Foolproof Christmas Dinner Cooking Schedule

Here’s absolutely everything that you’ll need to make cooking Christmas dinner as easy & as stress free as possible! This includes a full menu, shopping list, detailed prep list & a foolproof cooking schedule.

I’ve worked a fair few Christmas seasons in a busy restaurant so I like to think that I know a thing or two about planning, prepping, cooking & serving a homemade Christmas dinner. Now although you probably won’t be serving over 100 people on Christmas Day but the principles & execution are exactly the same at home, as they are in a restaurant.

What I’m trying to say, is that when it comes to Christmas Dinner, it’s all about the prep, planning & timings! Essentially, you’ll want to get as much stuff made/prepared on the days leading up to Christmas then when it comes to the big day, all you need to worry about is cooking the turkey, roasting some veg & opening presents!

In this Christmas Day cooking masterplan is a full menu which includes what I would consider to be the best Christmas dinner you can make at home. As well as a detailed shopping list, an itemised prep list, some handy tips & tricks and of course, a foolproof timing schedule. There’s some ideas for using up Christmas dinner leftovers thrown in as well!

Tips & Tricks For A Stress Free Christmas Dinner

• Make Room In Your Fridge – Make sure to clear out plenty of space in your fridge to store all of that festive meat & veg!
• Order Meat & Veg Early – The last thing you want to be doing on the days before Christmas is trying to find somewhere buy all of your meat & veg from. Most butchers will let you pre order your meat several weeks in advance & you can book supermarket deliveries ahead of time as well.
• Prep Ahead Of Time – The key to having an easy, stress free Christmas Day is to get as much prep done in the days leading up to it as possible. This includes prepping your veg, making the gravy & any starters & desserts.
• Choose Your Menu Wisely – Try to plan your menu around how much oven & stove space you have, as well as how much free time that you’ll have to prep & cook everything.
• Don’t Go Crazy With The Number Of Dishes – You don’t need to go crazy with the number of dishes that you serve on Christmas Day. A few well made side dishes & a centre piece joint of meat are all you need!
• Locate Equipment & Serving Dishes/Plates – Make sure to locate all of the equipment & serving dishes that you’ll need before Christmas Day.
• Give Yourself Plenty Of Time – Don’t tell your guests that lunch will be earlier than necessary. It’s best to take your time & make a really good meal without rushing around!

Shopping For Ingredients

Supermarkets are extremely busy on the days leading up to Christmas, so where possible you’ll want to get all of your ingredients bought by the 22nd (or the 23rd at the latest!). If you’ve never been in a supermarket on Christmas Eve, it’s a bit of a nightmare! If you’re buying your turkey & other meats from your butcher, you’ll have needed to pre order this several weeks before Christmas day.

Here I’ve given an outline for everything that you’ll need for Christmas Day. Obviously not everyone cooks the same dishes for their Christmas dinner but this shopping list should provide a good starting point. I’ve included the ingredients that you’ll need, as well as consumables like tin foil & clingfilm and the equipment that I use when making my Christmas dinner.

