......to buy ready prepared food this Xmas?!

So there!

I have never understood why anyone would bother with a starter before the biggest meal of the year.
I have tried various forms of short cuts for Christmas lunch along with many years of doing the whole thing myself.
Last year my daughter asked if everyone could come to us (ten of us in total) as we have the most dining space. She said if I got the turkey from M&S as I normally do (turkey breast feeds 8-10 people and I often buy the smaller size as well for sandwiches etc, after Christmas) she would get Waitrose to deliver everything else. All went to plan except for the fact that they delivered mini roast potatoes. They looked ridiculous. Fortunately I had bought in enough potatoes to make a huge tray of homemade roast potatoes.
So beware, mini roast potatoes would be a big disappointment to most families. Everything else was delicious and I didn't feel totally wiped out afterwards. Nigella recommends buying foil roasting dishes so that they can be thrown away, thus reducing the washing up considerably. Possibly not environmentally friendly but still a possibility for just one day per year. Although we had dishwashers when the children were growing up my husband hates them and we do not have one now. Although when we get very old we might have to get one if our eyesight fails. I remember my lovely mother in law washing up( at her own insistence) and finding traces of food on the newly washed dishes. You might have got away with asking her once to re-wash something but I would defy anyone to dare to ask twice. She was fiercely proud , in every sense and would have been deeply offended. We miss her more than I can say.

No reason for guilt at all. Last year I cooked for 14 of my family. My trusty hostess trolley was wheeled out, roasties courtesy of Aunt Bessie, pre prepared veggies, shop bought posh gravy, popped the lot in the trolley and ate when we were ready. No shame in cheating...Christmas is for families and that includes you. ?

Aldi have a great cauliflower cheese in the frozen veg section!

Hooty! Stop it now! you are encouraging this cauli cheese obsession.

What's with the cauliflower cheese …. when did that happen?

I agree, it used to be just sprouts, carrots and roast parsnips and potatoes - but once tried, cauliflower cheese is a must!

Cheese with gravy? Country's gone to pot!

You haven't lived Riverwalk its a bit like chips with gravy - yum.

No Yorkshire p0uddings though - except with beef!

Riverwalk I do agree, it's best with a jacket potato and gammon.

The last few years, everyone has congregated at one or other of my daughters houses for Xmas day dinner, but everyone gets allocated something to cook and bring to the table. It means no one person is paying for everything and no one person has all the preparation to do on the morning. Has always worked well for us, there is usually far too much food, so everyone goes home with some leftovers as well. Going to miss it this year as we now live in Spain, so will just be the two of us to cook for this year!

We have a large gathering for Christmas but all guests make a contribution and take along either, ready prepared veg or dessert etc. It seems a lot to expect one person to do it all. Make it as easy as possible!!

My order was always in M&S by end of November for pick up on Xmas Eve I would be catering for up to 10/12 most years.
This year we going out locally for Xmas Dinner it is our present to our family and to me and OH.
Why get stressed when you could be enjoying family company.

kwest
You Can recycle foil trays. Rinse and dry before crumpling up and put in recycling. They're aluminium.

Yes, foil trays (and tinfoil) need to be washed before recycling as food contamination means they can't be recycled.

We have 21 to dinner on Boxing Day. On Christmas Day, once we've finished cooking, I shove a joint or two into the oven and let it cook whilst our Xmas dinner is digesting. When the joints are cooled I stick them in the fridge with the left over turkey. Boxing Day Morning, we slice the meats, make a salad, put in a load of Jacket Potatoes and lay out a Buffet Table complete with cheeseboard, desserts, etc. Come lunchtime, we lay it all out and that is what people eat all the time they are here. If time goes on, and they are around at suppertime, I slice up the leftover Jacket Spuds into wedges, top with grated cheese and onion (all pre-prepared by Tesco), stick it in the oven until golden brown. The gut buckets who remain eat their fill.
The morning is hard work to get everything on time and still have a tidy kitchen but it is the best day of the year for me. We eat, we drink and we're usually very happy. The kids run round, the adults chat and we have a major present opening in the afternoon. A change from a very boring Christmas Day where my husband eats and drinks his fill before falling asleep during the Queen's Speech. He likes a quiet Christmas, I like a huge, boisterous Family Christmas and this way we both get what we want. It also means that our children never get tugged between us and their in-laws for the Xmas Day.

