I am a thirty year old Christmas virgin.

JustThisOnce

How fun! I completely agree with everyone who says you should farm out as many tasks as possible. It's more fun for everybody if they have a chance to pitch in anyway. My tips from the couple of occasions I've done it (for 11 and then 14 people):

1. Keep it simple - it's so easy to get carried away with lovely recipes at this time of year. Turkey, potatoes and parsnips, pigs in blankets, carrots/peas/broccoli and gravy. Anything else should be bought, brought by someone else or made for the sheer love of it. And no knuckling under to relatives who can't imagine Christmas without X, Y or Z. If they love it that much, they can do it!

2. Freeze everything you can now. Parboiled potatoes and parsnips, pigs in blankets, red cabbage (if you want it; I love it), stuffing, also bread sauce and cranberry sauce if you want home-made versions. If it works, put them into zip-lock bags and flatten the bags out - it's amazing what you can fit into a reasonably small freezer that way, though I admit it works less well for potatoes than for stuffing...

3. You say your oven is small - I guess it's not a double? Regardless, I'm not a fan of reheated turkey dinner - reheating in gravy doesn't work for me, unless it's something with a high fat content (roast lamb, I'm drooling at you). But with a good supply of foil and some thick towels, the turkey will stay warm for up to an hour, leaving you time to do the potatoes and parsnips after it comes out of the oven. I cooked my first turkey in butter-soaked muslin - no basting, you just get someone to help you turn it once.

4. I always do a timetable - my mother-in-law has done so many Christmas lunches that she knows by sheer instinct when to do stuff, but I still have to play it safe.

5. Have someone peel and chop 'fresh' veg up to two days before, put them in a food bag and bung them in the fridge. Delia says she does this, and while I don't love her for everything, she didn't let me down on this! Practice with your steamer in advance or microwave the veg on the day - it's the same thing, anyway. Make fresh stock from your turkey giblets - not difficult, can be done a day or so in advance and makes a massive difference on the day. Whoever said to make double what you think you need is SO right.

6. If you're having people to stay, fridge space is likely to be a big problem. Beg, steal or borrow a couple of sturdy plastic boxes with tight lids, so you can keep things cold outside. And get someone to build a makeshift booze/drinks shelf outside too (or put this in a box).

7. Christmas breakfast? Lay in stocks of cereal, porridge, bread, spreads, etc and tell people to help themselves, so long as they stay out of the kitchen. Put the toaster and the kettle in the dining room. Everyone's going to emerge at different times anyway. A satsuma and a handful of Quality Street are my personal choice

8. Extras. If your oven is small and you only have one, don't do gammon - it's just going to stress you out. I love it, but I'd be just as happy with it on Boxing Day, especially if it meant one less thing for the cook to do. And I'd vote against a starter - the meal and the day are huge as it is, and you'll end up assembling stuff, sitting down and then having to bounce up to finish dinner - not relaxing!

9. Assign all the other tasks to someone else. You are NOT responsible for: setting the table, sorting out crackers or turning the kitchen back into a habitable space afterwards. Picture yourself in a comfy chair with a glass of your favourite tipple and a small group of slaves around you.

I sound like I'm laying down the law, I know. But I've watched my mum every single year for decades, insisting on providing the perfect Christmas lunch all by herself and instead stressing out and not actually enjoying herself until Boxing Day. If it's not fun, it's not worth it.

Hope you have a lovely Christmas!

JTO

patm_2

Everyone has their favourite way of cooking a turkey but I think this is the best - originally from BBC Good Food at least 20 years ago.
Use a large roasting tin with a rack - the sort that often comes with your cooker, often doubles as a grill pan. If you don't have one, ask around now with friends/freecycle.
Put the turkey on the rack (which is sitting in the roasting tin). Rub the turkey with oil and salt all over. Cover the whole lot loosely with turkey foil, tucking in the edges inside the tin. You can do this the day before if you have room in your fridge to store it overnight.
On Christmas morning, preheat the oven to 200C. Put a peeled onion in the turkey's cavity and put some stuffing in the neck end (optional but very tasty). When hot, put the turkey in the oven. Lift up one corner of the foil and pour in at least 1 litre of hot/boiling water into the tray under the turkey. This will keep the turkey moist while cooking, and the juices falling down from the cooking turkey will make the gravy (added to the giblet gravy described elsewhere). You do not need chicken stock or gravy granules!!! You may need to top up the water level during cooking.
After 30 minutes turn the temperature down to 180C.
Cook the turkey for 30 minutes per pound (0.5 kg) + 30 minutes. This will ensure that it is cooked to the point of falling off the bone, the foil and water keep it from getting too dry. Remove (and save) the foil 30 minutes before the end time to brown the skin.
Remove the turkey from the oven, check it is thoroughly cooked by sticking a skewer into the thickest part of the leg, the juices should run clear. Resting the turkey upside down lets the juices run back into the breast meat so it is not too dry.
Pour the juices from the roasting tin, and any which run off the turkey, into the pan containing the strained giblet gravy. You now have delicious gravy. You can thicken it with flour or cornflour if you like but it's not necessary.
As soon as you can be bothered after Christmas dinner (probably Boxing Day), remove any leftover turkey from the bones and store, covered, in the fridge. Boil up the bones and skin in your largest pan (a pressure cooker is ideal, pressured or not). Cover with water and simmer for a couple of hours. Strain, pick the meat off the bones if you can be bothered.
Add to the strained stock - 2-3 large potatoes, grated, 3-4 large carrots, grated, 1-2 onions, finely chopped, 3-4 sticks celery, destringed and finely sliced. Simmer for 30 mins. Add a large handful of Paxo Sage and Onion stuffing mix, and any leftover turkey you think won't get eaten otherwise, in small pieces, simmer for a further 15 mins. This will make a hearty Boxing Day meal for your guests, or several post-Christmas meals for yourself.