Ingredients

• Meat (The Centrepiece) – Make sure to preorder your meat! I’d recommend buying it from your local butcher. If possible, I’d arrange to collect your turkey (or other meat) as close to Christmas day as possible, so that it’s not taking up space in your fridge. I tend to pick my meat up on the 23rd. Make sure to go early otherwise you’ll end up queuing! If you’re making your gravy, you’ll need to get some bones from your butcher as well.
• Pigs In Blankets – You have 2 options with pigs in blankets. Either you can buy them pre made or buy sausages & streaky bacon separately and make them yourself.
• Vegetables – This covers all of your vegetable side dishes. We’re talking potatoes for roasting, Brussel sprouts, root vegetables, onions for stuffing, carrots, red cabbage, cauliflower, etc. Don’t forget fresh herbs & garlic for your roast potatoes & if you’re making homemade gravy, you’ll need extra onions, carrots & celery.
• Cranberries – You’ll need this if you’re making homemade cranberry sauce. Either fresh or frozen cranberries will work!
• Milk – Make sure to have plenty of milk in your fridge. You’ll need this for side dishes, Yorkshire puddings & for teas and coffees.
• Butter – I use butter for pretty much every side dish, so I’d recommend having plenty in your fridge.
• Eggs – You’ll need eggs for Yorkshire puddings & the stuffing, plus if you’re using them for desserts.
• Stock Cubes – Used for homemade gravy. I’d recommend using a mix of chicken & beef stock cubes/pots. I tend to use Knorr stock pots.
• Gravy Granules – I use gravy granules for thickening homemade gravy! Or you can use something like Bisto to make gravy if you’re not making your own.
• Salt & Pepper – There’s a lot of food to season on a Christmas dinner so make sure that you have plenty of salt & pepper to hand.
• Sauces (If Not Making Your Own) – This includes cranberry sauce & custard/brandy sauce for Christmas pudding!
• Alcohol – You’ll need a bottle of red wine for homemade gravy & some brandy for lighting your Christmas pudding. Plus booze for drinking of course!
• Drinks – You’ll need soft drinks for people that aren’t drinking alcohol!
• Snacks & Starters – If you’re hosting a load of people, I’d buy a few nibbles for people to eat whilst you’re doing all of the cooking! If you’re planning on serving a starter, you’ll need buy the ingredients for this as well.
• Dessert – Don’t forget about dessert! If you’re making your own, you’ll need ingredients or you could buy a ready made pudding; we won’t judge!

Consumables

• Tin Foil – Super handy for keeping sides & meat warm, whilst it rests. If you line your roasting tin (for the meat) with foil it will make washing it up a lot easier!
• Clingfilm – Useful for covering ingredients to keep them airtight if you’ve prepared them in advance or if you have leftovers.
• Baking Parchment – You’ll need this for lining tins & trays.
• Kitchen Paper – You’ll probably have this anyway but it’s handy for drying ingredients & wiping up messes.
• Washing Up Liquid & Sponges – There’ll be plenty of washing up to do after Christmas dinner & you don’t want to be running out of washing up liquid or sponges.
• Dishwasher Tablets – If you’ve got a dishwasher, you’ll need tablets for it. Otherwise you’ll end up washing all of your plates & bowls up by hand!
• Food Containers/Bags – Useful for storing prepped ingredients & leftovers.

Equipment

• Roasting Tin – This is what you’ll be cooking your turkey (or other meats) in. I’d recommend using a large roasting tin with a rack inside.
• Digital Food Probe – The key to cooking perfect meat is by using a digital food probe to check the internal temperature. This is a worthwhile bit of kit to invest it & it comes in handy all year round but especially at Christmas.
• Saucepans – You’ll need a few different sized saucepans for cooking your different veg, sauces & gravy.
• Baking Trays – Having a few different baking trays will come in handy. You’ll need them for cooking roast potatoes, pigs in blankets & roasted vegetables.
• Yorkshire Pudding Tin – You’ll only need this if you’re making Yorkshire puddings!
• Baking Dishes – Useful for cooking sides in, like cauliflower cheese & stuffing.
• A Pair Of Tongs – A must have piece of equipment when making any roast dinner! Super handy for turning meat & dishing up sides.
• Mixing Bowls – Handy for mixing & prepping dishes.
• Measuring Jug – Another useful piece of equipment to have in your kitchen all year round.
• A Set Of Scales – An essential piece of equipment for accurately measuring out ingredients.
• Spatula/Wooden Spoons – Make sure you have a few different for spatulas or wooden spoons for stirring all of your different side dishes & sauces.
• A Good Chopping Board – A large wooden chopping board is best for carving your chosen meat. Whether it’s a whole turkey, a joint of roast beef or a beef Wellington!
• A Sharp Knife – Having a sharp knife will make prepping vegetables & carving meat a whole lot easier!
• Vegetable Peeler – If you haven’t got a speed peeler then you’re missing out! These are cheap to buy & make peeling vegetables incredibly easy.
• Serving Dishes – If you’re serving your sides sharing style then you’ll need a few different serving dishes.
• Gravy Jug – If you’re serving a crowd, I’d recommend using a couple of gravy jugs (or gravy boats) so there’s plenty to go around without having to refill! You could use a regular measuring jug instead though.

