8 Steps to a Stress-Free Christmas Dinner

For those who have never done it before, cooking Christmas dinner for the whole family can seem overwhelming and trigger panic. However, with these few pointers, your meal with run like clockwork.

Be realistic about your space

Will your turkey fit in the oven? Do you have enough hob rings for the number of pans you will need? A tiered steamer is ideal for this!

Preparation is key!

Prepare as much as you can before the big day – stuffing, gravy, pigs in blankets can all be frozen in advance. Just make sure you defrost everything in enough time (Christmas Eve is ideal) and peel and chop your vegetables the night before and keep them in water overnight.

Perfect timing

Weigh your joint of meat and work out how long you need to cook it for (remember it will need to rest). Then decide what time you want to eat and work out the timings for everything else back from this.

Make a list & check it twice

There is no worse feeling than slaving away in the kitchen and realising you have missed a side dish or a special addition you had prepared. Make a list of everything that needs cooking and serving (with timings) and keep it with you. Check them off as you go so you make sure you don’t miss anything!

Practice makes perfect

If you are determined to try a new recipe for Christmas Day, then you must practice it beforehand. Imagine making it for the first time on the big day and it goes wrong!?!?!

Back up plan

Just in case you have a stubborn turkey that doesn’t defrost in time or you take it out the freezer too late, have a back up joint of meat such as a gammon joint. If its not used you can always use it on Boxing Day – or have a dual meat dinner?

Keep it simple

You don’t have to make everything from scratch. Why not have your side dishes and dessert pre-prepared? You can get some delicious prepared vegetables from the supermarket that you can just throw in the oven so you can focus on getting that turkey and gravy just perfect.

Call in the troops!

Don’t be scared to ask for help. Get your family in the kitchen to peel the veg, wash up as you go or they could even bring dishes pre-prepared from home if they are visiting. A great idea for the kids to get involved is to let them set the table (perhaps with some adult supervision if you have you special crockery out!)

So, go on, stick the Christmas tunes on and have a wonderful time in the kitchen! How do you make the Christmas dinner an enjoyable experience?