Christmas dinner preparation: what can you cook ahead?

Reduce Christmas Day pressure with a practical plan for advance preparation, fridge space and safe reheating.

Christmas dinner becomes calmer when you move useful work out of the busiest hour. The aim is to prepare food properly and store it safely, rather than partly cook everything and hope to finish it later.

Two or three days ahead

Write the menu, check oven shelves and identify which dishes can share a temperature. Make sure your turkey has enough time to thaw if frozen. Read the use-by dates on fresh meat and plan fridge space before adding bowls of prepared vegetables.

Gravy can be made in advance using stock and finished with roasting juices on the day. Cool cooked food promptly, refrigerate it and follow the storage guidance for the recipe and ingredients. Freeze earlier preparation where appropriate rather than stretching refrigerator storage.

The day before

Prepare vegetables and store them covered in the fridge. Mix stuffing only within the storage limits of its ingredients, keeping raw sausage meat separate from ready-to-eat foods. Label containers so helpers know what they are handling.

Set out clean serving dishes, check your thermometer and write a backwards timetable from the intended meal. Include resting time for the main joint, which gives you an opportunity to finish vegetables and gravy.

On Christmas Day

Cook poultry, pork and stuffing thoroughly. Do not partly cook raw meat the previous day and leave it to finish later. Reheat prepared cooked dishes until steaming hot throughout, and avoid repeated reheating.

After dinner

Divide leftovers into shallow containers, chill promptly and plan the next meal while the food is still fresh. A sensible preparation plan includes the washing-up and storage at the end, not just the moment the turkey reaches the table.

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Illustrative serving or preparation suggestion. Presentation and accompaniments may vary.