Christmas Dinner Menu

If you’re looking to make a next level Christmas dinner that’s easy & straight forward to prepare, cook & serve then you’re in the right place! Here I’ve provided a menu outline for what I serve at Christmas, using some of my favourite recipes from this blog, plus some suggestions for how to get ahead on the big day. This includes everything you’ll need for the main course, all the trimmings, starters & desserts…

Starters

When it comes to Christmas starters & appetizers, I’d recommend going with a dish (or dishes) that can be made in advance, so that there’s no rushing around last minute! We’re talking chicken liver mousse, cured salmon, prawn cocktail, a festive salad or a mackerel pate. Then again, if you’ve got the oven or stove space & plenty of time, you can’t beat a hot soup or a Camembert sausage roll wreath. Something that you can prepare ahead of time then reheat/bake to serve works best…

Christmas Dinner

• Roast Turkey – The best roasted turkey is a spatchcock one! Not only will this cook quicker than a regular whole one, the skin will be crispier & the meat juicier.
• Homemade Gravy – My homemade gravy is slow cooked in the oven overnight then finished the next day, in time for lunch. You could make this a day or two in advance if you’d prefer.
• Roast Potatoes – Classic, crispy roast potatoes cooked in goose fat, garlic & fresh herbs!
• Pigs In Blankets – Sausages wrapped in crispy bacon! I glaze mine with honey & mustard but feel free to leave them unglazed if you like.
• Yorkshire Puddings – There’s some debate about whether Yorkshire puddings go on a Christmas dinner but I’m a big Yorkshire pudding fan so I always make them. Feel free to leave them off yours if you’d prefer.
• Stuffing – A classic sausage meat stuffing, made with streaky bacon, dried apricots & sage. This is designed to made ahead of time then we pan fry slices to serve.
• Creamed Brussel Sprouts – In my opinion, this is the best way to cook Brussel sprouts! The sprouts, bacon & cheese in this recipe can all be prepared ahead of time then cooked last minute.
• Marmalade Glazed Carrots – Roasted carrots glazed with sticky marmalade! If you like, you can roast the carrots ahead of time then reheat & glaze them just before serving.
• Braised Red Cabbage – This one’s a great make ahead side dish that’s full of flavour!
• Cauliflower & Broccoli Cheese – Roasted cauliflower & broccoli in a creamy cheese sauce. This one’s baked in the oven for a crispy topping!
• Bread Sauce – Classic bread sauce to serve with your roasted turkey! Again, this can be made in advance then reheated to serve.
• Cranberry Sauce – Cranberry sauce is the classic sauce to serve with turkey. If you’d like to make your own, it can be prepared several days in advance.

Dessert

I don’t know about you but my family tend to have a bit of a break between our Christmas dinner & our dessert. This gives us ample time to prepare our chosen dessert!

However, just to get ahead I like to have my dessert prepped ahead of time anyway. If you were serving a Christmas pudding for example, you can get it steaming whilst you eat your main course. If you’re serving a cold dessert, like a pavlova you can get everything prepared ahead of time then plated up last minute.

Here’s some of my favourite homemade desserts, that are perfect for Christmas day…

• Christmas Pudding – A classic Christmas dessert! This is made several months ahead of time then you reheat it just before serving.
• Festive Pavlova – A pavlova wreath topped with whipped cream & festive fruit. The fruit & cream can be prepared the day before & the pavlova dries out in the oven overnight.
• Baileys Panna Cottas – A really easy festive dessert that can be made several days ahead of time. To serve, the panna cottas are simply turned out of their moulds.
• Mince Pie Treacle Tart – This one’s a festive twist on a classic British treacle tart. This too can be made ahead of time.
• Baileys Basque Cheesecake – A festive twist on a Spanish burnt Basque cheesecake. This can be made in advance & it’s best served at room temperature, so you can leave it out of the fridge an hour before you want to serve.

