Your Christmas lunch time plan

Getting ahead

All make-ahead dishes should be kept in the fridge or freezer until ready to be cooked.

Up to one month ahead

• Parboil and freeze the golden roast potatoes.
• Make the chestnut & cranberry rolls if freezing.
• Prep the Christmas spiced red cabbage.

Up to four days ahead

• Make the cranberry & Champagne sauce, leaving out the Champagne.
• Bake the festive date & pecan pudding.

Up to two days ahead

• Make the chestnut & cranberry roll.
• Prep and roast the glazed apples & pears with sticky shallots.
• Prep and cook the creamy parsnip & squash bake.
• Cook the Christmas spiced red cabbage.

Christmas Eve

• Roast the stuffing roll- keep in the foil.
• Boil or steam the crisp-topped sprouts and prepare the topping.
• Steam the buttery caraway carrots.
• Defrost anything frozen in the fridge.

Christmas Day

9.30am: Stuff the turkey, weigh and calculate cooking time. Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5.

10am: Put the turkey in to roast (timings based on a 4.5kg turkey).

11am & 12pm: Check the roasting tin- add more cider if needed.

12.30pm: Remove the foil from the turkey to let it brown.

1pm: Leave the turkey to rest. Put the potatoes in the oven to roast, if frozen (if not, put in at 1.10pm). Make the gravy.

1.30pm: Turn oven up to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Turn the potatoes and add the stuffing roll to oven to reheat.

1.45pm: Rehead the apples, pears and shallots in the oven if room, or in the microwave if not, adding a little extra glaze. Cover the parsnip bake with foil and put into the oven to rehead. Finish sprouts, carrots, cabbage and cranberry sauce. Take foil off the stuffing roll.

2pm: Serve and enjoy! Warm the pudding in the oven's residual head while you eat.