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Christmas dinner is almost always a logistical nightmare. One oven does not seem anywhere near enough when you’ve got to wedge a whole turkey in alongside all that roast veg, plus wrangle with a dozen things on the hob.
And while it wouldn’t be Boxing Day without a turkey curry buffet, no one wants to be ploughing endlessly through leftovers into the new year.
But there’s no need to panic. With a bit of planning and careful shopping, getting your quantities spot on is possible. We asked chef Bob Andrew at organic veg box company, Riverford, for his top tips.
How do you balance appetite, tradition and oven space at Christmas?
“If you have the apron on, you are in charge of Christmas day. Don’t attempt anything that exceeds your abilities or oven space and you’ll be fine,” says Andrew. “You can prepare lots of stuff ahead of time to save stress on the day. Pre-boil your spuds ready for the roasting tray, braise your red cabbage a day in advance (it reheats well and the flavours will deepen), and make the base for your gravy.
“Your oven will get a workout, but a bit of planning will help. Try to never leave the oven or hobs empty at any point. Use every bit of space you can to rotate the roasting trays and pans through. Know what needs to be ready at what time and plan your space well.”
How do you do the Christmas food shop and get your quantities right?
“A Christmas dinner is, at its heart, a winter feast and therefore the produce is heavily seasonal and should all be easy to source locally, or from the UK at the very least,” recommends Andrew. “Red cabbage, parsnips, swedes, spuds, sprouts, potatoes – it’s a who’s who of the winter larder and nothing needs forcing to grow in heated polytunnels, which aren’t environmentally friendly.
“Of course, we would recommend getting a veg box and all the trimmings delivered to your door. In terms of quantity, use a Sunday roast as your frame of reference and add a third again for good measure and to avoid anxiety at the table.”
If ordering a veg box isn’t an option, list out your quantities based on the number of guests you’ll be serving (again, adding a little extra if you can for good measure) before heading to the shops.
How big a turkey do you really need?
“Even a small turkey (4-5kg) will give you twice what you need for a family of four, based on a portion size of about 300g each, so you’d have plenty of leftovers,” says Andrew. “It might be easier to forgo a whole bird and go for some smaller rolled joints of legs and/or breast. They might not look as impressive on the table, but may create less waste and give you more control on cooking each piece to perfection.”
What items should you cut if time, money and space is short?
“It always bewilders me when people insist on serving a starter,” says Andrew. “It seems entirely pointless to precede a meal of such heft with yet more food. Save yourself the time, stress and crockery, and start with the main event.”
How many Brussels should everyone – even sprout haters – eat?
“If you’ve had a lifelong aversion to sprouts, eating even a couple on Christmas day is as much an achievement as those who pile them high with glee, and the start of a good habit.”
What should you always have extra of?
“Roast potatoes. Gravy. Patience.”
Are you sure you can’t have too many roasties or pigs in blankets?
“No, on both counts. However, with roast potatoes the quantity should be curbed by the practicalities of cooking them properly. If you are struggling with oven space, don’t try to pile them into the roasting trays, they need a little space and surface contact with the tray to brown and crisp properly,” says Andrew. “Better to have fewer perfectly crisp roasties than piles of soggy ones. Plan your timing and space with the aim of cooking twice what you think you’ll need. In all my years, I’ve never seen a leftover pig in blanket.”
What about condiments?
“You can never have too much gravy. Cranberry sauce can be used judiciously to cut through the fat, but in too large an amount, it just feels like someone has put jam on a perfectly good roast dinner,” says Andrew. “Bread sauce is great but make it thick enough to remain as a blob on the edge of the plate, as it should never bleed into the gravy. Horseradish is a perennial favourite, whether there is beef being served or not, as it goes well with brassicas such as sprouts and red cabbage. Mustard is a must. Banish the ketchup.”
What would you do with leftover?
“Everything apart from the crackers and the party hats can make a great leftover,” says Andrew. “There is the ‘fry it and put an egg on top’ school of thought, usually served as breakfast to staunch a hangover, but you can be much more cosmopolitan and refined by creating anything from tacos to a bowl of fiery noodles.”
What else should we think about before doing the festive big shop?
“At Riverford, we would say that a sustainable Christmas dinner really starts in the fields where the food is grown, so if you can, try and support growers and makers that have ethical and environmental principles at the heart of their businesses, and British growers where you can,” suggests Andrew.
“Look for reassurance it has been grown or reared in a system that minimises its footprint and invests in wildlife and habitat preservation, such as organic. Spending your money where it matters is a gift to all the growers and producers involved.”
