Christmas dinner food to prepare in advance so the big day’s less stressful

Kate Ng
·Trending Lifestyle Reporter
·7-min read
A traditional Christmas dinner.
In charge of Christmas dinner? Don't sweat it, our handy guide to getting ahead will keep you organised. (Getty Images)

We’re all teams go now that Christmas is less than a week away. Presents? Check. Christmas cards? Check. Christmas dinner, though, is a whole other story.

For those in charge of the big day’s feasting, the importance of being organised cannot be overstated. However, that doesn’t mean you should have to get up at the crack of dawn to start peeling, shopping, roasting and cooking in time for the big meal.

There are a few things you can start preparing now to save yourself time and stress on Christmas Day. But before you go on a prepping blitz, make sure you have plenty of space in your freezer - you’ll need it!

Here is our ultimate guide to getting ahead of Christmas dinner and giving yourself plenty of time to enjoy the day with your loved ones.

Woman holding jog and pouring gravy onto traditional Christmas dinner, roast meat and vegetables on plate, sauce, preparation, temptation, healthy eating
Gravy is a Christmas dinner essential. (Getty Images)

The all-important gravy and cranberry sauce are must-haves on the dinner table, and are also really easy to get out of the way sooner rather than later. You can make them way ahead of time and freeze them, ready to be heated up when needed.

Jamie Oliver provides meat-based, vegetarian and vegan gravy options that can all be made well in advance of Christmas Day and kept in the freezer. He recommends putting it in the fridge to defrost up to two days before it’s needed.

Cranberry sauce also keeps really well once it’s made. Good Food has a three-ingredient recipe that can be kept in the fridge for up to a week, while Delicious recommends freezing their cranberry sauce in a sealed container and defrosting it fully before warming through to serve.

Freshly baked Yorkshire Puddings to join a roast dinner. A classical and traditional use for main course lunch or dinner serving. Derived from English Cuisine
There are two ways you can prepare Yorkshire puddings ahead of time. (Getty Images)

Yorkshire puddings are a firm favourite with a big roast. You can easily make the batter now and freeze it, but make sure you defrost it in the fridge on Christmas Eve so it’s ready to be cooked the next day.

If you want to take it a step further and cook the Yorkshire puddings now, you can do that too - provided you have enough room in your freezer. Mary Berry advises that cooked Yorkshire puddings can be frozen and cooked from frozen in a hot oven in 10 minutes.

A pan of roast potatoes and rosemary, being scooped by a spoon
Roast potatoes can be prepped and frozen, ready to be tipped into hot oil to cook. (Getty Images)

A roast without roast potatoes would simply be a tragedy. However, potatoes can take up a lot of time to cook from scratch and take up precious space on the hob while they’re boiling.

Instead, Good Food editor Cassie Best recommends par-cooking and preparing the precious spuds so you can freeze them ahead of time. She swears by boiling the potatoes for 10 minutes before draining and leaving to steam-dry, then tossing them in salt, pepper and duck fat or vegetable oil.

The potatoes can then be frozen in a single layer on the baking tray. On Christmas Day, all you’ll have to do is tip the frozen spuds into hot oil on a roasting tray and cook until golden and crisp, she says.

Homemade Bacon Pigs in a Blanket Served as an Appetizer
Fans of pigs in blankets will be pleased to know they can easily be made ahead of time. (Getty Images)

Pigs in blankets are another Christmas dinner staple that can easily be cooked from frozen. Make or buy them now, pop them in the freezer and roast them up whenever someone needs an emergency pig in a blanket.

In an oven, frozen pigs in blankets typically need to be cooked for 25 to 35 minutes. But if you have an air fryer, you can save even more time as they’ll require just 12 to 13 minutes at 180C.

If a nut roast is on your Christmas dinner menu, now is a great time to make it and freeze it so that it’s ready for the big day. We love the sound of this nut roast by The Hairy Bikers.

Nut roasts are a delicious and filling alternative to meat, so it’s no surprise that they’re a big hit among vegetarians and vegans. Just make sure any cooked nut roast is cooled completely before you put it in the freezer. A top tip is to slice the nut roast once it’s defrosted and then reheat, as this makes it easier to serve and will ensure it’s warmed all the way through.

Watch: The impact of Christmas dinner on your gut

If you’ve still got space in your freezer, great! Now’s the time to make your stuffing. Mary Berry recommends cooking her traditional sausage meat stuffing balls ahead of time and freezing them, then reheating as many as you need.

You can also make vegetarian or vegan stuffing and freeze it, as recommended by Riverford. Their plant-based stuffing, which is classic sage and onion, can be frozen before the final bake and must be defrosted completely before cooking in the oven for the final 25 minutes.

Homemade freshness Roasted parsnips with Golden Syrup Caramel Sauce for Vegan Christmas side dish
Root vegetables like parnips can be seasoned well before cooking. (Getty Images)

Root vegetables like parsnips and carrots are popular with a Christmas roast dinner. Delia Smith is a fan of preparing them well ahead of time and suggests peeling and chopping a mixture of root vegetables - she uses swede, turnip, red onions, potatoes, carrots and parsnips - before tossing them in a mixture of crushed garlic, olive oil and chopped mixed fresh herbs.

She says the prepared vegetables can then be covered in clingfilm or stored in a sealed plastic bag for two to three days, ready to be roasted when you are.

Whether you’re a fan of cheesy leeks, broccoli or cauliflower, or you’re going all out with a cheesy gratin, you can start making these dishes today and keep them in the fridge until you’re ready to cook them.

Jamie Oliver combines cauliflower and broccoli in his recipe, while Good Food suggests levelling up your Brussels sprouts by putting them in a cheesy sprout gratin. Any of these dishes can be cooked on the day in the oven until golden brown and bubbling.

Bread sauce is a rather special condiment and is usually only seen around Christmas time. It can be made up to two days ahead and kept in the fridge, says Nigella Lawson, who recommends melting butter and spooning it over the sauce to prevent a skin from forming while it's chilling.

If turkey is your piece de resistance on Christmas Day, you'll be glad to have prepped it the day before! (Getty Images)
If turkey is your piece de resistance on Christmas Day, you'll be glad to have prepped it the day before! (Getty Images)

Having turkey for Christmas is customary, but this impressive bird does require some preparation to make it truly moist and delicious. Jamie Oliver strongly recommends preparing it the day before Christmas, which includes removing the bag of giblets, placing the stuffing in the cavity, spreading butter all over the bird, and seasoning it.

The prepared turkey can be left in the fridge or another cold place until it’s time to cook it - but it’s very important to let the bird come up to room temperature after being in the fridge before popping it in the oven.

Oliver says doing so will give you "more reliable cooking times, as well as juicier, more tender meat".

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