Preparing Xmas dinner

I'll be cooking Christmas dinner for 8 people for the first time ever. What's the best way to prepare for this in advance? I want to make honey glazed Carrots and Parsnips, bacon fried sprouts, Cauliflower and broccoli cheese, red cabbage, roasties and obviously meat and gravy. I want to prepare as much of it in advance as possible to minimise stress on the day (ill have a 6 month old by then). Any tips?

Show your support

Pre chop all your veg the day before, store in different boxes. Make your glaze the day before, just put covered in the fridge, write down all your timings so you know when to put everything in/take out down to a 🥹

I do the same prep whether I’m cooking for me and my husband or my whole family (8 of us). Prep all of your veg the night before or in the morning and store in containers. You can make your cauliflower and broccoli cheese the day before and then just bake on the day (give it an extra 15 mins in the oven as it’ll obvs be cold). Remember you can keep cooked items in the oven whilst it’s off as it’ll remain warm. So have everything done and whilst your meat rests, pop your carrots and parsnips back in to stay warm, same with your roasties. Your sprouts will reheat nicely in the frying pan as well! Plus remember hot gravy will heat everything up once it’s poured on! Good luck 🥰

Pre chop all the veg and put them in the pans you will use and put them in water and put cling film and lid on them. Then on the day just replace the water and off you go. Make the glaze the day before and cover it in the fridge then prepare the meat the day before if you are stuffing it and cover it up and in the fridge then take it out an hour before cooking so it's at room temperature. Write down all timings then you are good to go .good luck xx

Find as many freezable recipes as you can. There are some for roasties, parsnips, Cauliflower cheese (just sub some Cauliflower for broccoli, it'll make no difference) and Prep meat the day before as much as possible to basically turn the day of into a put it in the oven and maybe flip it over job 😅

If you're planning to do brasied red Cabbage you can make this a few day/ week before and freeze it, then just get it out freezer Xmas eve and defrost overnight x

As well as good prep you will find that on the day people muck in and help. Last year I cooked for the first time and had a 1 week old and an almost 2 year old and it went really well. I also used disposable trays to avoid too much washing up on Christmas day xx