The stress-free turkey and trimmings dinner that you can prep in advance and impress all your Christmas guests

IF the prospect of cooking the biggest meal of the year seems daunting, fear not, because master of meal planning Sarah Rossi, AKA @Tamingtwins has it covered.

Here, she shares her tricks for pulling off the ultimate family dinner in style - straight from her new cookbook (£22, HarperNonFiction), out now.

And Sarah should know what it takes to keep calm and carry on – she’s used to cooking for her “noisy blended family” made up of her husband, her twins and their dog, as well as four adult stepchildren.

Roast turkey, stress-free roasties, all the veg and a showstopping dessert, these recipes really are crowd-pleasers.

Sarah says: “My glazed carrots and parsnips are a favourite side dish for me, not just because it tastes delicious, but also because one oven tray is delivering two vegetables – that’s the kind of efficiency we need for this busy meal.”

You'll also find some fab tips to save you time and effort, like using foil trays, which Sarah says are a "life-saver" as they avoid you having to wash up loads of roasting pans.

Classic Roast Turkey

Serves 6-8
Takes 3 hrs 20 mins, plus resting time (based on a 4kg turkey)

Ingredients
*4kg whole turkey or crown
*250g smoked streaky bacon rashers

For the herb butter:
*250g salted butter, at room temperature
*20g fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
*20g fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
*2 lemons, zested
*1 orange, zested

Method:

1 Remove the turkey from the fridge and set aside. Put the herb butter ingredients in a bowl and mash together.
2 Remove any giblets and put the turkey into a well-lined roasting tin or a foil tray placed on a baking tray. Pat the turkey dry with kitchen towel, then use a knife to part the skin from the breasts at the highest point. Using a clean hand, separate the skin from the meat. Repeat on the other side of the bird, too.
3 Push half of the herb butter under the skin. You can use your hands on top of the skin to push it down. Spread the rest of the butter over the top. Lay the rashers over the turkey breast (I like to criss-cross them to stop them falling off as they cook). Cover loosely with foil.
4 When you’re ready, preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6 and cook according to timings on the turkey packaging, basing the cooking time on its weight.
5 Baste it every hour or so. If, an hour before the end of the cooking time, the outside of the turkey or bacon are not browning, remove the foil to allow for a crispy finish.
6 When the turkey is cooked, remove from the oven but leave it in its tray. Set aside somewhere not too chilly and keep it covered. Pop a clean towel on top of the foil to keep the heat in and let it rest for about 1 hour.
7 When you’re ready to serve, pour the resting juices from the tray into your gravy (if you wish). Place the turkey on a platter and carve.

To make ahead
Prep to the end of Step 3 up to 24 hours before you’re ready to cook the turkey. Cover and chill overnight, then cook as normal in the morning. A fridge-cold turkey may take a little longer to cook than a room temperature one

Stress-Free Roast Potatoes

Serves 6
Takes 1 hr 30 mins

Ingredients
*1.5kg white potatoes (I like Maris Piper or King Edward), peeled and cut in half or thirds
*150ml sunflower oil
*1tbsp onion granules
*1/2tsp sea salt

Method
1 Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C fan/gas mark 7.
2 Put the potatoes into a saucepan of cold salted water, pop on the lid, bring to the boil and cook for 10 minutes, until just starting to soften.
3 Meanwhile, pour 60ml (about 4tbsp) oil into a large roasting tray and place in the oven to heat up.
4 Drain the potatoes and put them back into the hot saucepan to dry for 5 minutes.
5 Add the remaining oil to the potatoes, along with the onion granules and sea salt. Put the lid back on the pan and give them a really good shake.
6 Carefully tip the potatoes into the hot oil in the tray. The oil should be so hot that when you drop the potato in you can hear it bubbling. Toss quickly until they are well coated, and roast for about 1 hour, until golden and crispy all over (I always allow at least 1 hour 15 minutes)

To make ahead
The day before with part-baking
Follow the method, but roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour. They should be almost done but not quite crispy enough to serve. Leave to cool, cover and place in the fridge overnight. To finish off the following day, cook for 15-30 minutes until golden and crispy (this can take a while as the potatoes will be cold from the fridge).

Without part-baking
Follow the method until the end of Step 5 (do not heat the oil at Step 3). Leave to cool, cover and place in the fridge until ready to roast. Heat the oil as per Step 3 and follow the rest of the method.

Making ahead to freeze
Follow the method until Step 5 (do not heat the oil at Step 3). Put the potatoes on a tray lined with baking paper and freeze uncovered, making sure the potatoes are not touching, for at least 1 hour. Once they have hardened, transfer to a freezer-safe container (this stops them sticking together). You can keep them frozen for up to a month. Defrost overnight in the fridge, heat the oil as per Step 3 and follow the remaining steps

Festive Brussels Sprouts

Serves 6
Takes 15 mins

Ingredients
*750g Brussels sprouts (unpeeled weight), peeled and trimmed
*200g diced smoked pancetta (or smoked bacon lardons)
*150g cooked chestnuts (the vacuum-packed type), roughly chopped (optional)
*50g parmesan, grated (optional)

Method
1 Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil. Plunge in the sprouts and cook for 5 minutes, then drain and transfer to a bowl of very cold water (don’t skip this step, it stops them overcooking). Let them sit for 1 minute, then drain and set aside.
2 Heat a large frying pan or saucepan over a high heat and fry the pancetta until crispy.
3 Add the sprouts, as well as the chestnuts (if using), and fry for 5 minutes, until they are hot through and coated in fat. Season with salt and pepper, and parmesan (if using).

