Christmas Food - buying ahead?

nicki_2

What sort of foods can I buy ahead of Christmas for the holiday season?

I'm currently thinking Christmas dinner, just the basics as there are only the three of us, of

• Turkey - Frozen/fresh? Supermarket/butchers/farmshop ?
• Roast potatoes & mashed
• Carrot & turnip mash
• Roast parsnips (OH's favourite)
• Sprouts (you always have to have sprouts at Christmas :rotfl: )
• Cauliflower?
• Cabbage?
• Christmas Pudding? - big one or individual? Buy or make?
• Christmas Cake - to buy or make? We don't eat that much of it, and the one I usually make with mum is HUGE well 8inches square :rotfl:

Also the condiments

• Pickle (usually branston or Asda equivalent)
• Picalilli?
• Bread sauce for OH? Buy or make?
• Gravy - ALWAYS
• Cranberry sauce - great on turkey leftover sandwiches etc.
• Pickled onions - there's nothing like chasing one around the plate while trying not to spill the gravy over the table cloth or firing it across the room as you try to stab it ... or is that just my family? :rotfl:
• Brandy / rum butter - to buy or make? OH has Rum, I prefer brandy:rolleyes:
• custard
• White sauce - Yuk but OH likes it ... I think Must check this out this evening

Mince pies I'm tending to buy now as we don't eat that many and the ones from the local bakers are :drool:

Have I forgotten anything? I only do Christmas dinner every other year and I keep forgetting things

Also, what do you have in "just in case" visitors pop in

I'd love to start having proper Christmases where everything is "just so" now that DD is old enough to remember them all I figure the more organised I am the more likely I am to remember everything!

gemmaj

Def the cranberry sauce - 2 years ago I left it too late and couldn't get it!! Drove around all the supermarkets all day trying to find some!! I have learnt now

scuzz

Hello

This year we're getting our turkey off the milkman. I think that's really your preference and what your budget is. Personally I like fresh from a turkey farm best

You could make your own xmas pud, it'll keep for a really long time, so if it's not eaten straight away you needn't worry

With a cake, how about a Dundee cake for a change?

Pickled onions, picalilli can be made well in advance

Cranberry sauce could be made within minutes on the day, I made some last year for the first time and it went down a treat

Sauces make you own definitely

I would also make your own mince pies.

Just in case foods are:

HM mince pies,
HM sausage rolls
HM sweets
little sausages that can be cooked quickly

melancholly

that is one big dinner for 3 people!!! sounds great!
we always have red cabbage with christmas lunch.... it's weird how different everyones traditions are!
i'd be inclined to go with either christmas cake or pudding, just because there is only so much you can eat - my preference is the pudding but that's because of the custard and brandy butter

the only other thing is what drinks you're going to have - you could always stock up on some nice wine when you see something you like on special offer. and have some brandy to set light to the pudding - that was my favourite bit of hte meal when i was little!!

rchddap1

We usually have xmas pud for those who like it, or apple pie for others at dinner. The xmas cake is then brought out for tea that usually takes place at around 10pm....as by the time dinner is finished everyone is completely stuffed

Poggie123

On the subject of forward xmas planning - when do Tesco's let you book slots for xmas delivery?

I don't usually have my shopping delivered as Morrison's haven't woken up to home delivery yet, but this year i'm expecting nipper number 2 on 11/12, so don't think i'll be up to braving the supermarket xmas hell this year!

dolly_day_dream

I am also really stocking up in advance this year. I have a cupboard set aside with "Christmas -don't touch" on it and am putting in treats as and when they are available and I have spare cash. I got some bacon pieces yesterday that are basically streaky bacon:D Some my family will eat but I intend getting some chipolata sausages this weekend and making pigs in blankets and freezing them as that is one of the things that my family insist as part of their Christmas dinner.

One tip that I picked up from Nigella was to freeze bacon and slices of bread together (I put the bacon in a plastic bag inbetween the two slices) then you are never too far away from a bacon sarnie - my crowd can get through loads of them!!!