Prep List – Christmas Eve

These are the jobs that I’d recommend doing on Christmas Eve, so that you’re fully prepared for Christmas dinner. You don’t want to be rushing around last minute! All of these jobs can be done throughout the day, so you can do them whenever you have the time!

• Meat Prep – If you’re making my spatchcock turkey, you’ll need to spatchcock & dry brine the turkey the day before you want to cook it.
• Veg Prep – You can prep pretty much all of your veg the day before! This includes peeling & cutting the potatoes, trimming the sprouts, peeling carrots, slicing red cabbage & prepping cauli cheese. You can par boil the potatoes, cook the braised cabbage & make & assemble the cauliflower cheese the day before as well.
• Sauces – We’re talking homemade cranberry sauce & bread sauce. Both can be cooked on Christmas Eve and the bread sauce can be reheated on the stove just before serving. The cranberry sauce will just need to be spooned into a dish.
• Overnight Gravy – This is my favourite way to make homemade gravy! You slow cook the stock in the oven overnight then finish the gravy the next day, in time for lunch.
• Yorkshire Pudding Batter – Yorkshire pudding batter is best made the day before you cook it, so it has time to rest in the fridge. This only takes a few minutes to do!
• Stuffing – For Christmas, I make a sausage meat stuffing that’s cooked in a loaf tin. This gets chilled down then to serve, we cut the stuffing into slices then pan fry.
• Pigs In Blankets – Making pigs in blankets is just a case of wrapping sausages in streaky bacon! You can buy these pre made from your butcher if you’d prefer.
• Starters – If you’re planning on serving a starter on Christmas Day, I’d recommend going with something that you can prepare the day before, like a chicken liver mousse, mackerel pate or a soup that you can reheat just before serving. If you’re planning on making some homemade cured salmon, you’d need to do this 3-4 days before Christmas Day.
• Desserts – I’d recommend prepping your dessert either on Christmas Eve or on the 23rd, depending on what you’re making. Something like a pavlova will need to be made on Christmas Eve, whereas a cheesecake, tart, Yule log or a batch of panna cottas can be made up to 3 days ahead of time. If you’re serving a Christmas pudding, this would have been made several months ago!

Christmas Day Schedule

We’re aiming to eat at 2:30 but feel free to adjust the timings if you’re planning on eating at a different time! If you’re using a smaller oven, it’s best to get most of the sides cooked the day before then reheat them just before serving. That way, we’ll just need to cook the Yorkies & roasties whilst the meat rests.

Christmas Day To Do List

If you’re serving a starter before your Christmas dinner (I don’t usually!), then I’d plan to serve it around an hour before you serve your main course. This way, you’ll have time to sit down & eat your starter then you’ll still have plenty of time to finish the rest of the cooking!

Here’s what’s on our prep list, in no particular order…

• Cook the turkey.
• Cook sides; roast potatoes, Yorkshire puddings, veg, etc.
• Finish the overnight gravy.
• Bake pigs in blankets.
• Reheat prepared sides.

9:00 – Get Yorkshire Pudding Batter Out Of The Fridge

First, get your Yorkshire pudding batter out of the fridge, season it with salt & pepper then leave to sit out at room temperature for 1 hour. If you’ve made an overnight gravy, take it out of the oven now & turn the oven temperature up. Get your Yorkshire pudding tins (with the fat in) into the oven by 10 am, so that it has plenty of time to heat up.

10:00 – Get Turkey Out

Get the turkey out & leave to sit at room temperature for an hour. This will help it cook more evenly. If you’re following my spatchcock turkey recipe, don’t forgot to pat the skin dry & place the herb butter under the skin!