Do "Jacobs choice" everyone coming bringing something already prepared, or easy to prepare on arrival.It cuts the cost down and the amount of work too and everyone feels happy taking part. Give it a try, and have a Happy and stress free Christmas.

Make it as easy for yourself as possible and give others some responsibility for the day eg: bring veg prepped or part cooked that can be popped in the oven for the final 30 mins. Sort the mince pies and cream etc
Then everyone can be involved and take some of the strain.

I too can’t understand this new obsession with cauliflower cheese or Yorkshire puddings on the dinner! Why would you want cheese sauce mixing with the gravy? I’m of the firm opinion that Yorkshire puddings go with beef and nothing else. And there’s so much on our plates I wouldn’t thank you for any more! Mind you, my son went out with a girl whose family always had mushy peas with their Christmas dinner! Oh well, we are all different!

Do it all to make it easy for yourself.... I do all the veg prepping on Xmas eve spuds peeled carrots peeled and sliced , parsnips and Brussels ditto . All into fresh salted water in readiness for the ‘big day’. I only have 7/8 every year but just think of it as a BIG Sunday roast and ALWAYS Xmas morning work out your timings ...going backwards from what time you’ll be ‘dishing up’
make out a timetable of what to do and when to do it...then stick it on the wall next to your cooker.!! It never fails me. Starters.....if you must have them...make it simple soup which can be made and frozen days before. Puddings...I always have three choices...something hot ( nobody likes Xmas pud) usually a plain apple pie ...meringue nest filled with cream and fresh sliced kiwi’s ,strawberries , grapes...they go down a treat with young ones and me! Mince pies and a dish of cream and a jug of custard. Everybody seems happy...never any puds left and next doors dog gets left over veggies. Make sure they’ve all got some alcohol in them ( not kids) and nobody will notice any little disasters!! Who cares anyway. Enjoy your day.

Go for it! M&S and Sainsbury’s do more than acceptable ready prepped food. Even my “cheffy “ sil is more than happy with it! I always make the breadsauce on Christmas Eve evening, then just has to be heated through on the day. Enjoy!

Here here

Please don't feel at all guilty.

You have done your bit and more over the years so I hope you find lots of good ideas here on how to take as much work out of the day as possible.

When we have a lot of people coming I now do as little as possible and my motto is "I shall commit shopping".

There are aways things we or our families like us to make so I save my efforts for those dishes.

Pre prep, buy as much as possible, get help and enjoy your self.

Well I admit I did not ready all the responses but I will chime in anyway.
The best part of any gathering is a happy attitude and being exhausted does not make a great hostess.
No need for guilt at all I think buying as much prepared as you need is perfectly OK!
There were parties in my house with sometimes 50 people here and they are literally a blur to me because I was so tired!
Now its' one of my favorite hosted events because it is much more scaled back, now we around 14-20 for a sit down dinner. And I have a grown daughter who is a chef and a son that also helps so now the prep is almost as fun as the party itself!
But at the end of the day you are hosting and that in itself makes you the hit of the party no matter what you serve or how it is prepared, I hope you enjoy your company as much as they love you

We learned over the years and the perfect solution was a non-stop buffet where we simply topped up each item as it disappeared or replaced it with something different. Mugs of home made soup (pre-prepared of course) was always favourite. People disappeared to the kitchen as and when the mood took them. Children were allowed personal choice when possible i.e. bangers & beans, hamburger, ice cream but they were usually too busy playing to be bothered eating. I'm so glad we tried this rather than the sit down formality which was much too restrictive. Never looked back. Interestingly, people started offering to bring a contribution platter. I'm smiling as I suddenly think maybe they didn't like what was on offer!! Things have changed now and I happily leave it all to the next generation. I continue to be included on the family guest list which presumably suggests I'm behaving myself. Hope so, as I do so love all the people concerned and the festive season in general. For me food will always be way down the list compared to congenial company. Worry not!