Teacher2

Peel potatoes and parsnips the day before. Then on Christmas day morning change the water a couple of times and then cover them (just) in cold water. They can go in the same saucepan if there's room. Put the timer on for 25 minutes and start heating them. Let them simmer for this time. When the time is up turn the gas/electricity off and put the baking tins on the warm hob to heat. Rinse the pots/parsnips and put them in separate heated roasting tins and let all the water steam off. Pour olive oil over the pots and the parsnips. Use gloves to put the pans in the oven as they will now be hot. There should be space round each vegetable or they will just steam into a heap instead of going crisp. They should cook in 50 minutes to an hour in a hot oven. If the parsnips look squashy instead of crispy, give them ten minutes or so on a baking tray with the oil from the pan poured over them and turn them.

Do a dry run before cooking for a gazillion people at Christmas!

lizbec

Sorry,I haven't had time to read the whole thread so apologies if this is repetition. Lots of great advice by the loons of things. I would just add that,for me,Christmas day has been a lot more relaxed since I stopped stressing about getting dinner ready for lunchtime. We now eat at around 3-4 pm, and I just serve snacks/ nibbles at around midday. I get them from somewhere like Iceland which is dead cheap, but nuts,crisps etc will do.

Essex-girl_2

melanzana wrote: »

That sounds like a plan! Did you put the mash in a dish or something in the SC? Did you need any liquid in SC? This could work for other cooked veg too I reckon!

Tks.

Sorry for delay in replying, no just mashed pots as normal then bunged in slow cooker - gave it a stir everynow and then

Georgie001

Some great ideas and everyone has their own style. I prefer to set a time, usually late afternoon and work backwards factoring in gravy and roasts etc. I cook two meats though (Turkey and Pork) so need to start early enough...I like to make gravy with the meat juices so don't normally do that until the day. It does help to list times for everything as I can end up sitting down to eat and then realise I've not cooked the pigs in blankets!

I use a steamer and depending on how thick/thin you chop carrots, they normally take 30 mins and things like broccoli, green beans etc only 10 - 15 mins. It's much easier than having lots of pans on the go.

I've done big bowls/serving plates on the table for people to serve themselves in the past but you do need lots of room and if they are hot it can be difficult to pass them up and down the table. Now I just plate up for everyone, clearing as you go along so there is room in the kitchen.

I agree with a previous post on the parsnips. Par boil and put in with about 30 mins to go. They don't need as long as roast potatoes.
We always have christmas pud and that's a simple microwave job. They also do nice brandy sauce now which you can just heat in a pan.

I Like to do all of the cooking (I find it less stressful with just me in the kitchen) but will get help with prepping veg and carving the meat.

I love Christmas Day, the best bit being everyone round a table for dinner, as others have said, keep it simple and enjoy the day. Everyone will love it.

Charlie-Otter

Some awesome tips here that I will use, but wanted to add a few of my own:-

Turkey - I found this too stressful and a decent sized one for so many people takes up too much room in the oven. We took a vote and decided a nice joint of beef from the butcher was far preferable and much easier to cook (with a thermometer to avoid over-cooking).

Pigs in Blankets - roll up in advance and tray-freeze. I also cook them on silicon parchment on a metal baking tray as find they don't need turning over then, and won't stick!

Parsnips - when I drain potatoes, I pour the water into parsnip pan, leave for 2-3 mins max (no heat) then pour the water back into the now empty pot pan (they are roasting in oven by now) to save for the other veg then ultimately the gravy. Any longer than this and they will go mushy when roasted. Cut the parsnips large enough they won't shrivel and burn. Only put them into roast with pots for the last 20-30mins or they overcook.

