2024 Ultimate Christmas menu planning guide

Here’s a useful database of my Christmas recipes, organised by make-ahead and reheating suitability, and those champion made fresh. Perfect for paper planning, particularly alongside the caller Christmas look index!

If you aren’t already glazing your ham the time before, you request to commencement doing it immediately. It volition alteration your life!

I thrive connected vacation paper planning. It’s similar the Olympics of cooking – but little athleticism and much butter! The goal, arsenic always, is simply a feast that wows but is mostly make-ahead truthful I’m not a stressed-out messiness connected the day.

For me, it’s a athletics I bask – but past again, I cognize my recipes wrong out, backmost to front, truthful I cognize what operation works from a applicable perspective.

To prevention you the occupation of digging done my recipes, here’s my lineup of signature and scholar favourite Christmas dishes, sorted by which tin (or must!) beryllium made the time before, however good dishes reheat, however overmuch prep tin beryllium done up and identifying those dishes I truly urge making caller connected the day.

I anticipation you find it utile to assistance you program your Christmas menu! – Nagi x

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First up, mains! Here are my signatures, classics and scholar favourites, organised by make-ahead ability.

1. Make the time before, reheats similar freshly made

Centrepiece Christmas-worthy mains that genuinely reheat similar freshly made are rare. Here are my gems – regulars erstwhile I entertain!

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2. Best Christmassy chickenhearted mains for reheating

Notice that nary of the recipes successful the “reheats 100% perfectly” class are chicken? That’s due to the fact that chickenhearted is simply a leaner chopped which means it conscionable doesn’t reheat arsenic good arsenic the supra listed.

But chickenhearted is ever a favourite with groups, truthful I usually effort to see 1 chickenhearted dish. So present are my champion Christmas-worthy chickenhearted recipes that reheat best. No bosom – excessively lean!

Note: I similar not to reheat a full roast chickenhearted due to the fact that the bosom tends to beryllium rather dry.

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3. Largely prep time before, minimal effort connected day-of

These are Christmas-day worthy mains wherever the prep tin astir wholly beryllium done the time before. Then connected the day-of, the navigator and assembly is low-effort. The scholar favourite Christmas Baked Salmon tops the list, for interaction vs effort, but the caller Summer Side of Salmon is blistery connected its heels!

Notes

• Effort level standing connected time is taxable to however good you person prepared ahead. Eg for the salmon, person it trimmed, cleaned, connected the tray successful the fridge, acceptable to descent consecutive into the oven. All toppings mixed and successful abstracted containers (including parsley), acceptable to dispersed and use.

4. No-cook mains

The elemental information is that if you privation thing perfectly no-cook that is Christmas-worthy, you can’t bash amended than large seafood! We bash seafood each twelvemonth for Christmas. Here’s what we make:

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5. Mains best-made caller connected the day

And frankincense we person made our mode to the database of dishes that truly are champion made connected the day! Whether it beryllium due to the fact that it’s an concern (like premier rib) oregon the macromolecule successful question conscionable doesn’t clasp up good to reheating (like lamb rack), these are each worthy making an effort for, you conscionable request to origin successful the timing of making the sides.

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7. Are you crippled capable to tackle these whales?

Not gonna sweetener overgarment it – adjacent with maximum hole ahead, some these request attraction and time, and they are some champion served fresh. But – the gasps! The applause! Your epic Christmas main volition beryllium talked astir successful your circles for months!

1. The large Beef Wellington

The cleanable Beef Wellington…..

Find the look connected leafage 252 of Dinner and ticker the look tutorial video here.

2. the gallic bulb brie pastry successful “tonight”

This is the signature vegetarian main from my caller cookbook Tonight. Layers of mushroom ragu, caramelised bulb and murphy gratin sandwich a full instrumentality of brie that oozes retired erstwhile the pastry is cut. Oh, did I notation it’s enclosed successful an unthinkable buttery brioche pastry?

Find the look connected leafage 270 of my caller cookbook Tonight.

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Mains set, let’s speech dessert! I’m lone covering repast desserts here, not cookies (Christmas Cookies, Gingerbread Men) and nibbly/gifty desserts (like Rocky Road, Christmas Caramel Popcorn)

1. Desserts that indispensable beryllium made ahead

Both Trifle and the no-bake Christmas Cheesecake request to beryllium made the time earlier truthful they tin acceptable successful the fridge overnight. The Christmas Cake, though it tin beryllium made an enjoyed connected the time of baking, is adjacent amended the adjacent time and beyond due to the fact that the flavours support developing.

2. Make-ahead past decorate connected the day

Unlike the above, pavlova and meringue tin beryllium made and utilized connected the day-of thought for convenience, I astir ever marque past the time before. ⚠️ Pavs and meringue don’t fare good successful humidity and heat, they get sticky and brushed (meringue is safer than pavs). So support them successful a chill adust place! (Tip: For the meringue, I marque them the nighttime earlier and fto them chill overnight successful the oven. It’s airtight and adust – perfect!)

My Pavlova collection

Classic Pavlova

The iconic Pavlova Christmas Tree

Mini Pavs!

And the celebrated 1.6m / 5 ft agelong Never Ending Meringue Tart, named arsenic specified due to the fact that you tin marque it arsenic loooong arsenic you want! Last play I made a 2.5 metre 1 – caller PB!

Never Ending Meringue Tart – basal look is 1.6m agelong but you tin marque it arsenic agelong arsenic you want!

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Righto! Onto the starters. There are a bully fig that are mostly prepare-ahead oregon wholly make-ahead, reflecting my attack to paper mounting (ie mains > dessert > starters > sides).

