How to plan your most delicious Christmas dinner EVER

Christmas countdown

This year, Stir-up Sunday falls on 24 November, marking the perfect time to start thinking about your Christmas Day meal. Yes, we know it's still a while off, but preparing as much food as possible in advance could make the day itself an absolute breeze. We've come up with a plan – advent calendar style – to help you get organised in time for (and on) the big day. It's based around serving Christmas dinner at 2pm, but you can easily adjust the timings according to your own schedule.

Read on to discover our 25-step guide to throwing the tastiest Christmas feast ever – including an action plan for Christmas Day itself.

A month ahead: write your to-do list

There are usually far more components to a festive feast than your typical meal, so be sure to write out your menu and collate any recipes you plan to use a month in advance. Make a list of all the ingredients you'll need, so there's no last-minute panic. Christmas is a time for family and friends, so be sure to delegate tasks – everyone should (hopefully) be happy to help.

A month ahead: make the Christmas pudding

If you love a traditional Christmas pudding, you'll need to start making it well in advance, so the flavours have time to develop. Stir-up Sunday (the last Sunday in November) is the traditional time to begin, but it's fine if you end up starting a little later. Just remember that the earlier you make your pudding, the richer the flavours will be. You can steam your pudding in advance too, then reheat it in the microwave just before serving.

Get the recipe for Christmas pudding here

Make and freeze: braised red cabbage

Braised red cabbage is a Christmas classic that tastes great with turkey and Boxing Day ham. Best of all, it freezes well (or will keep in the fridge for 24 hours). The best recipes have all the flavours of the festive season, with clementines, cloves and cinnamon. We have a special ingredient to add an extra hit of sweetness, too: black cherry jam.

Get the recipe for braised red cabbage here

Make and freeze: bread sauce

Bread sauce can be made up to a month ahead, then neatly frozen in a ziplock bag. Thaw it overnight in the fridge, then all you'll need to do on the big day is reheat it, ready to serve. We like to add a spoonful of crème fraîche too, for extra richness. Storing food in ziplock bags – rather than bowls – will free up lots of space in your fridge or freezer.

Get the recipe for bread sauce here

Make and freeze: mince pies

Warm mince pies are just the thing to serve to unexpected guests at Christmastime – and homemade pies always taste much better than ones from the supermarket. To ensure you have mince pies ready to go whenever a relative decides to pop round, make them in advance, leave them to cool, then freeze them. That way, you'll have on-demand pies that you can reheat from frozen; just give them 10 minutes in an oven preheated to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4.

Get the recipe for mince pies here

Make and store: cranberry sauce

Cranberry sauce will keep for up to a year if stored in a sterilised jar in a cool, dark cupboard – and it also freezes well. You can use fresh or frozen cranberries to make your sauce; simmer them with port, orange and lemon for a well-rounded (and very festive) depth of flavour.

Get the recipe for cranberry sauce here

Make and freeze: turkey stock for gravy

Buy a couple of turkey legs, which are usually inexpensive, and make your stock in the same way you'd make chicken stock: with carrots, onions, celery, parsley, bay leaves and peppercorns. Strain, add white wine or dry sherry, then reduce. Thaw it out on Christmas Eve, then add the juices from your cooked turkey on the day. This one's a real time-saver!

Get the recipe for gravy here

Make and freeze: creamy mushroom soup

A warming vegetarian soup, like this creamy mushroom creation, would make a great Christmas Day starter. You could make it the day before – or even better, get way ahead of the game and freeze it. The little garlic toasts that accompany our recipe can be made an hour ahead, though you may find they're not needed if there's a feast still to come. Swirl in the cream just before serving.

Get the recipe for creamy mushroom soup here

Make and freeze: stuffing

If you prefer a meaty stuffing, save time by preparing it ahead, then thaw it out in the fridge on Christmas Eve. You can either stuff the turkey or bake the stuffing separately in a dish, which will give it a crisp texture on the outside. Our recipe consists of minced beef, onion, cranberries and herbs – a winning combination everyone's sure to love.

Get the recipe for stuffing here

Up to 48 hours ahead: brine the turkey

Wet-brining a turkey – a method that involves leaving it in a salt, sugar and water solution, flavoured with various herbs and spices – guarantees a succulent, moist bird with golden, crispy skin. Dry rubs can be done 12 hours in advance, with similarly delicious results.

23rd December: bake and glaze the ham

It just wouldn't be Christmas without a glorious baked ham as a Boxing Day centrepiece – and, happily, it can be made up to three days ahead of time. Mix things up with an orange-glazed ham, served with a mango and orange salsa. In our recipe, the ham is baked in orange juice for a wonderfully sweet and salty result.

Get the recipe for orange-glazed ham with mango and orange salsa here

Christmas Eve: make a Yule log

If a traditional Christmas pudding isn't your thing, why not make this sweet and spicy gingerbread Yule log instead? The sticky gingerbread sponge is filled and covered with a white chocolate meringue buttercream. Allow around an hour to make it, then it can be stored in the fridge.

