Are you hosting Christmas this year? Whether it’s your first time or your 20th, the thought of cooking the meal on the Big Day itself can feel daunting. We’ve gathered stories from the Good Food team who’ve been there, done that, bought the unnecessary ham… Learn from their mistakes and follow their top tips to make sure you have a seamless festive season this year. Happy Christmas!
“You don’t need another ham, or another chicken”
“I hosted my boyfriend’s family for Christmas in our flat last year. I was very keen to impress and wanted to make sure they were sufficiently stuffed. The 23rd December arrived and I was merrily opening my shopping delivery to unpack our Christmas ingredients. Spotting our chicken and ham, I dived into the bags, grasping them with my hands, and promptly descended into a blind panic that they weren’t big enough to feed the group.
This cued a sprint to the local butcher, paying through the nose for another ham and another chicken, then lugging them back to the flat. Just to be safe, I ended up cooking both hams and chickens. Safe to say, we had more than enough meat (it was like a Henry VIII feast) and then we were left with an incredible amount of leftovers. Moral of the story, don’t be like me, the chicken is big enough.”
Check out all our best Christmas ham recipes or Christmas chicken recipes, to find the perfect one to suit your Christmas gathering.
“Make sure the cook gets to eat too”
“I was cooking for my whole family – 15 people in total – one Christmas and I was doing it pretty much on my own: turkey and beef, two gravies, all the trimmings etc. My aunt supplied the pigs in blankets and for some reason she bought loads, so there were about 60. More than enough for us all, or so you’d think… I called everyone to the table and told the family to start loading up their plates. When I eventually sat down once everything was ready, I started serving myself. I asked for the pigs in blankets only to be passed the dish – where there were only two left. I was fuming and took the dogs for a very angry post-lunch walk.
This year I’m cooking for them again, so I’ll be making sure to plate myself up a serving first. If you’re cooking, don’t let yourself go hungry!”
“Take it slow on the Christmas fizz”
“Having cooked more than 50 Christmas lunches, I’ve made every comedic mistake possible – short of wearing the raw turkey like a mask à la Friends. I’ve roasted birds with the giblet bag still inside, dropped entire trays, set tea towels flaming like festive torches and completely forgotten about the bits I proudly prepped and froze weeks earlier. And if there’s one thread running through all these mishaps, it’s that they all happened because I was just a bit too full of festive cheer.
I know this advice risks sounding a little bah humbug – especially when half the country is already on the fizz by breakfast – but the moment I have a drink, no matter how good the Christmas playlist sounds, my organisation goes out of the window. Timers? Ignored. Lists? Misplaced. Oven? Anyone’s guess.
So now I save my first drink of the day for when dinner is actually on the table, every box is ticked and the kitchen no longer resembles the aftermath of a visit from a poltergeist. And honestly, that celebratory glass tastes better than it ever did.”
“Don’t cook for hours: separate your turkey”
“I learnt a very important turkey lesson one year. During a holiday celebration at home in the US when I was feeding 13 people, the turkey had already been cooking for hours, but was still raw near the bone. I took everything off the bone, carved into sections, returned to the oven for a bit longer and suddenly it was ready in a flash! Saved the day. Plus, it makes it so much easier to carve/serve at the end.
Moral of the story: if you’re cooking a very large turkey because you’re feeding a lot of people, separate it into parts before cooking. It doesn’t look as impressive, sure, but everything will cook more efficiently and evenly.”
Try our recipe for brined roast turkey crown with confit legs if it’s your first time separating out a turkey for cooking.
“Don’t forget the chairs!”
“I hosted nine of us a few years ago. It may not be groundbreaking, but my advice is to prep as much as possible in the days before – down to par-boiling the roasties and veg and having them on a tray ready to go. It makes the morning so much easier plus means you don’t have to get up as early. Also, be cheeky and ask guests to bring nibbles/dessert to save a job. And don’t forget about having enough chairs! We had armchairs and side tables tagged on to our main table just to fit everyone.”
“Cook the Christmas pudding in the garage”
“After many years of cooking Christmas dinner, I’ve racked up the lessons. Here’s my top four that help me avoid any more disasters:
- Steer clear of formal starters. A few nibbles passed round on a plate saves on washing up and takes up less counter space. Plus people don’t want to fill up too much before the main event!
- One thing I do every year is stick a sticky note on each plate or bowl with which dish I’ll serve in it the night before. Saves scrambling around for dishes on the day!
- Give everyone a job – my kids like making place holders and my sister helps them dress the table, mum’s usually on gravy duty, my husband is on drinks, dad carves the meat and everyone helps clear the table.
- Oven and hob space is always hard to come by, so reheat as many things as possible in the microwave or slow cooker. This is how I always reheat the Christmas pud (usually plugged in in a spare room or the garage!).” Try our slow cooker Christmas pudding recipe.
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