Cooking on Christmas Day is not for the faint-hearted, especially if you’re entertaining a crowd. With so much preparation to do, different dietary requirements (and personal preferences) to consider, endless timings to coordinate, and the question of how you’re going to fit everything in the oven, cooking Christmas dinner is enough to send even the calmest of cooks into a panic. To help make the next few days as stress-free and enjoyable as possible, we have asked some of our favourite chefs, cooks and food writers to offer their last-minute words of wisdom. Whatever your particular concern might be, there is a good chance you will find a very helpful solution here.
Run out of fridge space?
‘The car sitting outside in the pouring rain or snow makes for the perfect extra cool room. Store root vegetables, hard cheeses and citrus fruits in there. This frees up space for the important items to remain in the fridge, such as meats or the bird, Champagne, soft fruits, fish, smoked salmon, cream, crème fraîche and yogurt.’ – Sally Clarke, chef patron at Clarke’s
Don’t know where to start with the prep?
‘Now is the time to get potatoes peeled and par-boiled ready to be roasted on Christmas Day, making a stock to be used for the gravy, and prep your veg. You can also get a pudding ready, like a rich chocolate mousse or something that can be served from the fridge, or a fruit pie or frangipane tart that can be prepped in the morning and baked once the roast is done. If you can, get the stuffing, cranberry sauce and bread sauce done in advance, too.’ – Tom Hill, co-owner and chef director of co-owner of Ducksoup, Little Duck, Emilia
‘Do as much as possible on Christmas Eve: peel the potatoes, prep the vegetables, and get your dessert ready – chocolate fondants are perfect, you can make them ahead and keep them in the fridge. Always make your Yorkshire pudding batter the day before, too, and have the gravy ready.’ – Sam Carter, chef and co-founder, and Alex Olivier, MD and co-founder, of Restaurant Twenty-Two and Margaret’s
‘In my opinion, the key to success, and also to enjoying the celebrations as a host, is to plan ahead. Do all your prep the day before, and ideally, most of your cooking will be passive cooking (via the oven).’ – Nico Einersen, head chef at Mareida
Baffled by turkey brine?
‘I have no inclination to fill an enormous tub to brine my turkey. However, a spiced dry brine is the work of minutes on Christmas Eve morning and needs no special equipment. Mix flaky salt with crushed spices – use about 1 tablespoon flaky salt per 1.5 kg of turkey, then add ½ teaspoon coarsely crushed festive spices per tablespoon of salt. Think cinnamon, star anise, allspice, black pepper, bay leaf, a single clove and the zest of an orange. Rub it generously over the bird and lightly inside the cavity, then leave it uncovered in the fridge overnight. Two things happen: the salt seasons and tenderises the meat, and the cold air gently dries the skin for beautiful bronzing in the oven. On Christmas Day, simply brush off the excess salt and spices from the surface and pat the skin dry. Smear over butter and roast. It delivers deep, fragrant flavour without any fuss.’ – Eleanor Ford, food writer
Want to keep costs (and prep time) down?
‘Streamline the sides: instead of carrots, parsnips, sprouts, and red cabbage, pick one or two and do them really well. For the main dish, turkey legs are a cheaper, low-prep alternative to a whole bird, and cooking them low and slow overnight makes for tender, flavourful meat that’ll feed a crowd without breaking the bank.’ – Connor Gadd, chef-owner of Trullo
‘To be perfectly honest, turkey is overrated. Chicken is underrated and is at least half the price.’ – Sam Carter and Alex Olivier
‘Just keep it simple and have a lovely seasonal green cooked with some garlic, bacon and hazelnuts, and some kind of root veg – maybe a celeriac gratin that you can make a day or two in advance. A classic root veg mash, with swede, carrots, celeriac, a little cream and mustard if you’re doing beef, is another excellent option. With these two veggie sides and your potatoes, stuffing, gravy, cranberry and bread sauce, it will be a plentiful spread that will please everyone. There’s no point spending hours making enough food for 20 people when only eight are coming for lunch.’ – Tom Hill
Anxious about cooking the turkey?
‘If your turkey is too large for your oven, or you’re short of time to cook it on the day, separate the legs from the body and cut out the backbone to create a crown of breast meat on the bone. Cook the joints laid flat in a roasting tray. The legs will need longer than the breast.’ – Sally Clarke
‘No kitchen should be without a meat thermometer. It makes cooking Christmas meat so much easier.’ – Sam Carter and Alex Olivier
Had a last-minute vegetarian or vegan request?
