What Christmas Food Can I Prepare in Advance?

 
Christmas is just around the corner and we all know that there is no better way to celebrate the festive season than with family and friends. But before you start cooking up some traditional dishes, why not try something new? There are plenty of delicious food items that can be prepared in advance and stored until needed. From roast potatoes to pigs in blankets, here are our suggestions for some mouth-watering Christmas recipes that you can prepare ahead to save yourself some cooking time.

Roast Potatoes

If you want to impress your guests during their visit, then roasting potatoes is one of the best ways to go, they are undoubtedly the pinnacle of any roast dinner, and can be prepared easily in advance. 

There are quite literally hundreds of different roast potato recipes to choose from, and it may take a while to find your favourite recipe among all the options. 

Whether you like a classic crisp potato cooked in goose fat, or you want to dress them up with rosemary and garlic oil, the method remains the same. 

For our pre-prepared roasties, we're going to make a classic favourite, with goose fat (or duck fat), rosemary and garlic, these make the best crispy roast potatoes, and pair beautifully with your festive favourites such as homemade gravy and delicious side dishes like cauliflower cheese.  

Ingredients:

• 1kg Red Rose Potatoes 
• 250g Goose Fat
• 3-5 Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary 
• 4 Large Cloves of Garlic 
• Salt & Pepper to Taste

Method:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F.

Step 2: Rinse & wash the potatoes before peeling 

Step 3: Cut into halves or quarters depending on size.

Step 4: In a large roasting tin, pour out your goose fat and pop it in the oven to heat and liquefy.

Step 5: Meanwhile, parboil your potatoes for 3-7 minutes.

Step 6: Drain your potatoes, using a fork create roughed potato tops, this will help with a unique crisp finish. 

Step 7: Remove the goose fat from the oven, add your garlic and rosemary, followed by the potatoes

Step 8: Coat the potatoes in the goose fat, cracking over salt and pepper to taste 

Step 9: Allow to cool, pop in the fridge until you are ready to cook (this can be done the day before) 

Step 10: Once ready to cook, place in the oven for 50 minutes, basting occasionally. 

Pigs in Blankets

A classic British dish, pigs in blankets are traditionally eaten on Christmas Day but can be enjoyed throughout the winter months too. Pigs in blankets recipes are straightforward, these tasty treats are made using sausages wrapped with pieces of bacon, these are by far the easiest dish to prep, and can be done days in advance or house in advance, depending on how organised you are leading up to the big day. 

But it is safe to say that no dinner party is complete without these festive side dishes, for some they are the main indicator of a Christmas dinner, alongside the festive turkey. 

Although they may seem like basic sausages in bacon, they do incorporate all things Christmassy and remind us of our favourite festive flavours.

Ingredients:

• 12 Sausages (you can use small cocktail sausages, or larger sausages, depending on the desired result)
• Smoked Streaky Bacon Rashers 

Method:

Step 1: Take your 12 sausages, and tightly wrap each rasher of bacon around one, making sure the bacon does not overlap. 

Step 2: Using parchment paper, place your sausages on an oven dish and cook for about 10-15 minutes in the oven at 180 degrees (gas mark 4) 

Step 3: To reheat for your stress-free Christmas dinner, simply pop it in the oven for 3-5 minutes to heat through thoroughly. 

Christmas Cake

This recipe is perfect if you're looking for a dessert that doesn't take long to whip up. A Christmas cake is usually made with dried fruit such as sultanas, raisins, currants, candied peel, glacé cherries, figs, dates, pineapple, orange, lemon, lime, ginger, almonds, hazelnuts or walnuts, but is often customised depending on the desired fruit. 

Christmas cake is required to be made weeks in advance, this is to give time for the cake to absorb the booze and get the best dessert to follow your delicious dinner. 

Ingredients:

• 1kg Dried Fruit 
• 1 Orange 
• 1 Lemon
• 150ml Brandy 
• 250 Unsalted Butter 
• 200g Brown Sugar 
• 100g Ground Almonds
• 175 Plain Flour 
• 1/3 Tsp Baking Powder
• 2 Tsp Mixed Spices 
• 1 Tsp Cinnamon Syrup 
• 4 Large Eggs 
• 1 Tsp Vanilla Syrup 

Method: 

Step 1: Using a medium pan, place the 1kg Dried Fruit, Zest & Juice of both the lemon and the orange, 150ml of Brandy, the butter and the brown sugar over medium heat.

Step 2: Once brought to a boil, lower the heat and continue to simmer gently for 5-8 minutes before removing completely from the heat and placing it in a bowl to cool for 30 minutes. 

Step 3: Heat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius (or 130 degrees Fahrenheit) gas mark 2.

