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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

How to not spend all Christmas day in the kitchen?

104 replies

MerryLilac · 19/11/2025 14:47

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?

OP posts:
15coffee · 19/11/2025 15:30

Avie29 · 19/11/2025 15:28

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

Op buy the sausages wrapped in bacon
buy the stuffing (marks is superb for this)

GooseyGandalf · 19/11/2025 15:30

It’s not as hard as it sounds.

I boil a gammon on Christmas Eve, and roast a turkey on Christmas Day. Lots of eating on both.

Figure out how many veg dishes you want to serve/have dishes for/will fit in oven. These can all be cooked together while the turkey rests. Then set aside to keep warm (do you have a hostess trolley? Or an electric Bain Marie?) while you cook the roast potatoes. You can parboil these in advance, and freeze flat in ziplock bags in the freezer. Just do them over several days. Take them out the night before to defrost.

The more types of veg you cook, the less of each you need. But you probably need twice the number of roast potatoes that you think they could reasonably eat.

Gravy can be made ahead, or bought ready made.

Pick a cold starter to take pressure off the oven (I prefer canapés as it gives me more flexibility with timings).

Make a list of what you need and if people ask what they can bring tell them: extra cutlery, plates, chairs, glasses. Assign one category to a person to make it easy to return afterwards.

Accept that some people are helpers and some are takers and don’t get too worked up about it. Because it’s a waste of your energy.

HippyChickMama · 19/11/2025 15:31

I peel, chop and parboil the day before, potatoes carrots and parsnips are then drained, cooled and coated in goose fat and put on roasting trays wrapped in cling film and in the fridge. Sprouts are parboiled and put in an oven dish with chestnuts and pancetta lardons, dotted with butter and cling filmed in fridge. Red cabbage made in advance and frozen, then defrosted and heated in pan. I buy ready made gravy. You can cook the turkey first, then wrap in foil, a warm damp bath towel and more foil, it will stay hot while everything else cooks in the oven

RescueMeFromThisSilliness · 19/11/2025 15:44

Two words: Simplify and Delegate. Don't wait for people to ask if there is anything they can do - give them jobs, laying the table, serving drinks, wrangler of excited children, whatever.

That is pretty much it. All you are doing is a roast dinner (extra large). Don't be daft and try to do loads of fancy vegetables, just cook them as normal. We usually have sprouts, carrots, parsnips, either green beans or peas, and a recent addition is sweetcorn, which goes surprisingly well with turkey, and kids like it too.

In our house we do veg prep on Christmas Eve in front of the telly, and store it all in bags in the fridge, to be cooked on the day.

Pigs in blankets will already have been made a couple of weeks before and be ready to be cooked from frozen, as will the stuffing that's not actually in the turkey. They cook from frozen just fine.

Make giblet gravy on Christmas Eve as well. It can go in a jug in the fridge.

Don't try and make stuff from scratch like cranberry sauce etc, buy jars of the stuff.

Aldi Christmas puddings are fab and can be microwaved in minutes, which saves A - making them, and B - boiling the buggers for hours and filling the house with steam. Tell someone else to bring mince pies.

Down tools immediately after eating. Make it known that your job is done, so everyone else is welcome to clear the table, sort out the chaos in the kitchen and wash up; and while they are at it, they can bring you a cup of tea while you put your feet up and accept all their praise for a job well done.

Oh yes, and if it is a monster turkey, cook it Christmas Eve morning (it will take an eternity), cool, then slice it all up and lay in a big dish, cover with foil and put it in the fridge. Reheat it in the oven with some gravy poured over it the next day. That way, the oven is free to do all the potatoes and everything else and your timing doesn't get fouled up. If you have an air fryer, use that for the PIBs.

And finally - never underestimate the number of pigs in blankets you will need.

ChubbyPuffling · 19/11/2025 15:52

Do you have enough big pots? Roasting trays are easy, you can use disposable, but don't underestimate how much pot space you need for 15 people.

KarriTreeSullivan · 19/11/2025 15:53

What's this 'red cabbage' several people have mentioned as if it's normal and expected? I know what red cabbage is, but what's it doing on a Christmas dinner and in what manner?!

twistyizzy · 19/11/2025 15:56

KarriTreeSullivan · 19/11/2025 15:53

What's this 'red cabbage' several people have mentioned as if it's normal and expected? I know what red cabbage is, but what's it doing on a Christmas dinner and in what manner?!

We've always had red cabbage at Xmas. My mum used to make it herself but I just buy M+S. Makes Xmas meals for me.

Cynic17 · 19/11/2025 15:58

Defrost a pizza. Does anybody actually like "Christmas dinner"? 🤮

Icebabyice · 19/11/2025 16:00

I get everyone to help - I give them a job and the kitchen is full of people busy, chatting and having a nice time.

FurForksSake · 19/11/2025 16:01

@KarriTreeSullivan braised red cabbage, cooked with apples, onions, vinegar, sugar and seasonal spices. It’s cooked in a big casserole pot slowly for a couple of hours. You can a sweet and sour cabbage dish with nutmeg, cloves and garlic and it goes really well with turkey, game, lamb or any roast meat really.