Our must haves for Christmas are:
Breakfast
Coissants/pan au chocolat
Sausage rolls/sos mix sausage rolls (HM) -
bacon sarnies
Fresh coffee
Fresh juice

Dinner
Garlic mushrooms with french bread - starter -tradition in our house:o
Turkey
White nut roast
Roast Pots, parsnips, onions
Mashed pots
Sprouts
Carrots
Cauli/peas/french beans
Pigs in blankets
Sausage meat stuffing balls
Sage an onion stuffing
Stuffing from inside the bird
Dark gravy
White gravy
Cranberry sauce
Xmas pud (HM)
Cream soy and ordinary
Chocolate merigune truffle torte HM:o

Then for tea ... basically help yourself from
Cold turkey
Cold cooked gammon
Lots of different salads, coleslaw dips etc
Samosas
Onion bhajis
Bread and bread sticks
Lots and lots of hm pickles and chutneys
Christmas cake
Trifle

Throughout the day mince pies, sausage/veggie rolls, a tin of celebrations, a big bowl of mixed nuts lots and lots of tortilla chips and the like, a big bowl of fruit that has to include satsumas

Wow writing it all down makes it seem soo much. :eek: This is for a family that includes vegans, vegetarians and meat eaters. We do tend to get quiet a few visitors at Christmas cos I have very friendly children who know that I can always find room somewhere for another one. Surprisingly enough I try to relax and do no cooking on Boxing Day:o I am trying to cut down on the rush at Christmas time whilst keeping my family happy with home cooking by trying to make as much as possible in advance and freeze it if it won't spoil. For example parsnips are better if frosted so I will prepare a huge amount and freeze them in the hope that some survive till Christmas:o

halloweenqueen_2

Good grief!!
We don't eat all morning have a big roast dinner, dessert if we feel like it and for tea we have cold meats, pickles, fancy crisps that sort of thing. We relax play with the kids and nibbleon snacks in the evening if we want to!
Boxing day we spend at relatives. then its all back to normal.
Bah Humbug!!!!!!

llh189

I have for the last couple of years done the family christmas st home, so about now I would start at list and buy one or two things a week.

I would usually start with the luxary items, crisp, nuts, chocolates, Baileys, Goose Fat all the things that won't go off or can be stuck in the freezer but I don't buy every week.

My real luxary item is my turkey, I order it from M & S, they do lots of christams food to order and I just picked it up christmas eve.

This means that I don't suddenly spend a huge amount in one go on what is essentially one day, and that all I then need to buy is the fesh vet and pick the Turkey up, last year my final shopping trip came to around £50 and fitted in to 2/3 bags and was stress free!!!!

This year I am single so no big family do, think of the money that I will save!!!!!!!

rchddap1

Good grief that's a list and a half.

I usually spend Xmas at the parents along with other members of the family. So we all muck in together to make things a little easier. However, this year I'm going to have a newborn around, so things could be a little different.

One thing not mentioned on anyone else's lists, and thats dead simple to make is homemade banoffee pie. Think there'd be a mutiny if that wasn't on the table at tea time.

poppycracker

Talking of family Christmas traditions.... our family has Sausages and Mash with roasted carrots for Christmas dinner !!!

We used to go to one or the other set of Grandparents on Boxing day and always got a turkey dinner then so got into the habit of sausages and mash on christmas day....plus not so much work for Mum

Dad always made his bread sauce to have with it though, used to be a big thing that took all afternoon; they'd get a load of bloomer loaves, dig all the insides out and crumble it (our job), dad would be in charge of the cloves and the cooking and Mum would be busy crisping up the crusts of the loaves in the oven and slathering them with butter :eek: .

Me and OH still do that now. He thought it was very strange (being a chef) the first year we were together but I think he enjoys it now. Neither of us is particularly fond of turkey.