The thought of cooking Christmas dinner can be rather overwhelming, especially if you have guests coming, but it doesn’t have to be stressful. The best thing to do is to start planning. This will make the day run smoother, you’ll be happier and it will probably save you money. There are plenty of tasks that can be carried out in advance so that you are not rushing around or standing in the kitchen all day. Follow our top tips for planning the perfect Christmas dinner.
Don’t leave your food shopping to the last minute. Make a shopping list and stick to it. Before you write your list, send a quick text to your guests to check for any allergies or dietary requirements. There is nothing more stressful than a surprise vegan guest when you’ve only bought goose fat!
Non-perishable items and bottles of bubbly can be bought in plenty of time and stored at home, add one or two items to your usual weekly shop in the build up. Place your order for your fresh Christmas Turkey and meat with your butcher in plenty of time before stocks run out. If you are planning on an online grocery order for all of those final items, book a slot in advance as they fill up extremely fast!. Don’t forget the tin foil!
Less food and less faff means less time and less worry. You don't need to do carrots in thyme and orange juice, sprouts with bacon, roasted chestnuts, spiced red cabbage, cauliflower cheese, braised leeks, broccoli gratin, creamed cabbage and mashed swede! There's nothing wrong with just doing steamed carrots and sprouts.
Christmas is about family and friends and everyone coming together. There’s no harm in asking for some help laying the table or if you traditionally have a special breakfast on Christmas day, let someone else make it for you.
To keep guests from crowding your kitchen, set up a ‘Drinks Station’ in the living room. Put out glasses, baubles, and bottles so guests can serve themselves. You can also assign one family member to be in charge of the playlist to keep the atmosphere festive.
If you want to have a starter (we would too) then choose something that is simple or can be made in advance. Soup can be made well ahead of time and be frozen ready for use on the big day, or why not try out a soup maker. Melon is simple and can be sliced, dished up and covered the night before.
Prepare your veg on Christmas Eve - most vegetables can be peeled and chopped the day before. This will save a huge amount of time on the day and no one wants to spend all morning in the kitchen peeling sprouts!
Make sure your dishwasher and bins are completely empty on Christmas morning before you start cooking. You are going to generate a mountain of washing up, and having an empty machine ready to load immediately is a total game-changer
Check you have a big enough roasting tray for your turkey and that it fits in your oven. No one needs that kind of stress on Christmas morning. We have a great choice of roasting trays here in a fantastic range of sizes.
It's not just the tray you need to check. Make sure your kitchen knives are sharp for all that veg prep, and that you have enough glassware for everyone. We also highly recommend a meat thermometer, it removes the guesswork so you know exactly when the bird is cooked safely, preventing a dry turkey!
Create a timekeeping plan working backwards from when you want to eat. If there's still prep to be done, make sure you include enough time for that. If things start to drift from the plan a bit, don't worry. Don't skimp on cooking times to meet your plan, make sure everything is cooked through. If some things are ready sooner than you'd like, keep them warm under foil or use the microwave to reheat.
Don't forget the "Big Thaw": If you are buying a frozen turkey, you need to work backwards from Christmas Eve, not Christmas Day. A turkey takes roughly 10–12 hours per kg to defrost in a fridge. That means a large 7kg bird needs 3–4 days to thaw completely! Factor this into your plan so you aren't left with a frozen bird on the big day.
It’s ok to cheat a little on Christmas day. There’s no requirement for a homemade show stopping dessert, it’s absolutely acceptable to buy a ready made one. It’s also fine to buy ready made cranberry sauce, stuffing and gravy. This will save you time and will mean less washing up!
Only cook for the number of people who are coming to dinner. It’s easy to get carried away and fix a feast that will feed the whole street, but it’s unnecessary. It’s fine to have enough for Boxing day leftovers, but most of us get fed up with another day of turkey sandwiches.
If the thought of cooking turkey is really uninspiring, raising your anxiety levels or you would just prefer something else, then go for it. There’s no law stating you must have turkey on Christmas day. If you are much more comfortable cooking chicken, a topside of beef or something else then who are we to judge. Christmas is about enjoying the things you like and spending time with the ones you love.
We hope that these steps help take the stress out of the big day so you can actually enjoy that glass of fizz! f you need to upgrade your kit before the 25th, browse our full Christmas Cooking range, we are sure you'll find something you want or need, ready for the big day.
Sources:
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/plan-your-christmas-lunch
https://www.netmums.com/christmas/your-easy-peasy-guide-to-cooking-christmas-dinner
https://www.netmums.com/christmas/step-by-step-christmas-food-planner
https://www.easypeasyfoodie.com/10-ways-to-make-cooking-your-christmas-dinner-easy-peasy/
