When it comes to cooking Christmas Dinner, things can get a little bit chaotic. Make life easier by prepping as much as you can beforehand. Here are 10 food items that can easily be prepped (or even cooked!) on Christmas Eve.

While there are lots of people out there who love to host Christmas and cook the biggest meal of the year, many feel that they do end up missing out on precious moments with their families as they spend so much time in the kitchen.

One thing that always surprises me is how much prep people leave until Christmas morning. Having worked in catering, I am very used to prepping a large amount of food ahead time, even cooking meat and some vegetables beforehand.

To help alleviate that, there are plenty of things that you can get prepped on Christmas Eve, which should help limit the time away from loved ones. Also, remember that many hands make light work, so don’t forget to ask others for help if you need it – even if it’s just peeling a few spuds!

1. Make the Stuffing

Stuffing will actually last for a couple of days in the fridge so you can either make this on Christmas Eve or a day or two before and this applies whether you’re making stuffing balls or a bigger batch to stuff the turkey with (or a bit of both!)

2. Peel The Potatoes

While this is an easy job, in can seem like a huge task if you’re feeding a lot of people and you have a load of other jobs to be getting on with on Christmas morning.

Peel the potatoes on Christmas Eve, pop them in a large bucket or pan of cold water and add a slice of white bread to prevent them from going brown.

Ideally, they should be stored in a cold place overnight such as a shed or garage (or your fridge if there is enough room!) Simply drain in the morning and cook as usual.

3. Prep The Sprouts

Sprouts are easy enough to prep, but doing it on Christmas Eve will mean less one job on Christmas morning.  Store in cold water overnight.

4. Chop & Peel The Carrots & Parsnips

Just like sprouts, these can be peeled and chopped and left in water overnight.

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5. Make The Gravy

Make the gravy, even if you don’t have any meat juices yet. You can still make the stock for the base and the added juices once you’ve cooked the meat.

6. Stuff The Bird

While this isn’t the most time-consuming of jobs, it’s lovely to start Christmas Morning knowing that the bird can go straight in the oven, no extra prep needed. So get stuffing, push some butter under the skin and get that bacon lattice on the go.

7. Cook Cauliflower Cheese

Cauliflower cheese is popular Christmas treat in many households and it can also double up as a great veggie or vegan main course too.

The whole dish can be prepared and put together (both cooking the cauliflower and making the cheese sauce!) on Christmas even and then it simply needs cooking in the oven to reheat and brown the cheese topping on Christmas day.

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8. Prep Any Other Veggies

Most veggies for Christmas can be prepped in advance no matter what your family like to eat. Spiced Red Cabbage can be made in the slow cooker on Christmas Eve (and reheated in there on Christmas Day too if you’re short on stove space). Broccoli can be chopped and doesn’t even need to be kept in water overnight.

9.  Make Pigs In Blankets

I always like to make my own pigs in blankets as it’s cheaper and I like full-sized ones as my family love them. This is another easy job that even the children can join in with – just make sure they wash their hands thoroughly afterwards!

10. Cook The Meat

This might be a controversial one, but I am a big fan of cooking meat the day before Christmas. No getting up at 6 am to put the turkey in the oven. No worrying about whether the bird is defrosted or not or whether it will be roasted in time. This also gives the opportunity to cook the meat in the slow cooker – a great option if you’re worried about turkey going dry or beef becoming tough.

Once cooked, allow the meat to cool as this will make carving much easier. Then slice, layer into an oven dish and cover with gravy. Add foil and reheat in the oven while the roast potatoes cook. Much less stress and delicious, tend and moist meat.

11. Make Yorkshire Puddings

Some people might say serving Yorkshire puddings with Christmas dinner is a non-traditional move. However, who doesn’t love a Yorkie pud, for me, Christmas is all about celebrating and enjoying the foods we love.

While many folks will be happy to buy Yorkshire puddings, homemade can be made the day before and then reheated for a few minutes in a hot oven before serving.

Food Items To Prep On Christmas Eve – Final Tips

Here are some final tips for when you’re prepping your food on Christmas Eve.

• Prepping Veg doesn’t have to be a kitchen activity. Get around the dining room table or do it in front of the telly if you want to be around the rest of your family.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help – organizing, preparing and cooking Christmas dinner is a huge task.
• Get the kids involved – children love helping out in the kitchen especially when it comes to peeling, chopping and stirring although I will admit on occasion they can be more of a hindrance than a help.
• If you want to get extra organised, don’t forget many of the things listed here (such as gravy, stuffing and Yorkshire pudding) can be prepped and frozen well ahead of the festive period.
• You can cook veggies on Christmas Eve and then reheat them on Christmas Day to help reduce time spent in the kitchen.
• Reduce prep time by buying pre-prepared vegetables – while it does cost more you may be willing to pay extra for the convenience.