Planning Christmas lunch? Tips to make it stress free
Whether you’re planning a traditional feast with a roast turkey, pigs in blankets, stuffing and all the trimmings, or have a beach-side extravaganza planned with a spread of salads, cold cuts and barbecued shrimp, planning and cooking your Christmas dinner can be stressful!
Here are five top tips to make sure your Christmas dinner is stress free, and allow you to kick back with a glass of bubbly and enjoy the day!
Prepare your budget
Christmas can be an expensive time of year, so to keep those stress levels down, make a list of all the presents, food and drink you need to buy way ahead, so you can shop savvy. Take advantage of bottle shop promotions from November onwards and start buying nonperishable at places like Catch.com.au so each week leading up you are getting Xmas ready and managing your budgets.
Order in!
Not everyone can be a Nigella Lawson in waiting, some of us seem to turn the simplest of meals into charcoal! If that rings a bell, but you’re still adamant that you want a home cooked meal, then look no further than FoodByUs. It’s a service which allows you to order amazing home-cooked meals from talented local home cooks ‘Makers’. Whether you’re craving a traditional roast turkey and veg, or want to try a new cuisine this Christmas, FoodByUs will have something for everyone. If you fancy showing off, you could even order ahead of time and convince your guests that it’s your very own culinary masterpiece!
Forget traditional
If you don’t fancy slaving away over a hot stove for your entire Christmas morning, why not try something a little more low-key? With temperatures potentially reaching the mid 30’s, why not opt for a cold spread. Prep some tasty salads, cold cuts, a quiche, cheeses, dips and if you do fancy some quick and easy bbq meats to cut down the cooking time on the day for a stress-free Christmas lunch.
Freeze your parsnips!
You’d be surprised what can be frozen: honey glazed parsnips, roast potatoes, cranberry sauce, even gravy. Whilst food such as ham, roast beef, steamed salmon, tarts and pies can all be cooked 2 days before Christmas and served cold or reheated just before eating. Save yourself some agro, and aim for 50% of your menu to be made ahead of time or even sooner to simply defrost the night before the big day.
Get everyone involved
Cooking Christmas launch is such a large undertaking, you’d be setting yourself up for a whole heap of stress if you tackled it alone. Whether it's getting the family involved, or having a group of friends round, bucks fizz in hand to help peel, chop, saute, roast and bbq your way to a fabulous spread. The age-old saying, many hands make light work is doubly true when it comes to Christmas dinner! Or to save the mess, simply ask everyone to bring along a dish or two!
