Christmas dinner is nearly at all times a logistical nightmare. One oven doesn’t appear anyplace close to sufficient if you’ve received to wedge a complete turkey in alongside all that roast veg, plus wrangle with a dozen issues on the hob.

And whereas it wouldn’t be Boxing Day with no turkey curry buffet, nobody desires to be ploughing endlessly by means of leftovers into the brand new 12 months.

However there’s no have to panic. With a little bit of planning and cautious procuring, getting your portions spot on is feasible. We requested chef Bob Andrew at natural veg field firm, Riverford, for his high suggestions.

How do you stability urge for food, custom and oven house at Christmas?

“When you have the apron on, you’re answerable for Christmas day. Don’t try something that exceeds your talents or oven house and also you’ll be positive,” says Andrew. “You may put together numerous stuff forward of time to avoid wasting stress on the day. Pre-boil your spuds prepared for the roasting tray, braise your pink cabbage a day upfront (it reheats nicely and the flavours will deepen), and make the bottom on your gravy.

“Your oven will get a exercise, however a little bit of planning will assist. Attempt to by no means go away the oven or hobs empty at any level. Use each little bit of house you’ll be able to to rotate the roasting trays and pans by means of. Know what must be prepared at what time and plan your house nicely.”

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How do you do the Christmas meals store and get your portions proper?

“A Christmas dinner is, at its coronary heart, a winter feast and subsequently the produce is closely seasonal and may all be simple to supply domestically, or from the UK on the very least,” recommends Andrew. “Purple cabbage, parsnips, swedes, spuds, sprouts, potatoes – it’s a who’s who of the winter larder and nothing wants forcing to develop in heated polytunnels, which aren’t environmentally pleasant.

“In fact, we might advocate getting a veg field and all of the trimmings delivered to your door. When it comes to amount, use a Sunday roast as your body of reference and add a 3rd once more for good measure and to keep away from nervousness on the desk.”

If ordering a veg field isn’t an choice, record out your portions primarily based on the variety of visitors you’ll be serving (once more, including a little bit additional in case you can for good measure) earlier than heading to the retailers.

How huge a turkey do you really want?

“Even a small turkey (4-5kg) will provide you with twice what you want for a household of 4, primarily based on a portion dimension of about 300g every, so that you’d have loads of leftovers,” says Andrew. “It may be simpler to forgo a complete chook and go for some smaller rolled joints of legs and/or breast. They won’t look as spectacular on the desk, however might create much less waste and provide you with extra management on cooking each bit to perfection.”

What gadgets must you lower if time, cash and house is brief?

“It at all times bewilders me when individuals insist on serving a starter,” says Andrew. “It appears fully pointless to precede a meal of such heft with but extra meals. Save your self the time, stress and crockery, and begin with the principle occasion.”

What number of Brussels ought to everybody – even sprout haters – eat?

“Should you’ve had a lifelong aversion to sprouts, consuming even a pair on Christmas day is as a lot an achievement as those that pile them excessive with glee, and the beginning of a great behavior.”

What must you at all times have additional of?

“Roast potatoes. Gravy. Endurance.”

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Are you positive you’ll be able to’t have too many roasties or pigs in blankets?

“No, on each counts. Nonetheless, with roast potatoes the amount needs to be curbed by the practicalities of cooking them correctly. In case you are scuffling with oven house, don’t attempt to pile them into the roasting trays, they want a little bit house and floor contact with the tray to brown and crisp correctly,” says Andrew. “Higher to have fewer completely crisp roasties than piles of soggy ones. Plan your timing and house with the purpose of cooking twice what you assume you’ll want. In all my years, I’ve by no means seen a leftover pig in blanket.”

What about condiments?

“You may by no means have an excessive amount of gravy. Cranberry sauce can be utilized judiciously to chop by means of the fats, however in too giant an quantity, it simply appears like somebody has put jam on a superbly good roast dinner,” says Andrew. “Bread sauce is nice however make it thick sufficient to stay as a blob on the sting of the plate, because it ought to by no means bleed into the gravy. Horseradish is a perennial favorite, whether or not there may be beef being served or not, because it goes nicely with brassicas equivalent to sprouts and pink cabbage. Mustard is a should. Banish the ketchup.”

What would you do with leftover?

“All the pieces aside from the crackers and the get together hats could make an important leftover,” says Andrew. “There’s the ‘fry it and put an egg on high’ college of thought, normally served as breakfast to staunch a hangover, however you could be rather more cosmopolitan and refined by creating something from tacos to a bowl of fiery noodles.”

What else ought to we take into consideration earlier than doing the festive huge store?

“At Riverford, we might say {that a} sustainable Christmas dinner actually begins within the fields the place the meals is grown, so in case you can, attempt to help growers and makers which have moral and environmental ideas on the coronary heart of their companies, and British growers the place you’ll be able to,” suggests Andrew.

“Search for reassurance it has been grown or reared in a system that minimises its footprint and invests in wildlife and habitat preservation, equivalent to natural. Spending your cash the place it issues is a present to all of the growers and producers concerned.”