With the big day just 24 hours away, Christmas eve is last chance to plan ahead for the festive dinner to ensure a fail free meal.
For many, Christmas dinner is the highlight of the holiday but cooking so many dishes to serve at once can be stressful. Even just one error can push you behind schedule.
And if this is your first time in the kitchen, you may be feeling the pressure to make sure everything goes perfectly. While it seems daunting, cooking Christmas dinner can be a seamless task - it's all about preparation, timing and making sure you have enough oven space.
Thankfully, the experts at Great British Chefs have compiled a handy guide to planning the perfect turkey dinner. With a checklist, timed schedule and tips from top cooks, you can plan a perfectly timed feast to serve at 2pm - whether it's for two or eight people.
Checklist
Make sure you have enough food to last until the shops are open again after Boxing Day.
Check you have enough cooking pans, pots and plates - it’ll be too late if you realise on Christmas Day
If you are cooking a frozen turkey, take it out of the freezer a few days before to defrost in the fridge.
Designate storage areas for all the extra food you’ll be stocking up on.
Check you’ve got enough alcohol, take advantage of deals where you can find them
Christmas Eve prep
- Make your stuffing, then wrap it and store in the fridge.
Peel, boil and fluff up the potatoes in advance for tomorrow, then cover and keep in the fridge.
Parboil sprouts, then chill and finish them off in a frying pan just before serving.
Make a checklist of the different things you need to do tomorrow with timings, so you don’t forget the cranberry sauce or Yorkshire puddings.
Christmas day
8am – Take your turkey and stuffing out of the fridge to come to room temperature.
9.30am – Preheat the oven and rub the turkey with butter or oil, and season. Fill with the stuffing.
10am – Place the turkey in the oven, remembering to baste regularly throughout the cooking time and to cover in foil if needed.
11am – Set the table. Do any remaining prep, such as peeling or chopping.
12pm – Put your Christmas pudding on to steam, which should take three hours.
1pm – Remove the turkey from the oven and make sure it’s cooked through. Cover tightly and leave to rest, then drain and deglaze the juices to make gravy. Turn up the heat and put roasting trays full of oil or goose fat in the oven to warm up.
1.15pm – Place the potatoes in the hot oil or fat and make sure they’re completely covered, then return to the oven. Do the same with any other roast vegetables, depending on size.
1.30pm – Place the pigs in blankets in the oven, then keep warm if they cook through in less than 30 minutes. Boil the water for the vegetables.
1.40pm – Begin boiling and stir-frying the remaining vegetables, keeping an eye on what’s in the oven. Make sure your gravy is ready and keep warm. Begin heating through any other sauces.
1.50pm – Quickly fry Brussels sprouts with chestnuts and bacon. Warm plates and serving bowls ready for the table. Open the wine.
2pm – Grab anyone you can to help carry food through to the Christmas dinner table. Eat, drink and be merry.
3pm – Remove the Christmas pudding from the heat and serve with lots of brandy butter.
3.30pm – Serve the cheese, if there is any, or retire to a comfortable sofa and have a well-deserved rest.
Christmas dinner tips from Scottish chefs
Gordon Ramsay's roast potatoes
The Scottish TV chef says the crucial rule for getting the perfect roasties with crisp outsides and fluffy middles every time is to always add to hot fat.
Boil first - Par-boil in salted water until just tender.
Steam dry - Get rid of excess moisture by leaving the potatoes to steam dry in the colander for five minutes.
Preheat - Add duck or goose fat to tray and put in a hot oven for at least five minutes to heat through.
Crispy outsides - Gently shake up the steam-dried potatoes to create fluffy edges that will crisp up while roasting.
Even coating - Carefully toss the potatoes so that they are fully covered in the hot fat and spread out in a single layer before returning to the oven.
Nick Nairn's turkey
Nick Nairn says to first cut the skin between the leg and the breast then gently open out the legs to heat to penetrate them quicker. Cut an orange in half before placing inside the cavity of the bird along with thyme.
Brush the turkey generously with olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper and place in a roasting tray. Cover the bird loosely with tin foil to allow a flow of air to circulate around the turkey.
Tom Kitchin's stuffing
Tom Kitchin advises sorting the stuffing the night before. Make up your stuffing in advance by melting butter in a frying pan and adding to breadcrumbs.
Then add your lightly browned chestnuts, onion and chosen herbs and fruits with seasoning. Set aside in a sealed container in your fridge until you're ready to pop it in the microwave oven.
Gary Maclean's gravy
Chef Gary Maclean teamed up with Love Food Hate Waste Scotland to make the perfect gravy.
He says to take the tray used to cook the turkey (with the chopped veg) and put it directly onto the hob (if this isn’t possible, transfer to a big pan ensuring you scrape all the good stuff off the tray).
Add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon to combine, scraping up the sides as you go. It may be a little grainy but that’s ok.
Slowly add your stock and continue to stir everything together. Let it bubble away on the heat until it has reached your desired consistency.
At this point you can add a swig of red wine, or a spoonful of cranberry sauce (or both) for extra flavour. Strain through a sieve into a clean pan and keep on a low heat until you are ready to serve.
Christmas planner courtesy of Great British Chefs.
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