Do not stuff your turkey. It increases the cooking time and the risk of poisoning everyone. You can put some slices of lemon and sprigs of herb in the cavity, but leave it unstuffed. Check the cavity for a bag of giblets before you cook it.

you can make and freeze some herb butter to go under the skin. Cut it into discs and then shove it under the skin. Frozen will slow down the cooking of the breast (cooks) quickest and slowly melt the flavours into the meat. If you don’t want to do that, cover the turkey in foil and put a bag of frozen peas on the top for thirty minutes before you cook it. That will allow the legs and dark meat to warm up a little and the breast to chill a little. It will give you a more evenly cooked turkey.

itsthetea · 19/11/2025 16:02

Prep - what pans are you using for what ? What goes in what serving dish ? Enough plates and forks?

do you have a disposable foil tray for the turkey ? This gets cooked before anything else and wrapped in towels

where will the potatoes and pigs and stuffing go ? Count your oven shelves

do you need someone to bring something hot like the pigs wrapped up to give you oven space ?

have a list of times - oven on at … turkey in at … out at …things can take a bit longer to cook if the oven is full

prep veg the night before - yes they lose some nutrients but for one day. Potato in water

recruit volunteers for clearing up, for carving etc

lots of a few things not lots of lots of things

cold starter that someone else’s plates up

somwone to answer the door and hand out drinks

FurForksSake · 19/11/2025 16:04

if someone has an air fryer, get them to bring it, stuffing balls, pigs in blankets and other bits and bobs can cook on there.

FurForksSake · 19/11/2025 16:05

Also, if you are feeding a large number of people I’d definitely ask for contributions. It can get very expensive. Get people to bring alcohol, after dinner chocolates, crackers, nibbles, starters, desserts, soft drinks.

KarriTreeSullivan · 19/11/2025 16:07

Thanks @FurForksSake , @twistyizzy and @Plan2025 !
I can honestly say I have never heard of, seen or experienced red cabbage on a Christmas dinner in all 42 years of my life! Perhaps I'll give it a go this year, and I'll be impressed if these recipes manage to make cabbage palatable!

DriveMeCrazy1974 · 19/11/2025 16:08

Cynic17 · 19/11/2025 15:58

Defrost a pizza. Does anybody actually like "Christmas dinner"? 🤮

Plenty of people enjoy a traditional Christmas dinner, otherwise, they wouldn't go to the trouble of making it every year, would they?! Mind you, we have ended up having left over pizza on Christmas night for several years now as we always buy some on Christmas Eve to eat while playing board games - so we like a bit of both! Best of both worlds!

twistyizzy · 19/11/2025 16:08

KarriTreeSullivan · 19/11/2025 16:07

Thanks @FurForksSake , @twistyizzy and @Plan2025 !
I can honestly say I have never heard of, seen or experienced red cabbage on a Christmas dinner in all 42 years of my life! Perhaps I'll give it a go this year, and I'll be impressed if these recipes manage to make cabbage palatable!

It is a classic 'winter" food eg goes amazingly with pheasant/partridge or rich stews 😋
Adds a really tasty addition to a roast too.

ConnieHeart · 19/11/2025 16:09

Cynic17 · 19/11/2025 15:58

Defrost a pizza. Does anybody actually like "Christmas dinner"? 🤮

Yes, I absolutely love it

eqpi4t2hbsnktd · 19/11/2025 16:10

I would say find the easy wins.
Frozen yorkies.
Ready made stuffing in an oven proof tray (M&S)
pre make gravy, cabbage, and freeze
make a ham the day before.
Get everyone a bit pissed and enjoy.

nocoolnamesleft · 19/11/2025 16:11

Cynic17 · 19/11/2025 15:58

Defrost a pizza. Does anybody actually like "Christmas dinner"? 🤮

Hell, yes. It’s a Sunday roast raised to the next level. One of the best meals of the year.

DriveMeCrazy1974 · 19/11/2025 16:14

I'd agree with everybody who has said about Jamie Oliver's Get Ahead Gravy - it's gorgeous - my husband makes it on the last weekend of November and freezes it in foil tins - we always have some left over for the new year then.
Also, I think, when you've got lots of people coming, frozen Yorkshire puddings, sprouts, and pigs in blankets are a must - makes life a heck of a lot easier.
We peel (well, one of us does) the potatoes the day before and par boil and then half cook the in goose fat, drain, and then finish them off in the oven on Christmas Day while the turkey is resting.
Pudding can just be a shop bought treat, surely?
I've never cooked for 15, but I'd be up for the challenge, I think! Mind you, now I'm hoping this never is asked of me!
Good luck - and remember to take time out for yourself and delegate if you need a few minutes break!

ConnieHeart · 19/11/2025 16:16

nocoolnamesleft · 19/11/2025 16:11

Hell, yes. It’s a Sunday roast raised to the next level. One of the best meals of the year.

Second to Boxing Day leftovers! 😋

Northquit · 19/11/2025 16:17

15 is a huge number in terms of cooking volumes.
Turkey isn't hard but getting it all served up together can be a PITA.
Do you have a massive table and that many chairs?

KarriTreeSullivan · 19/11/2025 16:19

Cynic17 · 19/11/2025 15:58

Defrost a pizza. Does anybody actually like "Christmas dinner"? 🤮

I love Christmas dinner! And even better the left overs for the next couple of days!

KarriTreeSullivan · 19/11/2025 16:20

twistyizzy · 19/11/2025 16:08

It is a classic 'winter" food eg goes amazingly with pheasant/partridge or rich stews 😋
Adds a really tasty addition to a roast too.

Well I've never had partridge or pheasant either so that might explain my lack of red cabbage knowledge!

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