Have Yourself a Merry Little Freeze-ahead Christmas 🎄
The tried and tested way I prepare Christmas dinner up to 6 weeks ahead! Also works perfectly for Thanksgiving.
It’s my favourite post of the year. It’s become a bit of an annual tradition with so many of you looking forward to it, so thank you for that. I’ve re-written the whole thing and added a starter, some deserts and nibbles too. Literally everything apart from the Turkey can be done in advance and then frozen, but there’s a very specific way to do it. This is one you don’t want to miss! ❄️
I absolutely love Christmas, but with a busy work schedule and a mountain of jobs to get done before the big day, who doesn’t need a helping hand to make things that little bit easier? Cooking Christmas dinner/Thanksgiving dinner for more people than you are used to can be stressful. There’s nothing worse than everyone else having a jolly old festive time in the living room, slowly getting drunk on egg nog, whilst you’re stressed out beyond belief in the kitchen, hotter than the devil’s ring piece and wanting to throw the damn turkey out the window.
At least 15 years ago I attended a cookery demonstration day by a good friend and neighbour of mine and now one of my paid subscribers,
- a kinder, more fun-loving woman you could never hope to meet. What she doesn’t know about cooking isn’t worth knowing. What I learned on that magical day changed the way I prepared Christmas dinner forever and I have never looked back.It was all about preparing and freezing as much as you possibly can before the big day, for me it’s usually about six weeks in advance. Since then, my new rule in the kitchen on Christmas Day is that there’ll be almost no peeling, boiling or chopping. In fact, anything that brings on a sweat is out of bounds. I know, it sounds strange doesn’t it, but I promise it can be done!
Here is my version of what I was taught, changed slightly here and there to suit my style. I hope it helps you have a stress-free Christmas Day too.
These are the things I will prepare and freeze ahead:
Roast potatoes
Creamy mashed potatoes
Roast parsnips
Pigs in blankets (that’s sausages wrapped in bacon for you American folk, not sausage rolls)
Stuffing balls
Cauliflower cheese
Cranberry sauce
Bread sauce (This one is delicious!)
Gravy
Easy freeze-ahead light dessert – lemon curd and meringue parfait.
Fig Ice cream (Oh my days!)
Mince pies
Mackerel pate
The other veg is all prepared the night before and there are ideas for how to prepare and serve here too.
🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲
To read the rest of this post and save yourself from Christmas Day carnage or wanting to murder the in-laws, become a paid subscriber. There’s a festive 20% off an annual subscription right now, taking it down to only £3.46 a month. Treat yourself! My gift guides, decor, games and canapé guide plus so many other gorgeous things are all coming up soon. You get a lot of bang for your buck and who doesn’t love a good bang?