I’m a chef – here’s what you can prepare for Christmas dinner now so you can put your feet up on the day
CHRISTMAS DAY is often a busy time for parents.
As much as we enjoy seeing our kids' faces opening presents, there's a lot to prepare for the big day.
But one celebrity chef reveals to Fabulous what you can prepare ahead of the day so that you can actually put your feet up and enjoy Christmas with your children.
Tristan Welch is a celebrity chef who has appeared on Snackmasters, The Great British Menu and Cooking With the Stars.
The chef also shares recipes to reduce food waste on his TikTok account .
But he reveals to Fabulous six Christmas day dishes you can prep to make life a little easier.
No stress roast potatoes
Let's be honest, we all love a good roasty.
But par-boiling potatoes and making sure the oil is hot before putting them in the oven can be stressful - especially when you're trying to cook ten other things.
But Tristan reveals there are two totally stress-free ways to make them either on the day or ahead without compromising on quality.
He explains: “To ease the stress of roast potatoes, try baking the spuds in their jackets and then cutting into quarters before frying off in some duck fat.
“Or, you can just make them in advance. Peel, boil and roast them until they’re half-way done.
"Then pop them in the freezer and, on Christmas Day, simply brush them with oil and give them 20 more minutes in the oven.”
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Ready red cabbage
Would it be a roast dinner without a side of red cabbage? We didn't think so.
And fortunately, red cabbage is a vegetable that takes to freezing extremely well so you can have the side-dish sorted weeks in advance.
The chef recommends: "Slice and cook down the cabbage with some brown sugar, apple-cider vinegar, cinnamon and cloves until beautifully glossy.
"Then, pop it in the freezer and on Christmas Day just warm it back up.”
Pre-roast vegetables
Luckily you can also prep your root vegetables in advance as well to make Christmas dinner fuss-free.
Tristan adds: "If you want to prep your roasted veggies now ahead of the big day, just select, peel and chop them into even sizes.
"Add in garlic, herbs, olive oil, salt and pepper, then wrap it all up into a tin foil parcel.
"The parcel can be popped in the freezer, completely raw and uncooked.
"Then on Christmas Day, put the tin foil parcel in the oven for an hour and your roasted veg will be perfectly cooked and completely delicious."
Speedy stuffing
Dealing with sausage meat on top of a Turkey, pigs in blankets and an abundance of side dishes is the last thing you want to do on Christmas morning.
So you'll be pleased to know this can also be made in advance and put in the freezer ready for the big day.
The chef reveals: "Take your sausage meat and add a third of stale bread crumbs to it and add some nuts, sage and apple for moisture, if the mix seems dry you can add a dash of water and that will bring it all together nicely.
"Then get a sheet of tin foil and lay out your stuffing on it before rolling up into a sausage and bake in the oven at 160C until cooked (around 25-30 mins).
"Let it cool and then slice it up and pop it into the freezer, on Christmas Day, you can just put the slices in an oven dish and heat back up."
Pigs in Blanket
For many of us, these little bites of meat are the epitome of Christmas dinner.
But instead of spending ages individually wrapping each tiny sausage in bacon, Tristan recommends making larger ones to cut down prep time.
He says: "When it comes to pigs in blankets, I say go big or go home.
"Get great big bangers and wrap them up into a whole rasher of bacon.
"That way you don’t have to do so many of those time-consuming little piglets!
"You can do one of these jumbo piggies between two and they look amazing on the Christmas table."
Christmas Pudding Ice Cream
For those of us who can't stomach a full slice of Christmas Pudding, Tristen's ice cream may be just the answer.
All you need is a clementine, Christmas Pudding and some vanilla ice cream.
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He reveals: "Buy a single portion of Christmas Pudding and roast it in the oven until slightly crispy.
"Crumble and add a sprinkle of clementine zest before folding through some vanilla ice cream – you can even add a dash of brandy (if it’s just for the grown-ups).”