‘Even in winter, there are plenty of vegetables and salads to please any dietary request. Make sure you have one or two grains in the store cupboard, such as quinoa, red rice, black barley or spelt. Vegetables roasted with olive oil, herbs and garlic, sliced then tossed into a cooked grain, along with a squeeze of lemon, a scattering of fresh herbs and a bitter-leaf salad on the side, provides the necessary protein.’ – Sally Clarke
Forgotten about the pudding?
‘Fear not. Who needs vast amounts of sweet things after such a huge meal anyway? Simply serve a lovely selection of clementines, slices of blood orange, dates and a selection of nuts – all perfect for refreshing the palate, too.’ – Sally Clarke
‘By then, a nibble of chocolate often does the job. – Connor Gadd
‘For puddings, I usually ask someone else to bring one…but if you’re taking it on yourself, make it as easy as possible. You’re probably exhausted from the whole day, so make something ahead of time and pull it out of the fridge when everyone needs that sugar rush.’ – Rick Toogood, executive chef of Prawn on the Lawn and Barnaby’s
Need a helping hand?
‘Delegation is key for Christmas if you’re feeding lots of people. Allow someone to lay the table for you, get the kids writing name places, encourage helpers to hand round canapés and to check the fridge is well stocked with wine and, most importantly, deploy a dedicated washer upper. But the kitchen team should be small – you don’t want anyone getting under your feet!’ – Rosie Ramsden, food stylist and writer
Looking for a shortcut?
‘When it comes to cranberry sauce, frozen cranberries are a go-to – they’re convenient and cook up deliciously. For dessert, Bird’s custard is always a hit.’ – Connor Gadd
‘If you haven’t got many people helping you, you can do nice little table canapés with meats, crackers etc, then that can be your starter ready to go. You need to get all of your prep done first, so you’re not worried about your timings being perfect. We use frozen sprouts instead of fresh ones because I always think they’re sweeter, a bit like peas. Also, get blinis from Fortnum & Mason, don’t bother faffing around making them.’ – Roger Pizey, executive pastry chef at Fortnum & Mason
Time to take a break?
‘This Christmas Eve, warm up with my favourite recipe for spiced hot chocolate, a comforting blend that brings just the right heat for a winter evening. I combine rich cocoa, dark chocolate, and whole milk with a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, then add a tiny pinch of cayenne for an added kick. Sweetened to taste and topped with whipped cream or marshmallows, it’s an easy treat to make for the whole family, and the perfect way to spice up all festive gatherings.’ – Ramiro Lafuente Martinez, executive chef at The Connaught Grill
Already thinking ahead to Boxing Day?
‘My go-to Boxing Day breakfast is a fried egg sandwich with a bit of stuffing fried off in a pan or crisped up in the oven, on top of the egg with some HP sauce. I can’t remember where I first saw the idea, but I think it’s an upgrade on your classic Christmas turkey sandwich.’ – Chris Shaw, head chef at Toklas
‘If you’ve got guests on Boxing Day, make a stuffed leftover turkey paratha. Firstly, chop your turkey. Next, mix any leftover vegetables with some spices (red chilli powder, garam masala, turmeric, and cumin powder), plus a little green chilli for heat, and coriander for freshness. If you love cheese, add cheese! Combine everything, and stuff it into a wholewheat dough (made with wholewheat flour, salt, and water). Roll the dough out and cook both sides on a griddle. Spread some butter. When it’s lovely and crispy and golden, you’re ready to eat. You could also use the same mix to stuff into naan bread, or to make a deliciously Christmassy toastie.’ – Rishi Anand, head of R&D at Dishoom
‘Every year I always end up with a bit of leftover Christmas pudding that I don’t want to waste, and this has become my go-to way of making the most of it. Let a tub of shop-bought vanilla ice cream (any cheap one will do) soften slightly so it’s easy to work with, then crumble in your leftover Christmas pudding and gently fold it through so the pudding is evenly distributed but still in chunks. Once combined, spoon the mixture back into the ice cream tub and return it to the freezer to firm up. You’ll have a quick, festive dessert that’s perfect for using up leftovers.’ – Jan Ostle, co-founder and head chef at Wilsons
