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Christmas

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

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Original poster

How much of Christmas dinner do you prepare in advance?

47 replies

NoelRocks · 10/12/2009 20:28

By advance, I mean anything up to and including Christmas eve. I need ideas on how to do as much as poss before the big day!!

OP posts:

annabelcaramel · 10/12/2009 20:30

Well the sprouts should've been on since April at least....

merrycompo · 10/12/2009 20:33

nine
dh will be doing it xmas morning
just whack in bird
sprouts and other veg on hob
potatoes roasting in the oven

a roast dinner is easy peasy

its when people decide to serve three types of potato and starters andother unnecessary things that the trouble starts

AMerryScot · 10/12/2009 20:34

I do as much as I can on Christmas Eve as possible. That means all the vegetable peeling. I make giblet stock for the gravy, and any sauces and stuffing, although not averse to buying these.

happysmiley · 10/12/2009 20:35

I definitely do a starter that I can make in advance.

Christmas pudding is done ahead and just needs to be steamed on the day.

For the main event, the stuffing and sausages in bacon are put together a couple days before so they need to go in the oven. Veg except potatoes prepped on Xmas eve and stock made for the gravy (all done while DH takes everyone out so I get the house to myself).

So really all there is to do on Xmas Day is to whack the turkey in the oven with the veg, stuffing and sausages. Peel the potatoes and roast them. And make the gravy.

Original poster

NoelRocks · 10/12/2009 20:39

Thanks!

Can I ask a dumb question about the veg? If I peel carrots, potatoes etc the day before, do they all need to be stored in water?

OP posts:

CherryChristmasEveryone · 10/12/2009 20:45

i cook the meat on xmas eve, then in the evening i sit and peel and chop all the veg, including the spuds, put them in big bowls full of water, and cover with clingfilm. job done!

AMerryScot · 10/12/2009 20:55

I store my peeled veggies, except sprouts, in water, in ziplock bags, and keep them in the fridge.

StAnne · 10/12/2009 20:57

Sorry, I do the lot on the day and get various people joining in. We eat when its ready so if they want to eat I hand them a apron and a knife and get them going. We have the good fortune of cousin of DH is a chef. He did put beer in my gravy one year and he knows not to do it again as I already put red wine. The only thing I'm going to prepare in advance is Bread sauce (because I always forget on the day) and the decorations on the table. I want to go on the table. We are having 6 adults & 2 children.

MissMoopy · 10/12/2009 21:08

None, Marks and Spencers do all the hard work! Its my Xmas treat to myself each year. I buy everything ready prepped then bang it in the oven on the day. Bliss.

MrsMattie · 10/12/2009 21:39

I peel/chop all veg and put in pots of cold water on the stove ready for the morning. That's about it.

Gmakes3 · 10/12/2009 22:32

I do all the veg the night before. Last year I made the mash during the week before and froze it then cooked in the microwave on the day. Worked for me.

AliBellandthe40jingles · 10/12/2009 22:41

We go to my parents for Christmas, but I always help my Mum with all the prep. We've already done the sausages in bacon and cooked them, they are in the freezer. We make our own from sausagemeat so it takes a while. The cranberry sauce is also done already and frozen.
On Christmas Eve we make the stuffing and stuff the turkey, peel all the veg and make the giblet stock for the gravy.

So much easier, and we can all enjoy the day and have a relaxing morning. Usually have smoked salmon to start so that just gets done on the day.

slummymummy36 · 11/12/2009 00:49

Ages before I par boil my spuds, roll them in flour and freeze.

Xmas eve - usually in the morning I prep all veg and put it in water on the hob in the pans ready. I just change the water before cooking. The ONLY veg I dont pre prep is parsnips as they curl once chopped.

Xmas eve late noon/early evening.I make my cranberry sauce! Its very quick and easy.
I make my sausagemeat and stuffing meatloaf - I stuff all the ingredients into the loaf tin and wack it in the fridge so all I have to do is bung it in the oven Xmas day.

I also do My pigs in blankets at the same time and prep my turkey. I put my onion and oranges inside the cavity, grease the skin, plaster it in bacon and wrap the bird up in the baking tray and foil so it is 100% ready to just be whacked in the oven on Xmas morning.

As we like to eat at 1pm. As soon as the kids awaken on Xmas day, the oven is switched on as hubby makes me a cuppa and turkey removed from the fridge, Half an hour later it is in and cooking. I then have to do very little until 1 to 1 and half hours before dishing up!!

Xmas pud gets blitz in the microwave. We dont have starter. Table etc laid on Xmas eve - my girls do it for me now once they are in their PJs and all ready for bed. Its kind of become a tradition for them to lay and dress the table!

