Need help with Sunday lunch vegetable drama.

[letsbehonest100]

I'm finally becoming a more confident cook and have had my family round for traditional Sunday lunch a few times.

I really enjoy catering for them all but find the latter stages of the Sunday roast really stressful.

I can't seem to work out how to time the vegetable cooking, make gravy, white sauce etc.. I end up with soggy or undercooked vegetables, a red face and a barely concealed stressful moment!

Can anyone give me any tips on how they manage this bit please- particularly cooking the vegetables without them becoming soggy while doing several other things at the same time.

Vegetable wise in planning on carrots, Brussels and peas, plus cauliflower and leek in a white sauce.

I use a steamer. I would use a pan of water for the carrots then put a steamer over the pan and in goes the sprouts, and then the peas for a few minutes. If they are all prepped you can make the gravy while they cook.

I would have my leek and white sauce with a cheesy top, so it would have been made 20 minute before then go in the oven for the cheese to cook and so not take up that tricky last minute time.

My steamer is from the Chinese supermarket, a bamboo one.

I struggle with this too. What I do is try to do as much of the veggies ahead as possible and keep them warm. If doing cauliflower cheese you can make that ahead (pre cook only v lightly) and pop it in the oven about ten minutes before you take meat out. Then while the meat is resting you are only doing the gravy.

work out how long each veggie takes.
carrotts 20 mins.
i rest the joitn while the roasts are cooking.
brocolli as are sprouts about 15
cabbage 5.

you can cover roast with foil

not sure about white sauce,

i think the problem is keeping things warm. warm you white sauce dish and other dishes and plates.
i make the cabbage last and use the water for gravy.

I use the steamer too. Once the veg are nearly done it's easy to keep them warm by taking it off the heat. White sauce can be made in advance and warmed through before serving although I agree it's better to bake whatever you're doing with it.

Make sure you leave the today plenty time to rest so you have plenty time to make the gravy. And have the veg prepped before the roast comes out!

you should allow the joint to rest before carving. can rest for 30 minutes or even longer

The today?! That should be roast!

My tip is take the meat out, cover it in double layer foil and cover in a tea towel -you can leave an average joint for up to an hour like this which gives you more time to do veg

I prepare veg in advance - carrots are steamed until just almost there, green beans topped and tailed and boiled for 6 min.
then when the meat is resting just heat up with salt, pepper, olive oil and garlic and walnut oil and walnuts for the beans or maple syrup for the carrots, no more than 1 min.
add some chopped parsley - again, washed dried and chopped in advance.

white sauce can be reheated, just make it runnier because it thickens as it stands.

I make carrot & swede mash, which I then just give a blast in the microwave before serving. I also pre-make any cauliflower & leeks in a white sauce, add breadcrumbs and cheese to the top and grill for ten mins before serving. This means I am only left with some green vegetables to steam as the meat rests, and they are fairly easy to judge.
Mind you, I probably shouldn't be giving advice as my family always complain that my veggies are too hard & crunchy; nothing worse than overcooked, soggy vegetables!

As others have said .... Invest in a steamer for the future... Appreciate you can't do that today; write a time plan; let your meat rest (it will taste better and give you time to finish off veg, make gravy etc). Cauliflower cheese you can make ahead and put in oven to heat through . Good luck!!

As others have said, make your cauli cheese ahead, I always do carrots in the oven - put carrot batons on a square of foil, drizzle with maple syrup or honey, dot with butter, season, wrap up in the foil and put in the bottom of the oven for 40 mins. Much easier than juggling another saucepan. For gravy, I've never done myself but have heard you can do in advance and keep in a thermos flask. If you let the meat rest, you can focus on the peas, Brussels etc and last minute bits while someone else carves.

Veg like broccoli and carrots only need 5-7 mins or so in a steamer. I often leave it until the last possible minute to put them on and let them steam while I dish everything else up.

Sauteed leeks are nice and can be done just before you take the meat out, left with the lid off and reheated last minute.

Also remember it's not a competition to see how many different foods you can get on a plate I always find cauliflower cheese a slightly odd addition to a roast so don't do it. Sometimes simpler can be just as good.

I prefer simple veg with a roast dinner, so wouldn't do white or cheese sauce at all, but if I was going to I would par boil the veg earlier then put it all in the oven during the last half hour once the meat is resting. I also like sprouts roasted, but not carrots as it makes them too sweet. That's down to taste though, you could roast them too.

Anything that needs steaming/boiling I do in a multi-tiered steamer. For Christmas dinner I make the gravy ahead of time and just heat up and add the meat juices at the end, other times I have the stock ready in advance and then make it in the meat pan while the veg are in the last 10 mins or so.

To keep things warm I line up all my serving dishes and half fill them with hot water from the kettle, as each food is ready I tip away the water and put the food in then stick a plate over the top till everything is ready and we are seated.

Maybe write out a little plan ahead of time, that's what I do for Christmas dinner, with timings for each part of the meal.

If you par boil the carrots now, you could shove them in the oven with olive oil, maple syrup or honey and seasoning. They are lovely done like that and wont go soggy if they have to wait. The leeks can be cooked now, as can the sauce (put it in a jug and cover with greaseproof on the surface or clingfilm. That can then be reheated just before you need it. Not sure whether the cauli is in with the white sauce, in a sauce of its own or plain, but that too can be cooked until almost ready now.

Brussels could be cooked now then sauted with some bacon at the last minute and peas I do in a jug of boiling water in the microwave.

For Christmas dinner this year, I par-cooked ahead and froze loads of stuff, It was a revelation - the roast potatoes were really lovely, and the roast carrots and parsnips were exactly the same as if they had been done fresh. Leeks in cheese sauce worked fine too. It was just so easy compared to the usual mucking about with saucepans at the last minute. Might be worth a go another time?