Christmas tips

dinnerdessertlunch
Written By Kelly Hooper

I cannot believe Christmas is so close. From the moment we were officially in December I began the countdown to my favourite part of the year.  I love Christmas and start planning what we will be eating from the moment I book my Ocado Christmas slot at the end of October.  

I know for most of us Christmas won’t be the same as usual but we will still have a wonderful time, even if it is smaller and slightly different.

At the bottom are some of my favourite recipes.  Unfortunately there are few pictures because when I switched over my phone in June my old phone did not back up all my pictures properly and then it promptly died and so I lost over 6,000 pictures.  I do hope however it doesn’t put you off totally and you give some a try.

A few things to remember:

Everybody must eat 1 sprout - it is the Christmas rule.

Don’t let others dictate what you should or should not have at Christmas (the rule above is an exception to this).  For instance, for my brother no Christmas meal is complete without Yorkshire puddings and I hate turkey, preferring to go for a large cockerel (essentially a large chicken similar in size to turkey) or beautiful piece of beef.

All Christmas cooking should take place with a small drink in hand and your Christmas music in the background.

The most important one.  Enjoy it, no meal goes 100% perfectly, Christmas is about being with the people you love the most not being stressed. I may know if something is not perfect but not everybody does.

You should cook your meat from room temperature and so should take it out of the fridge an hour before you plan to cook.

Before you start to cook double check it will fit into your oven.  If it won’t be best thing to do is take off the legs and wings and cook the crown as one part and the legs another.

If you plan to stuff your meat then do this just before you put it into the oven.

Baste your meat every 30 mins.

Rest your meat after cooking so that the juices can redistribute and won’t just come out all over your board when you cut it.  Allow roughly 30 mins resting time although up to an hour will be perfectly fine without ruining the Turkey - just cover with foil.

If you are making a seitan vegan alternative, this can be made the day before and finished off by being roasted in the gravy on the day.

Don’t overcook your sprouts, nobody will thank you and cooked well they are so delicious…

If oven space is tight just cook your vegetables when the meat comes out of the oven.

Don’t forget to check the oven is clear before you sit down to eat - how many times has stuffing been left in the oven and only discovered some time after - and the cranberry sauce, horseradish etc, (another thing that often gets left behind).

Some elements can be made ahead of time - either the day before and kept fresh or even frozen (for instance yorkies freeze perfectly).

Warm your plates, it will keep your meal warmer longer.  To do this, you can either warm in the microwave for 2 mins with a glass of water on the top of the plates (never run your microwave empty), put into the oven for 10 mins or, put into a large bowl of very hot water for 5 mins.

I am a list person, I love a good list and like to be organised.  I’ve always got a list on the go for something be it the weekly food plan or things that need doing.  It helps me stay organised and makes me feel calm.  Christmas is no exception and my Christmas list is always huge and contains gifts to buy, decorations that are needed, any other things that need to be bought, things that need to be done around the house, how we are to decorate and with what, the food and drink list and as well as what we will be eating over the whole period.  The most important part of that list is a long, detailed plan for the cooking on the day Itself.  Is there any better feeling than working down a list and crossing things off? 

The key to cooking the Christmas meal successfully really does come down to a good list.  A REALLY good list.  The way to go about your Christmas Day timeline is this:

Get yourself a pad and pen (ok, ok or an electronic equivalent), pour yourself a large drink and set aside some time.  Write down what you will be eating in its entirety from breakfast, nibbles, starter (if you do one), main, dessert and all the way to cheese and your evening oh I am hungry let’s just have a little something.  

Start with the time you want to sit and eat your Christmas meal.  Allow 30 mins to eat your starter and a further 10-15 minutes before you serve your main.  For the main meal allow an hour which is longer than usual but, the thing about Christmas is there are so many elements that make it a special meal rather than a standard roast dinner, so you tend to eat more than usual and nibble for longer.  After your main course you will probably be quite full and will most likely want a break before you eat dessert, so this is usually a good point to clear the table, load the dishwasher, tidy the kitchen, play some board games and then an hour or so later do dessert.  Then a little later after some more board games you will have room for cheese.  You know how it goes.

 

Your list should start like this:

2:00pm - eat starter

2:45pm - eat main

5:00pm - eat dessert

Then working backwards start to fill in what needs to be done when; starting with your starter and working through.  Let’s say for instance you are doing a cheese soufflé, you will need 10 mins to plate, 20 mins in the oven for the double bake, 10 mins to make the salad,  20 mins for the first cook, 15 mins to make/prep the batter, not forgetting that your Prosecco will need to be chilled.

So, for example:

10:00 make the soufflé 

10:15 bake the soufflé and put the Prosecco in the fridge

10:35 remove soufflés from the oven and the bain Marie and leave to cool slightly

10:45 remove the soufflés from the ramekins, pour over the cream, top with cheese and cover

1:30 soufflés in the oven

1:40 make the pear salad and crisp the pancetta

1:50 plate starter

2:00 eat starter

2:45 eat main

5:00 eat dessert

Then add each component for your main, Turkey, potatoes, stuffing, brussels etc.  And then your dessert.

Once you break it down into a list you will see just how doable everything is and you will feel totally in control. As you complete each step, cross it off, not only does it keep you on track but it feels GREAT to be knocking things off. Should your times slip for whatever reason then you can easily adjust, just change your times on your list to keep you on track.

 

What will you be having? Don’t forget if you try any of these, tag me and let me know how it went.

Kelly Hooper
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