How to not spend all Christmas day in the kitchen?

[MerryLilac]

I'm cooking my first ever Christmas dinner this year. 15 people. I'm nervous. I'm unorganised. I'm not a confident cook.

Can you share any tips on how to make the day less stressful? What do you prepare in advance to make it easier on the day?

Woah

you’ve gone from zero to 15?!

Are you used to cooking for large gatherings? Will you be doing solo?

People bring food, so it is not just you cooking. Anyone else in the house who can cook?

Cook the food 1-2 days before and you can store it in the fridge then reheat it on the day. I always make a plan with times for my mam so she can know what time to cook certain foods. Hope this helps :)

* cooking my first ever Christmas dinner this year. 15 people. I'm nervous. I'm unorganised. I'm not a confident cook.*

presumably at least some of the 15 know this about you?!

All veg including potatoes can be prepared in advance, just leave in water. Make the red cabbage ahead. Gravy in advance too. Plus get some help! Try to get everyone involved in the plating up & the clearing up after

Prep as much as you can a couple of days before. You can make the stuffing, pigs in blankets, gravy, Yorkshire all in advance. Cook the veg and just reheat on the day. I also cook and slice the meat the day before too. All that needs doing on the day is reheating and roasting the potatoes.

Don't have a roast! Choose another easier meal that can be cooked one pot and served when everyone is ready

Don't go mad on too many options of vegetables etc. Can always buy some things that you just need to rehab rather than cook from scratch. How big is your kitchen/oven to cater for 15?

So much can be done now, so stuffing bought or made pop in the freezer. Red cabbage do now in the freezer. Pigs in blankets the same. Buy ready prepared veg. Xmas eve par boil potatoes and shake in a pan with some flour, lay out on baking paper so ready to go in hot oil, Make gravy now and freeze or buy decent gravy and freeze. Buy an easy pud or make one that freezes. Do your timings, if doing Turkey once it comes out put roasties in. Get help on the day to serve etc, make sure everyone has a job!

I'm not a keen cook (if the kids aren't there I don't cook) although I'm fairly confident. I usually have 12 for Christmas lunch and it's generally well received.

• Dont do starters- it makes the timing harder- just do canapes if you must and serve before people come to the table
• Do Jamie's make ahead gravy and freeze but leave out the star anise
• Big turkey crown - cook early and leave to rest. It will stay warm
• Frozen roast potatoes in the air fryer - I have the 2 drawer Ninja
• Frozen yorkshires - take 5 mins so can do them while you're serving up.
• Get the sides from Cook- their cauliflower cheese is really good
• Any veggies? Get it from Cook
• Pigs in blankets pre-prepped or wrap the night before
• Buy one of those heated buffet tray things to keep things warm while other things are cooking.
• Buy all the desserts ready done- Cook are really good on this too.

Consider and know in advance any dietary requirements

Order the entire thing from M&S and rope in some helpers to peel the wrappers off the foil trays! Honestly, it's all cooked at the same temperature, almost 100% guaranteed to taste nice, plenty of variety, they've worked out the portion sizes for you, far less prep and very little washing of pans. Maximum time to spend with guests, minimum time spent fretting in advance.

We don't have a roast, we usually have steak. I make dauphinoise potatoes a day or two in advance and everything else takes minutes.

If you want roast potatoes and you have space in your freezer parboil your potatoes and freeze them ready to roast on the day. Friend who's a great cook did this one year and they turned out so much better she does it every year now.

Consider how much fridge space you have when deciding on puddings. A sherry trifle has to be made the day before and will take up loads of room. (Still worth doing though 😋)

Don't have it early, we eat at normal tea time ie 6pm.
So a light brunch of blinis/bruschettas and then the main event at 6pm.
Makes for a relaxing day

I am yet to host but if i ever end up in this situation they can have the option of:

-Party food
-Indian takeaway

I work until Xmas eve so bugger any advance prep.

But everything pre-prepared from M&S so you’re just really warming it up and following instructions on the back of packets?

Freeze shit!

clear as much freezer space as you can.

Buy
carrots - 1-2kg
potatoes - 2-3kg
sprouts - couple or bags
parsnips.

Peel, chop, bar boil and then freeze in freezer bags.

Stuffing - I do two kinds, sage and onion balls, I make up, freeze on a tray and bag. Two boxes.
Otherone I do is a shallot, sausage meat and sweetcorn one. I make this in a loaf tin, cook though and freeze wrapped in foil.

Red cabbage- double quantity of the Delilah recipe. Freezes amazingly.

Jamie Get ahead gravy - you can stretch this on the day with your meat juices and thicken it with slaked cornflour.

Pigs in blankets - make 30 / 45 as a minimum. Buy them or make them up and freeze them.

Starters - keep it simple, a really nice soup and bread, you could buy some or again, knock it up in advance and heat through in the slow cooker. Or get someone to bring it. Canapés also work well in lieu of a proper starter. A Christmas cocktail, some tiny bites and a mingle / chat is lovely. (Prosecco with something nice poured in, a slice of orange, some pomegranate and a sprig of rosemary)

Dessert - again, ask for some people to bring desserts. Or do something that will be good to sit in the oven, panettone bread and butter pudding with marmalade and baileys is nice, make it the day before and throw it in the oven. Make a retro trifle, again you can do it the day before. You could make a really indulgent rice pudding and it’ll cook while you are eating the main course. Serve with stewed fruits, winter compote or just cinnamon and brown sugar.

I always cook a massive gammon as a second meat, cook I the day before and slice it and serve it cold.

Beg, borrow, steal fridge and freezer space from your guests.

if you want to do cheese, farm that out.

Your frozen veg you can steam, sautee, gratinate, drizzle with stuff or whatever on the day.

Look at your turkey timings and make sure you have time to rest it. Get a meat thermometer if you don’t have one. Rest it covered it foil and then a million tea towels. While it’s resting cook your potatoes and parsnips and heat through any veg / stuffing.

Use foil trays for everything you can to cut down on washing up or decent oven to tableware.

We prefer fresh veg to pre cooked and reheat. We just do!
DH and DD (adult) will be working with me. AND enjoying the combined operation and the result which is seeing people enjoy the food.

This!
Marks will do all the prep. You just have to heat it up.

For how many @JillyJoy ?

Don't do it.

This year only 9. previous max was 12.
It was not my idea to compare or score over OP just a comment on how we do it. And how previous generation did.
(start prep on sprouts last week in Nov)😋

So regularly cook for a decent size group for Christmas

whereas the op is cooking for an even larger number
never has done before
inexperienced cook
disorganised

I would say any short cut necessary (although I can’t believe the op has been lumbered with it unless all other 15 present have never even cooked an egg before!)

Do as much prep as you can Christmas eve,
i generally cook my ham Christmas eve
prep all the veg
wrap my sausages in bacon
make stuffing balls
use foil trays where possible to minimise dishes
so all i have to do is turn on hobs and pop stuff in the oven Christmas day xx

I mean personally, I would order a few pizzas and be done with it. I'm not spending my entire day cooking.