Get the recipe for gingerbread Yule log here

Christmas Eve: make a festive cheesecake

Cheesecake lovers, rejoice! This Lebanese-inspired cheesecake – with a rosewater-flavoured clotted cream and cream cheese filling, and a crunchy pistachio and biscuit base – can be whipped up in just 30 minutes. It looks stunning, too.

Get the recipe for rosewater and pistachio cheesecake here

Christmas Eve: prepare some canapés

Even if you don't want a starter, it's good to have a nibble with drinks when everyone arrives for lunch. Many canapés can be made in advance – or you can prep the component parts, then assemble them just before serving (think mini crackers and toasts, topped with anything from cream cheese and smoked salmon to pesto and halved cherry tomatoes). We also love these buttery palmiers, made by filling shop-bought puff pastry with Parmesan, Parma ham and sun-dried tomato paste. They can be prepared up to the chilling stage, then baked on Christmas morning after breakfast.

Get the recipe for Parma ham palmiers here

Christmas Eve: prepare the starter

It may be retro, but prawn cocktail is always a winning starter – and it's great if you're low on time too, as its classic Marie Rose sauce can be made a day ahead. Just mix equal parts mayonnaise and ketchup, seasoning to taste with salt, pepper, lemon juice and a little Worcestershire sauce. Then, all you'll need to do is assemble the dish before serving, pouring the sauce over crisp iceberg lettuce and prawns (which should take just five minutes). Easy!

Get the recipe for prawn cocktail here

Christmas Eve: prepare pigs in blankets

Chipolata sausages wrapped in bacon – or, as they're more commonly known, pigs in blankets – are a Christmas must-have. Prepare them on Christmas Eve by stretching rashers of smoked streaky bacon with the back of a knife, then using them to roll up the sausages individually. Store them in the fridge before cooking.

8am Christmas Day: make breakfast

It'll be a while until Christmas dinner, and there's still plenty to do – so treat yourself to an indulgent yet simple breakfast like smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, avocado on toast or filled English muffins. You'll only need one pan to make our French toast–style crumpets, which taste amazing served with Parmesan and crispy bacon.

Get the recipe for French toast-style bacon crumpets here

8.45am Christmas Day: sort out the turkey

Remove the turkey from the fridge to allow it to come to room temperature before roasting. If you want to stuff it, do that now, then weigh it to calculate the cooking time (bathroom scales are handy here). Allow 20 minutes per 2lb 4oz (1kg) – then, if it's less than 9lb (4kg), add 70 minutes of extra cooking time; if it's more than 9lb (4kg), add 90 minutes. An 8lb (3.5kg) turkey will feed eight people, with leftovers.

9.15am Christmas Day: prepare the vegetables

Now's the time to enlist some extra pairs of hands to prepare the vegetables. As a guide, for eight people, weigh out 4lb (1.8kg) potatoes for roasting, 2lb (900g) Brussels sprouts, 3lb (1.3kg) parsnips, 2lb (900g) carrots and 2lb (900g) red cabbage. This should allow for plenty of leftovers, without being wasteful.

10.15am Christmas Day: preheat the oven

Allow half an hour for the oven to heat up fully, then put the turkey in. Basing our timings on an 8lb (3.5kg) turkey, it will come out of the oven to rest at 1pm, but do calculate accordingly, working backwards from your preferred serving time. Remember to keep basting your turkey with the pan juices – once every 30 minutes is ideal, if you can manage it.

10.30am Christmas Day: lay the table

Mid-morning, seek out some willing Christmas elves to help set the festive table. This is a good time to sort out all the serving dishes and plates – they can always sit out on the dining table while you cook, freeing up counter space and helping you keep the kitchen tidy.

12.30pm Christmas Day: roast potatoes

Now's the time to make those crispy roast potatoes. They'll need steaming first, for about 10 minutes, before going into the oven at around 12.45pm. The trick for perfect roast potatoes is to put hot potatoes into hot fat. You can even cook them fully in the morning, taking them out of the fat and leaving them on a baking tray. Then, just reheat them for 10 minutes in a hot oven once the turkey is resting.

1pm Christmas Day: take the turkey out

Check that the turkey is cooked through. Some meat thermometers will have an automatic setting for turkey, but if yours doesn't, it should read 82°C (180°F) when pierced into the thickest part of the thigh. Place the turkey on a carving board, cover it loosely with foil, then leave it to rest. At this point, turn the oven up to crisp up the potatoes. Add your parsnips and pigs in blankets, and have your sprouts and carrots ready to cook. Reheat any sauces and gravy.

1.45pm Christmas Day: ready to carve

Once everything is out of the oven, put the serving dishes and plates in to warm, and heat up the gravy jug with boiling water. Allow around 20 minutes for the sprouts and carrots to cook. Then, call everyone to the table so you can get ready to carve the turkey and serve the sides.

2pm Christmas Day: let's eat!

And there you have it: a fabulous, fuss-free festive spread, ready to enjoy! Just make sure someone else tackles the washing up...

Now see what Christmas lunch looked like through the decades

Last updated by Jessica Morris.