StAnne · 11/12/2009 08:51

slummymummy36 Now preparing the Turkey the day before is an excellant idea. Three years ago My Mum got up in our house on Christmas day unwrapped the Turkey to discover that it had a nasty bruise the top and was off, we didn't know it as it was completely wrapped. If I had prepared the day before I would have know and dash out to get some thing else. In the end my lovely Mum saved the day with sausages and onion gravy She is a star. Sainsbury's also gave me a refund, flowers and extra money (can't remember how much now)

BendyBob · 11/12/2009 08:57

I also cook the meat the day before. I prefer turkey and ham cold.

Also do all the peeling etc.

Slummymummy - I would love to know about your cranberry sauce recipe please! I quite fancy having a go at making my own if it's fairly easy

GoldenSnitch · 11/12/2009 09:02

Didn't know you could pre-cook the potatoes!!

Would do it only the freezer is full already!!

sheeplikessleep · 11/12/2009 11:10

You don't need to store veg in water (well carrots, sprouts, brocolli anyway). Keeping them in airtight containers or bags in the fridge is fine and will preserve nutrients better too.

I leave parsnips until the day, as find they can go brown.

GetOrfMoiLand · 11/12/2009 11:21

Peel all root veg (potatoes, carrots, parsnips) and store in saucepans of water on stove.

Make the mashed swede (boil swede, mash with loads of butter and black pepper, this is reheated on the day).

Top and tail the sprouts and store in cold water.

Smear butter all over the turkey and put to store in the garage.

Boil giblets and make the gravy - juices from turkey to be added later.

Wrap bacon round sausages.

Make stuffing. Eat all of the stuffing stood up in kitchen whilst reading paper. Make more stuffing.

Make a batch of mince pies to put in the oven to cook Christmas morning (tradition to have mince pies and clotted cream for breakfast in this house).

Make a ham (boil in coke, cover with treacle, bake in oven) so we have cold in the fridge for nibbling at over Cjridtmas.

Make a vat mulled wine and drink the lot whilst doing teh above.

On the day: red cabbage with sultanas. Can't premake this (I have tried) as it goes blue strangely.

Cook turkey, par boil spuds and roast in duck fat. Cook parsnips in butter in oven.

Cook all veg - par boil sporuts and fry in wok with bacon bits.

4 pans on the stove (carrots, gravy, sprouts, red cabbage), swede in microwave, turkey taken out to rest and spuds, parsnips, sausages and stuffing in oven balanced precariously.

Served with cranberry (bottled).

StAnne · 11/12/2009 12:21

GetOrfMoiLand WoW!Like the idea of making gravy the day before too. Can you freeze gravy? You lot are beginning to make me change my ways!

GetOrfMoiLand · 11/12/2009 14:08

I don't know about freezing it, but am sure you could make it a couple of days beforehand and put it in the fridge.

It is far beter to get all the prep and crap boring jobs out the way beforehand, there must be nothing more dispiriting than peeling spuds on Christmas morning whilst everyone is having fun in another room.

The way I do it means that a lot of the cooking is done in the oven - the sprouts par boiled take about 5 mins in the wok, the red cabbage takes about 10 mins, carrots the same. And to be honest you can take the turkey out an hour or even more before evetyhing else is ready - it will stay warm in the foil and as long as your plates are warm it will not matter really if the turkey is not piping hot when you serve it. This will mean more room in the oven and you can whack the temperature up really high and get the spuds crispy.

I love Christmas eve - I do last minute shopping on the day because it feels so Christmassy with everyone in the pubs etc. I also wrap my presents on christmas eve as well - I am normally half cut so the wrapping is a bit srcappy, but what the hell!

jumpyjan · 11/12/2009 14:13

None. But M&S do the sausage and bacon rolls, the stuffing and the bread sauce for me

hatwoman · 11/12/2009 14:27

loads
stuffing gets made and frozen at some point in December
all veg chopped and peeled and stored in water
stock and gravy made the day before
if the starter's soup that gets made well in advance and frozen
this year we're having meringue with chestnut cream for pudding - will get made in advance and constructed on the day.
mince pies in freezer.

getorfmoiland - I do red cabbage (braised) in advance - you need a drop of vinegar in it to stop it going blue. you can freeze it too but it's not as good - one for the day before rather than week before iyswim

darcymum · 11/12/2009 14:32

Get a grip you lot, its only cooking a roast!

hatwoman · 11/12/2009 14:40

I have a grip . at Christmas I a) want something nicer than a few boiled veggies to go with my roast and b) am not prepared to spend vast amounts of Christmas cooking it.

NightShoe · 11/12/2009 19:45

I have a novice question. If you cook the meat the day before, do you just heat it up in the microwave, warm it in the oven or just serve it as is?

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