To make ahead
The day before, cook and cool the sprouts to the end of Step 1. Fry the pancetta until crispy. Put the cold sprouts and the frying pan with the cooked pancetta, covered, in the fridge. When you’re ready to cook, put the pan on the hob over a high heat, until the oil that the pancetta released is very hot. Add the cold sprouts and the chestnuts (if using) then pan-fry for 5 minutes, until they are hot through and coated in oil. Top with parmesan (if using).

Pigs In Blankets

Serves 6
Takes 30 mins

Ingredients
*1tsp sunflower oil
*12 chipolata sausages
*120g streaky bacon (6 rashers), smoked or unsmoked (whichever you prefer)

Method
1 Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/gas mark 6.
2 Brush or wipe the base of a baking tray with the oil – the sausages will release some fat as they cook, but this helps them not to stick initially.
3 Using scissors, cut each piece of streaky bacon in half, so you end up with two shorter pieces. Wrap each sausage in a piece of streaky bacon.
4 Put the wrapped sausages on the baking tray and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until browned and cooked through.

To make ahead
Cook as per step 4, but for only 20 minutes. Cool, cover and store in the fridge. The next day finish cooking by baking in the hot oven for 10-15 minutes. (They will take a little longer than the total time above, as they have been cold in the fridge.) Ensure that they are golden brown and cooked through before serving.

Glazed Carrots And Parsnips

Serves 6
Takes 50 minutes

Ingredients
*750g parsnips, peeled and quartered
*750g carrots, peeled and quartered
*4tbsp sunflower oil
*8tbsp honey (or maple syrup)
*4tsp dried thyme

Method
1 Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 180°C fan/gas mark 6 and line a baking tray with baking paper.
2 Put the vegetables in a large bowl with the oil, half the honey or maple syrup, thyme and plenty of salt and pepper. Toss until everything is coated, then place on the lined tray and roast in the oven for 20 minutes.
3 Turn the vegetables over and roast for a further 20 minutes until sticky and tender.
4 Remove from the oven and drizzle with the remaining honey, before serving.

To make ahead
Day before with part-roasting
Roast for 30 minutes, or until just colouring at the edges. Leave to cool, then cover and refrigerate. When ready to serve, roast for 15 minutes. Drizzle with remaining honey.

Without part-roasting
Follow the recipe to the point where you toss the veg in the honey, thyme and oil, and spread out on a baking tray. Cover and place in the fridge. When ready to serve, roast for 40 minutes (turning halfway). Drizzle with remaining honey.

Making ahead to freeze
Follow the recipe to the point where you toss the veg in the honey, thyme and oil, and spread out on a baking tray. Freeze uncovered, making sure they’re not touching, for at least 1 hour. Once hard, transfer into a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to a month. When ready to serve, defrost and roast for 40 minutes (turning halfway). Drizzle with remaining honey.

Wreath Pavlova

Serves 8
Takes 1 hr 20 mins, plus cooling

Ingredients
For the meringue
*4 egg whites
*250g caster sugar
For the sauce
*150g raspberries (fresh, or frozen and defrosted)
*2tbsp icing sugar, sifted

For the topping
*300ml double cream
*2tbsp icing sugar, sifted
*150g fresh cherries
*80g pomegranate seeds
*225g fresh raspberries
*Fresh mint, to garnish (optional)

Method
1 Preheat the oven to 160°C/140°C fan/gas mark 3.
2 Draw a wreath shape on a sheet of baking paper (not greaseproof paper) using a pencil. Draw around a small dinner plate to make the outside edge. Now use a small glass or ramekin to mark the inside circle. Flip the paper over (so the egg mixture doesn’t touch the pencil marks) and sit it on a baking tray.
3 For the meringue, whip the egg whites in a bowl with a hand-held electric whisk or stand mixer with whisk attachment until they form stiff peaks, then gradually add the sugar, whisking well as you go.
4 Use a dot or two of the egg white mixture to “glue” the paper to the baking tray. Spoon the meringue mix on to the template and smooth the top. Bake for 50-60 minutes until dry and crisp. Turn off the oven and leave it to cool in the oven to avoid cracking.
5 For the sauce, mash the raspberries and then squish through a sieve into a bowl. Stir in the icing sugar.
6 For the topping, whisk the double cream in a bowl with the icing sugar until it forms soft peaks.
7 Top the meringue with cream, fruit, sauce and mint.

To make ahead
After your meringue has cooled, store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. Prep the sauce and toppings and finish just before serving.