Step 4: Line your cake tin with a layer of parchment paper and wrap it around with an additional layer of newspaper and tie from the outside - This is to ensure that no liquid leaks from the cake during the feeding process. 

Step 5: Add the remaining ingredients to the fruit mixture, this includes the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, mixed spices, cinnamon syrup, vanilla syrup & eggs and mix well. 

Step 6: Add to the prepared cake tin and bake in the oven for 2 hours. 

Step 7: Remove the cake from the oven and using a skewer, fork or small sharp object, poke holes into the top of the cake, spooning over 2 tbsp of Brandy. 

Step 8: Feed the cake with roughly 1-2 Tbsp of Brandy every fortnight 

Step 9: Don't feed the cake the week before 

Step 10: Create the icing sugar to be placed on top of your festive fruit cake. 

Yorkshire Puddings

These are a traditional British food that have been enjoyed since the Middle Ages. They are traditionally served alongside roast beef,  turkey or goose, but they also make great accompaniments to any other main courses such as lamb shanks and toads in the hole. 

The great thing about these classic festive treats is that they take only 3-4 minutes to prep, and can be prepared in advance to save yourself some precious time. 

Ingredients: 

• 150 Plain Flour 
• 4 Large Eggs
• 200ml Milk 
• Sunflower oil

Method: 

 The key to making the best Yorkshire puddings is the temperature of the oven, Yorkshire puds are cooked on high heat at roughly 230C/fan 210C/gas 8.

Step 1: Preheat the oven 

Step 2:  Prepare your Yorkshire pudding tins, by adding an even amount of sunflower oil into the tins (roughly only 1cm of oil is required)  - Place the tins in the oven to heat the oil. 

Step 3: Make the batter by adding 150g of plain flour into a bowl and beating the 4 eggs into the flour until smooth.

Step 4: Add the milk gradually and continue to mix until the mixture is free from lumps.

Step 5: Season the batter mixture 

Step 6: Pour the batter into each section of the Yorkshire pudding tin and return to the oven for a further 20-25 minutes, in this time the puds will have begun puffing and turned golden brown. 

Step 7: For storage the day before you can refrigerate or freeze, and reheat the next day by adding to the oven on a baking tray for 5 minutes. (Alternatively, you can simply just pre-make the batter mixture and refrigerate until needed). 

Christmas Day Sauces 

No Christmas dinner would be complete without your favourite accompanying sauces, whether that's a classic cranberry sauce to pair alongside your festive Turkey, or mint sauce to add to your cabbage recipes. Here are some quick and effective Sauces recipes that can be prepared weeks in advance for the big day and still pack loads of flavours. 

Bread Sauce

Bread sauce is a staple of roast dinners, however, it is considered to be more of an acquired taste, Bread sauce is made using butter, onion, cloves and garlic with a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg to bring together a creamy nutty dinner-time condiment. 

Ingredients: 

• 600ml Milk
• 50 Unsalted Butter 
• 1 Small White Onion 
• 5 Cloves 
• 2 Cloves of Garlic 
• 3 Thyme Sprigs
• 100g White Breadcumbs 
• 4 Tbsp Single Cream 
• Pinch of Freshly Grated Nutmeg 

Method: 

In a medium pan, simmer the milk, butter, chopped onion, cloves, garlic and herbs together for 20 minutes, strain the liquid and stir in the cream, nutmeg, salt, pepper & breadcrumbs, this can be prepared up to three days in advanced and can be reheated at any time on the hob for 3-5 minutes. 

Mint Sauce 

A simple sauce that we love pouring over our green vegetables and favourite festive side dishes, or a classic stable to have at the dinner table, Mint sauce is the easiest sauce to prepare. 

Ingredients: 

• 50g Demerara Sugar
• 240ml Malt Vinegar
• 3 Large Handfuls of Mint 

Method: 

Chop the mint finely (alternatively use a small food processor) and add in the sugar and mint and stir until completely combined, set aside for 15 minutes for the sugar to fully dissolve, place this in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. 

Cranberry Sauce 

Again, this a traditional Christmas dish, best paired with festive turkey slices. The cranberry sauce is the essence of Christmas and is impossible to forget at the dinner table for your dinner party. 

Ingredients: 

• 100g Light Muscovado Sugar 
• 100ml Orange Juice 
• 250g Fresh or Frozen Cranberries

Method: 

In a medium pan, bring to boil the orange juice and sugar, stirring in the cranberries until they are softened, but not jam-like (this typically takes around 8-10 minutes depending on if using fresh or frozen) This sauce can be made up to 10 days in advanced, and should be stored in the fridge until use.