5 Tips to Take the Stress Out of Cooking a Christmas Dinner

For those not used to cooking to military precision (and let’s face it unless you’re a chef or a dinner party/Sunday dinner hostess with the mostest who is?!) a Christmas dinner is a rather daunting task. To help you through Christmas day we’ve come up with some top tips to ensure your Christmas cooking is a hit with all your guests, and causes you minimal stress. After all, although stress in the kitchen is almost a Christmas tradition in itself, it doesn’t have to be!

1)    Plan your meal well in advance.

Work out what meat or main you will serve. If you are vegetarian or vegan, or have them coming to stay, why not try a nut roast. For carnivores, turkey is the obvious and traditional choice but goose is another traditional bird.

Think about what you will serve: the trimmings, stuffing, pigs in blankets and bread sauce are great options, and the vegetables: brussel sprouts, roast potatoes, carrots and parsnips. And definitely don’t forget the gravy!

2)    Do what you can the night before.

Any vegetables can be peeled or scrubbed and parboiled the night before. This includes your roast potatoes, carrots and parsnips, as well as your brussel sprouts which are perfectly refreshed by pan-frying with a bit of butter and bacon.

Bread sauce and stuffing can also be made the night before or even further in advance. They will keep in the fridge for around a week or in the freezer for three months. A nut roast can be made the day before and stored in the fridge.

3)    Decide a serving time and create a timeline working backwards.

Work out what time your guests are going to want to eat, and work backwards. Allow time for the meat to rest, and always factor in extra time as with so much in the oven things invariably take longer to cook. Use the alarm on your phone to set reminders, particularly if you are entertaining guests with some fizz.

4)    If things are looking ready, use the top oven to keep warm.

Don’t allow things to get overdone, too soggy or too dry. Utilise the top oven or the smallest hob on the lowest setting to keep things warm. For instance, don’t continue to cook the roast veggies because the turkey isn’t done, transfer to a pyrex, cover with foil and put in the top oven.

5)    You forgot the gravy, didn’t you?

Gravy is a great British tradition, for many it’s what the roast is all about; boatloads of gravy! If you’ve forgotten it, threat not for it’s actually very simple to make good gravy quickly. Heat some butter and the meat juices in a heavy-bottomed pan, finely slice some onions and fry. Add a splash of balsamic vinegar and some honey to coat the onions, cover and leave the onions to caramelise for about 10 minutes (shorter if you are under time constraints!) In a small cup mix cornflour with cold water and add wholegrain mustard if you want your gravy to have a bit of a kick. Add more stock to the onion pan then add your cornflour mix. Stir well, turn up the heat and watch your gravy thicken. Herbs can be added if desired; sage, rosemary, thyme and parsley combined are great options.