10:30 – Cook Yorkshire Puddings

Once your Yorkshire pudding tin has heated up, get the batter poured in then cook until well risen & golden brown. Once cooked, place the Yorkshire puddings onto a wire cooling rack (this stops them going soggy) then set aside. We’ll reheat them just before serving! If you’re cooking several batches of Yorkshire puddings, you’ll need to take this into account & adjust the timings accordingly.

11:00 – Roast Turkey

Get your meat in the oven & roast following the recipe. We’re aiming for the meat to start resting at 12:30 – 13:00, so that it can rest for an hour or so. At this point, you can get the overnight stock passed into a pan then thickened & finished on the stove. We can then store the gravy in the fridge & reheat it later on!

12:30 – 13:00 – Take Turkey Out Of Oven

Just before the meat comes out of the oven, get the roast potatoes into a pan of water then start cooking them on the stove.

As soon as the turkey comes out of the oven, turn it up to 220°c/ 428°f. Get your tray of fats for the potatoes into the oven then leave to heat up whilst the potatoes finish cooking on the stove.

13:15 – Get Roast Potatoes In The Oven

Get the roast potatoes fluffed up & coated in semolina then add into the tray of hot fat & place into the oven. Roast for 45 minutes or so, until golden brown & crispy.

13:30 – Take Sides Out Of The Fridge

Take all of the prepared sides out of the fridge. This includes the prepared cauliflower cheese, braised red cabbage, prepped sprouts, stuffing, pigs in blankets, bread sauce & gravy. Get everything into pans/onto baking trays ready to reheat & bake.

14:00 – Reheat Sides

As soon as the roast potatoes come out of the oven, get anything that needs baking into the oven, adjusting the temperature as needed. This includes the cauliflower cheese, roasted carrots & the pigs in blankets. Keep the roast potatoes somewhere warm so that they stay hot.

At this point, you’ll also need to get everything in pans onto the stove. This includes cooking the creamed sprouts & reheating the gravy & bread sauce. If you’re pan frying your stuffing to crisp up the edges, do this now then keep warm in the oven.

14:20 – Carving & Dishing Up

Everything now comes together last minutes, so grab a couple of extra pair of hands to help out! You’ll need to get the turkey carved & placed onto a serving plate whilst also dishing up all of the sides.

As soon as the sides come out of the oven, pop the Yorkshire puddings into the oven & warm through for a minute or two (don’t let them burn!). In the meantime, dish up all of the sides & get the hot gravy poured into gravy boats. Then it’s just a case of carrying everything through to your dining table & enjoying your Christmas Dinner!

Christmas Pudding

If you’re serving a Christmas pudding, I’d recommend that you start steaming it just before you sit down for lunch. A large Christmas pudding will take an hour or two to reheat so this will give you a bit of a break between courses.

What To Do With Christmas Leftovers

If you’ve got leftovers from Christmas dinner & would like to make another meal out of them, we’ve got you covered! Over in our Christmas leftovers recipe collection you’ll find recipes for pies, salads, pasta dishes, sandwiches & lots more. Or if you’ve got enough of everything left, you could reheat it & have another Christmas dinner! When I made my spatchcock turkey recipe, I used the leftovers to make a butter turkey curry & some coronation Turkey. Both of these will be up on the blog very soon!

How To Reheat Leftover Christmas Dinner

• Turkey – To avoid making the turkey dry, reheat it in a dish with a generous amount of gravy, covered with foil. Bake at 160°c/320°f until piping hot. Sliced turkey will reheat quicker than larger pieces but is more prone to drying out.
• Sides – Reheat the sides the same way that you cooked them. Roast potatoes, roasted veg, stuffing & cauliflower cheese need to be reheated in the oven. Braised red cabbage & creamed sprouts should be reheated on the stove.
• Gravy – Reheat your gravy in a pan, on the stove. Make sure that it’s piping hot!