Roast Potatoes - agree with others on here about Delia's method to par-boiled, and par-roast in goose fat before then freezing. It works fantastically, and you can then just chuck them straight into a hot roasting tin on the day.

Boiled veg - we used to have an Aga with only two hobs so used one of those stacking steamer pan things to layer it all up.

Plates - defo hot gravy is a lifesaver, but also hot plates. Often no oven space...and who has a hostess trolley now?! Fill the sink with hot water, and sit the plates in it until ready to serve...then put one of those volunteers to work drying them off and handing them out. Save the sink of hot water to chuck the first batch of roasting tins/pans straight in to soak whilst you eat, thus making washing-up easier as well!

Table - in the past we have used a door as a larger table. Took off its hinges, removed handle, sat on an ant-slip mat from £1 shop on top of smaller table, then covered with a tablecloth. Would also recommend disposable tablecloth from £1 shop...can accessorise nicely, but when clearing can then go crazy and scrunch the whole lot up and bin! Not very MSE I know, but once a year I like to go crazy

Drinks - stick them outside in trug/bucket. If above 10C (unlikely) then may need a bit of cold water...or if freezing and snowy then need to keep them in shed/porch to stop them freezing!

Breakfast - tray of pastries / croissants from Costco in the freezer up to a month before. Cartons of juice and plenty tea/coffee. 2-3 varieties of jam/spreads and a loaf of bread. Stick the whole lot out on a table with plates and cutlery and leave them to get on with it! Could even go crazy and leave the cereal cupboard open and buy a selection of yogurts from Aldi!

Only other thing we struggle with lots of house guests is showers etc. If you don't have enough (or want to be doing laundry until New Year) then ask them all to bring towels. Adjust your boiler/immersion timings so you have tonnes of hot water for all the extra washing-up/showers/hand-washing. Buy lots of extra toilet roll...they seem to eat it in our house?!

Most importantly of all...get as much ready in advance, so you have time to relax and enjoy the fruits of your labour on the day!! Wrap your presents now; freeze what you can in advance; write lists of what you need to do when in the run-up to the big day (what veg to prep when, drinks to chill etc).

Good luck!! :beer:

startedsaving

Brilliant thread and some great tips. One thing that helps save washing up is to line baking trays with good quAlity baking parchment your food will still brown and crisp and washing up will be easy or not even needed. For Brussels sprouts peel the day before and keep in a bag in fridge. Early in the day when you have some time, cut sprouts in half and blanch for a minute or so in boiling water, then drain and put in very cold water to cool quickly. They will be almost cooked. When you are dishing the meal or at the last minute as you take dishes to table, put them in a wok or large frying pan with butter and chestnuts if you like. They will finish cooking as they heat up but won't overcook and no pans of boiling sprouts going mushy. I also peel and chop carrots and put in bag in fridge, this can be done couple of days ahead. Bread sauce, cranberry sauce, stuffing , bacon rolls all can be prepared and frozen or keep in fridge for a few days. Good luck hope all goes well.

VfM4meplse

Just a practical point to add - fridge space will be a premium, esp as you will be buying extra milk for 12 people, which is bulky. Catering for 12, you may find the fridge stuffed to the gills on Christmas Eve and empty by Boxing Day lunchtime!

So think ahead and think about what can be stained elsewhere. Veggies do well overnight in a cold car boot, for example. Trifle is easy and a Christmas favourite, but a great fridge space-waster - be warned! If it was me, dessert would be mice pies, fruit, and HM profiteroles from the freezer,. Easy peasy, freeze the pastry shells (they defrost fast) and fill with your favourite ice-cream then pour over a bar of melted chocolate.

You might want to cut back a bit - a cheeseboard for example is a nice to have, but takes up loads of space in the fridge. Is it necessary if everyone has had enough for lunch?

gloriouslyhappy

For starters, I get a large bag of washed and ready to serve salad leaves, a chunk of stilton, a bag of walnuts and a bottle of dressing, This is given to the youngest members with a pile of side plates and a chopping board, and they prepare the starter at the table with the adult guests sitting there while I'm in the kitchen resting the bird and putting the veg in the oven.

Put a small handful of leaves on each plate, pop a few small chunks of stilton - the rougher cut the better - on top, sprinkle on a few walnuts and drizzle over some dressing. That's it. You can substitute bits of ham or chunks of very ripe pear or tinned mandarin segments if you don't like stilton.

The children are very proud of doing this, when it's ready, I'm called through to pull crackers and get mine down before returning to the kitchen, and it gets the dinner off to a great start, plus it's not too filling as there's a lot to come.

Good luck with your first dinner - keep it (reasonably) simple and remember to have fun yourself!