Holiday hub
The holidays, one plan at a time
Christmas dinner, the party, New Year’s Eve. Countdown timelines that know where you are, amounts for the number actually coming, and a kitchen check before the oven finds out for you.
Christmas Day
December 25. We'll count the days once the page knows today's date.
New Year's Eve
December 31. The countdown before the countdown.
Starting today
Christmas Dinner
The roast, a vegetarian centrepiece beside it, and an oven schedule that leaves time for presents.
5 weeks before
- · Confirm who is hosting where and who is coming.
- · Order the meat from a butcher; December slots fill up.
- · Plan the menu, including a vegetarian main that is not an afterthought.
- · Make the Christmas cake or black cake so it has time to mature.
2 weeks before
- · Buy wine, spirits, crackers and non-perishables.
- · Make and freeze pastry, stuffing and gravy base.
- · Plan the table setting and check you have enough of everything.
- · Order any specialist items like chestnuts or good cheese.
1 week before
- · Check dietary needs and share arrival and eating times.
- · Write the Christmas Day cooking schedule, counting back from the meal.
- · Clear fridge and freezer space; a cool box helps for drinks.
- · Wrap presents now rather than on Christmas Eve.
2 days before
- · Collect the meat and do the fresh shop.
- · Make braised red cabbage and cranberry sauce; both improve overnight.
- · Make dessert that keeps, like a flourless chocolate cake.
Christmas Eve
- · Assemble the wellingtons and chill them; peel and slice potatoes into water.
- · Lay the table fully, crackers and all.
- · Chill white wine and sparkling; decant any red that needs air in the morning.
- · Put out candles and greenery.
Christmas Day
- · Bake the dauphinoise first; it holds happily while the mains cook.
- · Bake the wellingtons to finish 15 minutes before serving so they can rest.
- · Warm the glögg gently and never let it boil.
- · Open presents while the main course is in the oven.
- · Serve dessert after a proper pause, with coffee.
Boxing Day
- · Turn leftovers into a bubble and squeak or a pie.
- · Refrigerate leftovers promptly and use them within three to four days.
Countdown
Holiday Party
Holiday parties have no fixed date, so the timeline counts back from whichever evening you choose.
5 weeks before
- · Pick a date early; December weekends fill fast.
- · Send a save-the-date to the whole list.
- · Decide on bites and boards rather than a sit-down meal.
3 weeks before
- · Send invitations with arrival window and a reply-by date.
- · Rent or borrow glasses; you need more than you think.
- · Plan the menu so most bites bake from frozen.
- · Buy or gather greenery, lights and candles.
1 week before
- · Make and freeze gougères, sausage rolls and pot-pie puffs unbaked.
- · Buy wine, spirits and mixers.
- · Confirm numbers and ask about dietary needs.
- · Plan the playlist and any small gift exchange.
Day before
- · Buy cheese, fruit, bread and ice.
- · Make chocolate pots and polenta; set up boards covered in the fridge.
- · Move furniture to open up the room and set a coat spot.
- · Hang lights and greenery; set out candles.
Day of
- · Warm mulled wine and a punch an hour before the start.
- · Set drinks at the far end of the room and food in the middle.
- · Bake bites in waves every 30 to 45 minutes so there is always something warm.
- · Put cheese out an hour ahead so it comes to room temperature.
- · Clear empty glasses and plates every half hour.
Day after
- · Return rented glasses and recycle bottles.
- · Send a quick thank-you note and share photos.
Starting today
New Year's Eve Party
Food that holds until midnight, a bar that doesn't run dry, and something alcohol-free worth toasting with.
4 weeks before
- · Send invitations early; people make New Year's plans in November.
- · Plan bites that arrive in two waves: early evening and around eleven.
- · Decide how you will count down: TV, a stream or a clock on screen.
2 weeks before
- · Order sparkling wine and a zero-proof sparkling alternative.
- · Buy decorations: metallic balloons, streamers, noisemakers.
- · Borrow or rent flutes; count one per guest plus spares.
1 week before
- · Confirm numbers and ask how people are getting home.
- · Make and freeze gougères and arancini to bake on the night.
- · Build a playlist that peaks just before midnight.
Day before
- · Buy cheese, fish, fruit and ice.
- · Make chocolate pots, devilled egg filling and a batched cocktail.
- · Clear space for dancing and a drinks station.
Day of
- · Chill sparkling wine in the fridge from the morning, in ice from 10 pm.
- · Put out olives, boards and cold bites at the start.
- · Bake the warm wave at about 10:30 so it lands before midnight.
- · Hand out noisemakers and pour flutes at 11:50.
- · Put coffee and water out after midnight for the journey home.
New Year's Day
- · Recycle bottles and return borrowed glasses.
- · Make a simple late breakfast from the leftovers.
Just the numbers
Holiday calculators
Which holiday are you hosting?
Say who’s coming and what your kitchen is like. We’ll size the menu and check it fits.