It’s all here… everything you need to know for pulling off Christmas Dinner without any mishaps or miscalculations! If the prospect of cooking the biggest meal of the year for guests is getting a little bit daunting, fear not my friends.
This year I’ve got your back with this Ultimate Christmas Day Meal Plan. No time for stress, just a massive bird, lots of preparation and a merry old time. We’ve got this!
What this Christmas Day plan includes:
⭐️ What extra equipment you’ll need
⭐️ A shopping list
⭐️ A master timing plan
⭐️ Tips for getting ahead
⭐️ A printable menu for the big day
🎄 CHRISTMAS DAY MENU 🎄
What’s the one thing we need to take out of Christmas Day cooking? STRESS! There is no place for panic at Christmas, and that is what this plan is all about making sure of.
I wanted to make a one-stop-shop for how to make it as smooth as possible so you get to enjoy yourself, as well as feed hungry mouths. NO STRESS is the aim here, and to achieve that it’s all about the early prep so you’re not under pressure on the day.
All of the recipes have been tried-and-tested again and again, and designed with convenience, cost and crowd-pleasing in mind.
I have worked very meticulously on timings (check out the Master Timing Plan!) and have taken into account hob space and oven shelf space at any one time.
In fact, you could say that I even did a spreadsheet to calculate this…!
Pre-order my brand new book “What’s for Dinner?” and get it in your kitchen on the day it is released!
📚 AMAZON 🇬🇧
STARTERS
You could make all, or one or two of these, depending on what you fancy, budget and how many people you are serving.
They are all really simple but look impressive!
Prawn Cocktail Canapés
Christmas Canapés {Brie and Cranberry Bites}
Smoked Salmon Canapés
MAIN COURSE
All of the classics here, but made ridiculously easy, ready for your Christmas feast!
No Fuss Roast Turkey {with Easy Herb Butter}
Easy Roast Potatoes
Honey Roasted Carrots and Parsnips
Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
Braised Red Cabbage {with Apple}
Easy Cauliflower Cheese
The Best Stuffing Recipe – with Sausages and Apricots
Slow Cooker Gravy {Make Ahead}
DESSERTS
Don’t forget to leave room for afters to finish off the meal nicely!
Christmas Wreath Pavlova
Baileys Cheesecake {No Bake}
Slow Cooker Chocolate Orange Pudding
⭐️ DOWNLOAD AND PRINT ⭐️
THE CHRISTMAS DAY MENU
AND TIME PLAN
MASTER TIMING PLAN
So, I’ve worked out my timing plan based on never having more than 3 shelves used in a single oven at one time. You can download it in full here.
(If you only have 2 shelves, you can usually sit a grill pan type rack on the bottom of the oven to makeshift another shelf. Check the safety instructions for your oven though first!)
I thought I would show you my spreadsheet I used just to visually explain the timings:
The timings are detailed in the printable menu and time plan but this may be useful for you to visualise!
Shopping lists!
To try and make your life easier for Christmas lunch, we’ve come up with 3 shopping lists.
These have different sections which hopefully are self explanatory (look at both pages in the document!) Including items to buy for early prep and optional starter/pudding items.
⭐️ Shopping List for 4 people ⭐️
Things to buy to make your day easier!
- Disposable tins – These ones from Amazon are ideal
- Meat thermometer – This is my favourite to use. Not the cheapest but always accurate
- Large tin foil roll – You can usually get this in all the supermarkets around Christmas
- Mandoline – I use this one for slicing
⭐️ TIPS FOR GETTING AHEAD ⭐️
PREP
Obviously prep prep prep ahead! This is your key to success here.
DEFROST IN TIME
Allow plenty of time for defrosting anything that’s frozen.
LOCATE KITCHENWARE
I like to get all of the serving dishes, plates, cutlery, glasses, candles, crackers out the night before (ideally I’d lay the table but we need to eat breakfast!) So I just stack them in the kitchen ready to go the next day. No hunting around on Christmas morning for a serving spoon.
DO WHAT YOU CAN
Many budgets are tight this year. Do not feel that you need to have a 20 course meal for everyone to have a good time. (Frankly, I’d be happy with a huge bowl of those roast potatoes – who’s with me?!)
FOOD DELIVERY
Book a supermarket delivery or click and collect order if you can. (Aldi Click and Collect I love you.) If you can buy some tin foil containers in advance, I really do think this is one occasion when they are worth it. What joy to limit the washing up on Christmas Day!
ENJOY YOURSELF!
And honestly, if all else fails and you can’t face any of the above – just buy ready made what you need to. No-one will notice and you need to have a good day too!
HAVE PLENTY OF LEFTOVER TURKEY?
Time to make my Leftover Turkey Curry! (After you’ve had a nap).
Let me know how you got on and what you thought of this plan in the comments below.
Also I’d LOVE to see your Christmas cooking creations. If you’d like to share yours with me, you can tag me on Instagram (@tamingtwins).
And… HAPPY CHRISTMAS! Remember everyone is there to be together, not for the food. I hope this plan eases the stress so you can relax and enjoy the day❤️
Pre-order my brand new book “What’s for Dinner?” and get it in your kitchen on the day it is released!
📚 AMAZON 🇬🇧
The post The ULTIMATE No Stress Christmas Day Plan 2022 appeared first on Taming Twins.