Christmas lunch - whose step-by-step plan do you use?

[fatsatsuma]

Eg Delia, BBC Good Food, etc?

I'm doing it for the first time this year. I'm a fairly competent everyday cook, and am treating this like an elaborate Sunday roast
but I like the idea of following just one recipe book for the trimmings and timings. I'm also keen to freeze ahead as much as possible

Recommendations gratefully received.

That's all it is really, a Sunday roast with unrealistic expectations

TBH unless you're using all the recipes from the same book, I would read a couple of the plans and then do your own because only you know how many burners you have on the hob, size of your oven(s), etc.

When I plan Thanksgiving I write down everything we're having, and then work backwards to figure out what I can make in advance and when it gets reheated - this because I know that when a turkey is in my oven that's all that will fit, so everything else has to either be heated while the turkey rests, or on the hob. It's no good a cookbook telling you to bung a tray of roasties on the top shelf of the oven if you know there's no way in hell it will fit in there with the turkey as well!

A good tip I learned last year is to make the gravy base in advance, and then when the turkey is done, set it aside to rest under foil, tip the gravy base into the turkey pan and scrape the drippings off then. I have tried to make the gravy from scratch after the turkey is done but it takes way too long and uses too much space on the stovetop, preventing the reheating of anything else.

i use Delia's step-by-step method for cooking the turkey, it's never let me down yet

I'm following the planetpotty plan. It's basically Sunday dinner but your pissed, there's a huge bird and it's ok to set fire to your pudding!

Thanks for these helpful replies. Anyone else please?

I've only done the whole shabang once, but I did the gravy base (gibblets to make stock) the day before, cooked the red cabbage a few days before and kept frozen til night before. Par boiled pots and parsnips the day before. Cut all other veg the evening before and kept in cold water. Made the pork stuffing the day before and the base for the veg stuffing the day before. Cranberry sauce made a couple of days before and milk infused for bread sauce the night before. Then as you say, it's just a roast dinner. I get a rough time I want to be at the table to eat and scribble everything down backwards from there. Plus, if your pouring had is generous, as it should be at Christmas [winks] , then I reckon people aren't too fussed if it's not on the table bang on the time you had planned it to be and if they aren't happy, baubles to them!

I too have my own plan. it goes a bit like this

Some point during Christmas Eve - cook turkey

next day
glass of wine.
parboil pots for roasting
glass of wine
peel carrots and brussels
glass of wine and some chocs
slice turkey to go into heat in gravy
glass of wine and maybe a few more chocs.
All the while avoiding MIL and any need to have her in the kitchen at any point
You get the picture I'm sure

lol @ avoidance of mil. Never had to have mine for actual Christmas day (thank god), but if I had to, I'd be following your plan Saltire.

No plan- it's just a Roast lunch with a few extra dishes.

At the most, I'll sometimes prepare vegetable dishes the night before then 'hold' them overnight. Mashed Swede with cream, nutmeg and butter warms up well and spiced red cabbage with apple, sultanas etc positively benefits from it.

We have a couple of types of dressing/stuffing- English sage and onion and an American style Cornbread dressing. The latter holds well overnight, especially as I have to make the cornbread first as it never hangs around long enough to leave any leftovers.

This yr, DS wants Goose and DD wants turkey so have managed to find a less costly frozen Goose (I won't say cheap as a cheap goose sadly doesn't excist). Made the mistake one year of believing the goose wrapper which said 'feeds 6'. Ha!!
It stretched just about, to 3. Thank goodness DH is pescetarian otherwise... He has a Quorn roast and everything else. I make a small pot of olive oil roasted potatoes for him. Goose fat for the rest of us.

Gravy is where I fall down. I do all the usual stuff-scraping up the roasting pan etc but usually end up adulterating it with god knows what to give it some welly.

Any gravy suggestions?

DD brined our turkey last year using a recipe from an American cookbook. It was so good. She added cinnamon sticks, halved oranges and apples, sage and thyme twigs, garlic bulbs. Not sure how much flavour will infuse into bare naked turkey skin but the flesh was succulent and plump.

I do all the peeling and chopping and then we follow the DH ricocheting about the kitchen plan.

couldtryharder - I have a cunning plan this year. I have come up with the bright idea of having Bellini's on Christmas Morning. Which is prosecco wine and peach juice. Only MIL's will have a wee drop of vodka in. Then she'll have her usual tia maria coffee when opening presents and who know, maybe the vodka will spill into her glass again .

Hopefully I'll can get on in the kitchen without hinderance and her telling me what I'm doing wrong help and then she'll fall asleep on the sofa, thus avoiding the need to watch any soap at all

I'm also setting up skpye and webcam so she can talk to her aunt in NZ, that should occupy her for a good hour at least

nursenic - I've just had two roast chickens this week so that I could a)make stock and freeze and b) freeze the juices.
Both ready for Xmas day to add to the pan and I usually add madeira and/or white wine after the flour.
For some reason it takes about half an hour to make it on the day so am trying to do short cuts.Alot of peolpe like Jamie Olivers make ahead gravy and then you could just defrost it on the day.

I have also just bought 4 jars of Tesco (finest?) chicken gravy for back-up as it is the only one I find worth buying.

I am like Tyleperion in that I work out how long everything takes then work backwards to work out when it needs to go in...

as much as possible is prepped or even done in the days before (swede mash / braised cabbage etc) so on the day it is actually easier than a normal roast, I have my printed timings and a timer set for whenever the next thing is needed, tick as I go - and have fun in between

Bettybattleaxe

Madeira sounds nicer than Marsala which I tend to drown everything in. like the idea of freezing home made stock. Recall Nigella going on about freezing stock in ice cube trays then just bunging them in frozen. Reckon I'll get some of those frozen pouring bags from Lakeland to try.
When I'm, at any supermarket i always end up with (steal) loads of those plastic veg bags on a roll they give away. But they tends to have holes in so no use for liquids.

I also buy any reduced pots/tubs of gravy and sauce as they are often heavily reduced. I probably have some still in the graveyard part of my chest freezer.

Does anyone hand make chipolata/bacon rolls and freeze therm or am I going way over the top here.
I always want to make it so niiiice...Disneyesque...

Am loving the little glimpses into everyone's kitchen on Christmas morning
Thanks everyone - please keep them coming.

Glimpse into real kitchen-

vegetable peelings, mess, wrapping paper everywhere, every surface covered, vat of eggnog awaiting neighbours...swatting off DH as he tipsily mauls me every time I am bent in front of the oven door...thinking I would so prefer to be bent over a kitchen chair than bent over the bloody turkey...

The real Christmas Gift giving slogan

"This Christmas, don't give her a diamond. Give her a hand"

Haven't done Christmas for ages, but planning on my own seat of the pants plan! Luckily my family and in-laws are pretty good at mucking in. Agree it's a roast with knobs on.