Do you spend hours in the kitchen making Christmas dinner while everyone else lounges around watching Christmas movies? When it goes right, Christmas dinner is one of the best meals of the year — but it can be genuinely stressful for whoever is preparing it. We’ve put together our top tips to save time on Christmas dinner so you can enjoy spending time with the family and have a tasty Christmas dinner too.
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Are you so busy peeling and cooking vegetables, making gravy, checking on the meat, whipping cream and setting the table that by the time dinner is served you’re too shattered to enjoy it? These Christmas dinner time-saving tips will help you prepare for a fun family day that you can enjoy just as much as everyone else.
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Tips to Save Time on Christmas Dinner
#1. Be Prepared
Cook what you can in advance. From soups and sides to sauces and desserts, get as much done as possible in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Many dishes can be frozen (think soups, cranberry sauce, red cabbage, mince pies), while others can be made and prepared in the final few days.
You can peel and prepare your vegetables the night before, ready to be cooked the following day. Just store them in a large saucepan of cold salted water.
You could also set the table the night before. Get the kids involved — they’ll enjoy putting out crackers, designing place cards and making the table look festive for the big day.
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#2. Fill the Freezer
Everything from gravy to bread sauce, stuffing to mince pies can be made well in advance and frozen. Just remember to take everything out the night before and heat it to the correct temperature on the day.
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#3. Order In
There are lots of great pre-prepared options available from supermarkets, restaurants and local suppliers that will save you both preparation and cooking time. Even a few ready-made sides or desserts will take the pressure off, but you could go all out and get your full dinner delivered for the ultimate time-saver.
Most importantly, don’t leave the food shopping (or ordering) to the last minute. Apart from the queues, you may find yourself fighting for the last turkey, net of sprouts or tub of cream. Buy what you can in advance and have it delivered or ready to collect in-store.
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#4. Get Up Early
Any house with kids won’t need to worry about setting an alarm, but for those with teens and adults, get up early if you’re cooking a big turkey or joint that needs a long time in the oven, and get it on.
This has the added benefit of giving you time to rest the meat and frees up your oven for those crispy roast potatoes we all love so much. Crowding your oven slows down cooking, so this will also ensure you have enough space for everything to cook well.
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#5. Plan Your Menu
The pressure may be on to impress your guests (or the in-laws…), but honestly, serving ten types of veg or six different sauces will only end in disaster.
One of our most helpful tips to save time on Christmas dinner is to plan your menu realistically and only attempt what you’re comfortable with — two or three side dishes done well will impress far more than ten charred, mushy or cold offerings.
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#6. Ask for Help
If it’s your year to host everyone for Christmas dinner, you’ll be dealing with the prep, cooking and clean-up, but also the extra cost. Ask your guests to bring something with them — play to their strengths and choose something they can deliver well (or buy easily) — and dinner will be on the table in no time.
#7. Serving Up
Warm the plates in advance and, if you have family over, get a member from each household to help with the serving up. That way you aren’t shouting over everyone to find out who wants which veg, which bit of the turkey, or gravy or sauce.
As an alternative, serve veg in individual dishes, carve the meat, put sauces in jugs and place everything on the table so everyone serves themselves and gets exactly what they want. This tends to mean less waste too.
#8. Spread the Meal Throughout the Day
Do you leave the table barely able to move? Many families now spread the meal out over the day — starting with soup, then a break, before returning for a fish course or main course, followed by another break before cheese and dessert.
Everyone has time to digest between courses, kids aren’t bored sitting at the table waiting for adults to finish, and everyone is more relaxed. Some families even get out for a walk between courses to build their appetite back up.
#9. Washing Up
Assign this job to whoever hasn’t helped with the preparations. Washing as you go also frees up space in the dishwasher or on the draining board, giving you plenty of room to serve up.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What can I make ahead for Christmas dinner?
Soups, sauces (like cranberry sauce or bread sauce), stuffing, red cabbage and desserts such as mince pies all freeze well and can be made weeks in advance. Vegetables can be peeled and stored in cold salted water the night before cooking.
How do I stop my oven getting crowded on Christmas Day?
Get your turkey or large joint in early so it has time to cook and rest, freeing up oven space later for roast potatoes and other sides. Cooking a few dishes in advance and reheating them also reduces the pressure on oven space.
How can I get help with Christmas dinner if I’m hosting?
Ask guests to bring a dish that suits their strengths — a dessert, a side, or drinks — so the cooking and cost aren’t all on you. Sharing out serving and washing-up duties on the day helps too.
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Looking for more ways to make the day easier? Browse our full collection of family-friendly Christmas recipes and ideas for more inspiration, or save this page so you have these tips handy again next year.
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