Do you have a Good timing plan for Xmas day you could share ?

[cleo333]

Hi starting to panic here about timing of cooking Xmas dinner . It's the usual turkey dinner . Would anyone mind sharing your cooking timing plan ? X

Not a full plan, more of a tip, but the turkey can rest for an hour, well wrapped up, while potatoes are crisped & other veg, accompaniments cooked.

How many are you cooking for?

I've only got one oven this year, but am only cooking for 3.

I kind of base everything round getting the roast potatoes right.

As mentioned aim to have the turkey ready an hour before dinner serving, that clears the oven for other stuff, leave it in tin, wrap in tinfoil and cover with a big towel or something else insulating that will keep in the heat. It will stay very hot for at least an hour wrapped properly and will taste better when meat is rested.

Cook ham today and reheat if relevant

Roast potatoes/stuffing and anything else that needs oven can go in when turkey is out.

There's only two of us now, but in days of yore with more people I sometimes cooked the turkey the day before, let it go cold, joint and carve it, wrap it foil, and reheat servings on Christmas Day, so there were only the veg and trimmings to do. It made for a much more relaxed Christmas morning for the cook!

There are 7 of us and looking to serve at 2 pm ( no starter) - thanks so much all

Our oven has 2 parts so some things I put into foil dishes and put them in the small oven on a low heat. Potatoes/pigs in blankets/parsnips.
It means at the end I only need to cook sprouts and heat up gravy.

Just do the veg the night before, it makes it all very easy.

I have an oven and a new huge air fryer and my old small air fryer so this year no juggling the turkey and lamb. My friend always cooks her turkey the night before and reheats in gravy,

Here’s my timing sheet, but it’s assuming that everything is already prepped and ready to go. I keep it all on a spreadsheet, and work backwards from serving time so everything is set up (with calculations so I can quickly amend the cooking time). And also allocate in advance job and oven space, so I know what fits where. The turkey cooking time may seem short, but we ask the butchers to spatchcock it for us, so it cooks so much quicker.

Prep all veg evening before

work out when you want to eat. Work out how long it takes to cook your turkey. Then count backwards. For example. I need to get my turkey in for 7am if we want to eat around 2pm!

You can cook stuff. Put it oven safe dishes. Then keep it warm in the oven before serving while you faff with the twiddly bits.

Accept help where offered from people you trust and who will listen to what you actually need. Don’t be afraid to refuse it from people who won’t listen!!

ETA - it’s just a big roast dinner. No need to panic. Chill, drink Buck’s Fizz (or your fun drink of choice), and make sure to steal the first pig in a blanket