Christmas Dinner (preparing in advance)

EllieA_3

I've offered to do Christmas Dinner for the inlaws but because my Father in Law lost a leg earlier in the year and is very restricted on how much he can move about we have to have it at thier house.

Now my Kids aren't going to want to be parted from all thier toys all day so i'm trying to fathom the best way of doing the cooking and spending as much time at home in the morning as possible as we will be spending from dinner onwards with the in-laws.

I have to cook a Duck and a Turkey, Roast Potatos, Mash, carrot and Swead, Sprouts, Parsnips and other roats veggy's stuffing/gravy pigs in blankets and a Veggy quorn roast.

Normally i'd prep all the veg the night before and bung it all in the oven in stages, but this whole having to split the cooking thing has thrown me for a loop. My inlaw's live about 30minutes away so i think i'll be cooking the boiled veg at thier house otherwise it will go cold.

Any suggestions on how to plan /cook and transport and possibly re-heat the rest without it being a horrible dry/cold yukky mess when it arrives??

I also have to somehow manage a buffet in the evening, most of that is eaten cold or is a quick cook job in the oven so im not overly worried, the space in the boot for transporting it all is more of a worry to be honest.

ash28

Took turkey, beef, sausage meat and chipolatas out of the freezer last night - today will clean house, change beds, and generally make the place look presentable.

The last thing we will do tonight will be to wrap the presents, accompanied by a bottle of wine, to put under the tree - we've done this for 30 years fortunately our children are adults now and we won't be there till 3 or 4 in the morning - kids commented recently on how wrecked I always looked in the Christmas morning photos - well now they know - too much to drink and too little sleep!

We are having 12 for dinner, all except 2 will be arriving sometime between 11 and 1 - so this year I have decided to prep the veg and prepare everything tonight - just so I can be a bit more sociable tomorrow - we always have a trifle as a pudding - so I'll do that today too.

And I can't believe with so much work to do I'm sitting on the computer - I'm telling myself I'm having a coffe break.

Oh and the dishwasher broke down on Monday - order the heater on Tuesday and was promised faithfully it would be in the store on Thursday - just rung today and it's not there - I've been try to convince OH it would be worth spending £300+ on new dishwasher rather than wait until the New Year for a £42 part - he remains to be convinced!

wallbash

Cook Duck and Turkey at home , parboil pots , then drive to the other kitchen where the oven must be on/hot stick potatoes in and start to think about the veg,. The Duck/turkey wont suffer if wrapped up in an old towel for an hour.

maman

Carrot and swede (mash?) and ordinary mash can be done in advance (today if you want) put in an ovenproof dish, forked over (add grated cheese if you want that's yummy) then just reheated in the oven to crisp the tops.

EllieA_3

maman wrote: »

Carrot and swede (mash?) and ordinary mash can be done in advance (today if you want) put in an ovenproof dish, forked over (add grated cheese if you want that's yummy) then just reheated in the oven to crisp the tops.

Yeah it's carrot and swede mash.

don't they dry out if you do them in advance?

andygb

I have just prepared a terrine (Pork and chestnut, with a layer of smoked bacon, flavoured with herbs and cognac), for boxing day (we are visiting tomorrow) and beyond. It is easy to cut a slice and have it with salad, cornichons and a slice of crusty bread with real butter.

nearlyrich

Have your in laws got a microwave? Useful for a quick warm up of some veggies, hope you have checked their oven and planned for MIL to switch it on for you so it's nice and hot when you get there..

Hope it all goes well and if little things don't work out exactly how you want them to then don't panic too much, it's not the easiest thing in the world to use a strange kitchen on a day like Christmas..good luck.

beerqueen

Tbh I'd expect my kids to go to the in-laws. If they're very little you can make it seem exciting to pack up all their things and go to granny's. If they're older they should understand the difficulty. You can take unopened presents with you too.

I expect to be outnumbered but I think kids have to understand sometimes that they have to think of others as well.

kunekune

We're having roast chicken and it's only two adults and two children, so there's not a lot of preparation to do for the 'big meal'. However, I have just made some 'bits' - potted shrimp, spiced roast nuts and will also make duck liver pate and some home made oatcakes.

EllieA_3

beerqueen wrote: »

Tbh I'd expect my kids to go to the in-laws. If they're very little you can make it seem exciting to pack up all their things and go to granny's. If they're older they should understand the difficulty. You can take unopened presents with you too.

I expect to be outnumbered but I think kids have to understand sometimes that they have to think of others as well.

They do understand, and tbh they haven't said a thing about not wanting to go. It's me who's concerned that they will get all these new toys and then be forced to leave them behind to spend the entire day at grandma's. It just seems cruel to buy them lots of stuff and go Tadda here it all is but you can't play with any of it till boxing day.