Your Christmas lunch time plan (2024)

The hordes have arrived and the fridge is ready to erupt, but pulling together the perfect menu on time, without breaking a sweat, is easier said than done. With food and guests vying for attention, your time plan is your secret weapon. Our Christmas cooking timeline will help keep your seasonal kitchen a stress-free zone this year, leaving you with less time faffing in the kitchen and more time enjoying Christmas. We've also included our make-ahead recipe plan, so you can get plenty of prep done before the big day.

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Christmas recipe inspiration

Start by planning out your recipes and work out what you can prepare before Christmas Day. The final push should be all about cooking or reheating, not peeling and chopping. Check out our Christmas dinner recipes to pick your perfect menu, complete with centrepiece, sides and sauces. And use our roast timer calculator to get perfect turkey every time.

Need a ready-planned day of deliciousness? Pick from our complete Christmas menus, whether you need a vegetarian menu, a last-minute dinner you can whip up in a flash or a healthy Christmas menu.

Printable Christmas time plan

Click on the link below to access a printable version of our Christmas meal time plan, work out what time you'd like to eat and then fill in the gaps. Christmas has never been so easy!

Christmas time plan

To serve our Christmas lunch at 2.30pm

Recipe inspiration

Here are some recipes you may want to cook as part of a classic Christmas dinner, including a turkey centrepiece and all the trimmings.

Christmas menu – serves eight

Cider roast turkey
Roast garlic make-ahead gravy

Croissant bread sauce

Chilli-charred brussels sprouts
Honeyed hasselback carrots
Christmas spiced red cabbage
Buttery caraway carrots
Golden roast potatoes

Pudding

Not your traditional Christmas pudding, but a winner for all the adults is our served with custard Chantilly. For something more child-friendly, try our cute igloo cake, complete with a penguin family.

Getting ahead

Prep for the big day with our festive make-ahead recipes, featuring roast potatoes, sprouts, stuffing and more. All make-ahead dishes should be kept in the fridge or freezer until ready to be cooked.

Up to one month ahead

Cook, cool and freeze:

Up to three days ahead

Make and chill:

The flavour-bomb butter for the turkey
Easy red cabbage

Up to two days ahead

Salt the turkey, then keep chilled and uncovered in the roasting tin
Parboil the potatoes for roasting with the truffle and parmesan, then keep covered and chilled, ready to put in the oven when needed
Start to defrost anything you've pre-prepared and frozen

Christmas Eve

Prep the and keep chilled on a baking tray ready to go in the oven
Assemble sweet-chilli glazed pigs in blankets on another baking tray, ready to go into the oven on Christmas Day
Make the batter for the crumbled Yorkshire puddings and keep chilled

Christmas Day

9.30am: Remove the turkey and flavour-bomb butter from the fridge to come to room temperature.

11am: Prep the onions and carrots to go under the turkey and smother the turkey with the butter.

11.15am: Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.

11.30pm: Put the turkey in the oven.

12pm: While the turkey cooks, get the stuffing balls and pigs in blankets cooked on the shelf below, one at a time, then remove to reheat later, if needed.

12.30pm: Turn the roasting tin containing the turkey.

1pm: Heat the oil for the roast potatoes for 5 mins, then add the potatoes and put in the oven.

1.15pm: Take the temperature of the turkey – remove if ready; if not, give it another 15-20 mins.

1.25pm: Turn and baste the potatoes.

1.45pm: Turn the potatoes and baste again. Make the gravy. Put the cheesy leeks in the oven.

2pm: Remove the potatoes from the oven, sprinkle with parmesan and return to the oven for 2 mins. Turn the oven up to 220C/ 200C fan/ gas 7. Once the potatoes are out, get the yorkies in and reheat the stuffing balls and pigs in blankets. Reheat the carrot & swede mash, the red cabbage and the bread sauce in a microwave, or over a low flame.

2.15pm: Remove the leeks from the oven. Assemble all the dishes and bring to the table by 2.3opm. Enjoy!

Find more Christmas recipe inspiration...

Christmas shopping list – essential buys for the big day
Christmas dinner recipes
Christmas portion planner