1. Make-ahead starters

Some notable mentions of immoderate much debased effort, make-ahead starters:

2. Make-ahead show-off starter

Beetroot cured salmon has been my go-to starter that I marque erstwhile I privation to impressment foodies, for wow-factor looks and that it’s “gourmet”. It’s made an quality astatine aggregate household Christmases!

This requires 2 days for curing, positive preferably an other 12 – 24 hours to rest. I usually commencement this connected the evening of 22 December, lavation disconnected the cure connected Christmas Eve, remainder overnight past service connected Christmas Day.

3. Always fashionable but needs to beryllium made person to serving

Now we’ve reached the benignant of starters that necessitate much effort person to serving time, but are ever a monolithic hit! I’ll admit, assembling bite-sized snacks isn’t my favourite task…but I emotion eating them truthful much!

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I cognize it seems similar I dainty sides arsenic an afterthought. Sometimes I do, but besides different crushed I permission them to past is due to the fact that there’s truthful galore much options that are suitable for make-ahead.

So alternatively than listing each the dishes that are make-ahead friendly, I’m going to database idiosyncratic and scholar favourites, past cram successful a fewer much “don’t miss these!”. I can’t resist.

1. Assemble ahead, cook connected the day

Heads up – determination is an excessive beingness of carbs and cheese, and I marque nary apologies for it.

See the Warm Christmas Sides look postulation for much options – truthful galore possibilities!

2. Show-off crockery favourites

A special class of salads that telephone for a small much effort than your basal Garden Salad due to the fact that it makes a connection connected immoderate table! All these are mostly prepare-ahead. Shake the dressing, prep each the salads things, nuts and different toppings successful abstracted containers. Only permission the things that truly are champion done fresh, similar slicing apples.

Here are my picks that person a precocious level of make-ahead elements:

Apple salad with candied walnuts

Pomegranate spinach salad

Roast Pumpkin, Spinach and Feta Salad

Prawn Mango Avocado Summer Salad

See the Show-off Salads collection and Fresh Christmas Sides.

3. Aussie summertime broadside staples

Here are immoderate large staples for blistery Aussie summertime Christmas, each of which are cleanable made today, served time – and the time after, and time after!

PS If you’ve ne'er tried the Potato Salad before, that’s worthy adding to your summertime list. There’s a peculiar trick, you see, that makes it the champion I’ve ever had! (It’s not my recipe)

4. Big bowls of freshness is essential

No cheese, nary candied nuts, nary cured meats, nary potato, nary pasta, nary dried fruit. Just a large vessel of freshness to equilibrium retired the richness connected the table. Never underestimate the powerfulness of a large vessel of leafy greens!

Get up – Shake up your dressing successful a jar and support it successful the fridge, acceptable to usage connected the time of.

See each Light and Fresh Christmas Sides.

Fall back: Everyday crockery dressing tossed with a large vessel of leafy greens. I usage this a batch for spreads (sometimes I upgrade to French oregon Italian Dressing!).

5. Special sides – worthy the effort to marque fresh

If you are fortunate capable to person 2 ovens, oregon you paper program truthful ruthlessly that you tin spare the oven clip and effort, present are immoderate peculiar broadside dishes that are worthy the effort.

Heads up: There’s a batch of potato. I threw successful 1 greenish happening arsenic a token (just being truthful).

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Woah!

This station is simply a LOT longer than I expected it to be! 😅 It besides took a batch longer to constitute than I expected due to the fact that I kept getting distracted, adding make-ahead and retention notes into recipes inquire I went, arsenic good arsenic immoderate past infinitesimal look testing. Hand connected heart, we virtually conscionable made a crispy pork belly and premier rib conscionable to trial the make-ahead tips I’ve present added to these recipes.

It indispensable look unusual to immoderate radical that I’d spell to each that effort to marque a slab of pork belly conscionable truthful I tin adhd a 20 connection extremity to the extremity of a look for however champion to marque ahead.

Speaking honestly? I bash it for myself. Because it’s going to marque my beingness easier, present that I cognize I tin service up pork belly astatine gatherings with cleanable crackling and juicy soma that I’ve made the time before.

So really, each this effort I spell to is wholly selfish. 😂 Though it’s a bonus if you find it utile too!

I anticipation you recovered today’s station utile to assistance you program your Christmas menu! – Nagi x

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Life of Dozer

Quite a fig of the supra make-ahead dishes were included connected the paper of a Christmas enactment I “catered”* for 30 radical past weekend. So arsenic 1 mightiness expect, Dozer was successful good form. Here helium is, baby-sitting the ham (yes, I made it the time before):

Then supervising the carving of it:

Keeping a watchful oculus arsenic canapés were passed around, successful lawsuit immoderate fell connected the ground…

Though confusingly (for him), cipher gave him immoderate samples from their plate!!

In lawsuit you are wondering wherefore I enactment “catered” successful inverted commas, it’s due to the fact that I don’t bash catering but for erstwhile each twelvemonth for my mother’s yearly Christmas Party. It’s for her societal group, SATG, which stands for “Saturday Afternoon Tennis Group”, and it took spot past weekend.

They don’t play tennis, not connected Saturday afternoons oregon immoderate different day. They did, erstwhile upon a time, erstwhile they were much nimble.

These days they play play (9 holes only), travel by vino and food (always). It is not antithetic for radical to skip the play and conscionable articulation for the latter.

It’s the lone lawsuit I “cater” each year, lone due to the fact that erstwhile my parent asks, everybody knows she’s not truly asking.

In lawsuit you are wondering, here’s the menu. Most of the dishes volition look familiar!

The station 2024 Ultimate Christmas paper readying guide appeared archetypal connected RecipeTin Eats.