties ready and they always came out delicious.
Also the last few years I cooked the turkey or crown at least and hour and a half ahead of time and wrapped it in foil and covered with 2 towels. This left the oven free for roasties and so on and the meat was so tender and still nice and warm.

I second The Batch Lady or Taming Twins. Very helpful for Xmas prep.

I swear by Delia. She has a section on the last 36 hours with specific timings.

Thinks like stuffing and cranberry sauce, you can make ahead of time.

Other than that - I just start on Christmas Eve and work through Delia's timings.

You have a lot of potatoes on your menu, and two meat choices is a lot for one meal. We like ham, but we have it closer to the New Year.

She's your mum not the queen. Don't try to compete or you won't enjoy the day. Tell her you're not expecting to do a meal like she does and will make it as easy as possible so you can enjoy the day with the children.

One kind of potato done very well is enough. I wouldn't want 4 different kinds of potatoes on my plate.
One kind of meat is enough unless you are feeding 20.
How tight is money? There are some very good ready made fancy veg dishes that just need heating. Buy things like cranberry sauce and decant into nice dishes.
If you make puddings do it now and freeze. I buy a Christmas pudding and make a chocolate cheesecake in November and freeze.
As for timings you can't beat Delia.

Don't martyr yourself in the kitchen at Christmas. That's an order!😂

You do NOT need four sorts of potatoes. End of. Just buy ready-made stuffing. There is absolutely no need to do your own. Nor do you need to fanny about with the vegetables. You've got small children, so don't give them yet another thing to refuse to eat. Just serve the sprouts and carrots plain, don't mess around with them. Prepare them the day before, store in plastic bags in the fridge and cook them on the day. Buy ready-done pigs in blankets, or make them yourself in advance and freeze. They will cook from frozen.

On my screen I can only see as far as the carrots, but whatever else there is, minimise it.

Ditch 3 of the potatoes, keep the roasted. You can parboil the night before and cover in fat.

Thank you all so much! So helpful. I’m going to strip it right back and buy what I can. You’re all 100% right, no point being a martyr to the meal! Feeling a bit more excited now 😂

We (American family) do both Thanksgiving and Christmas. In DH's family, the menu was identical. I now do more American sides for Thanksgiving and British sides for Christmas - but the turkey is the centre both times.

Honestly, what I swear by is Iceland's Perfect Turkey Crown. It costs about £25 for 12. You don't get gravy, but you can usually buy this from the supermarket, especially at Christmas. I usually do this for Thanksgiving and a fresh turkey for Christmas. Last year, I ordered a turkey from the butcher for TG, and it cost £80 - never again! It wasn't even that special.

When I worked, I tried to do a compromise between making things easy and being proud of the feast. The sides I would buy prepared where the pigs in blankets and stuffing. I still get the pigs in blankets, but seriously, stuffing is just a food processor job. Carrots don't need anything fancy - I slice them on Christmas Eve (because I am looking for something to do). The actual cooking is 8 minutes after the turkey has come out of the oven. Similarly, I peel and cross the Brussel sprouts, and they are 8 minutes in the steamer. They don't need bacon or anything else - there is so much bacon with the turkey and chipolatas. Same with parsnips - they go in the oven as the turkey comes out - no need for any fancy parmesan, or whatever.

The beauty of a traditional Christmas lunch is that all the ingredients are near perfect by themselves. They don't need tarting up.

I agree with a turkey crown, although last few years we’ve just bought a turkey breast joint which is sooo much easier!
par boil potatoes the day ahead then freshly roast on the day (M&S do a great a roast potato seasoning mix)
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M&S potato croquettes are fab - we have them every year.
buy ready made pigs in blankets, stuffing, red cabbage, cranberry sauce.
prep sprouts and cut bacon into pieces the day before. I fry in butter with some chestnuts.
shop bought turkey gravy (I tried the make ahead gravy one year and it was such a fad I haven’t since)
roast carrots and parsnips at same time as potatoes (you can peel and parsnips boil Xmas Eve)
we always have yorkshires but I am crap at making them so take no advice from me on this!!

dessers - shop bought! Starter we always have prawns, smoked salmon etc. dead easy!
enjoy your Christmas!

Exactly this!! Christmas is busy enough without trying to be Nigella or Jamie Oliver. So much can be bought ready made and ready to go in the microwave or oven. My exception to that is that roast potatoes are home made - my lot wouldn't have it any other way!!