Four weeks before Christmas

Stay ahead of the game.  Now is a good time to get cracking in the kitchen and prepare those dishes  you can cook now and freeze ahead of time… plus a couple of other tips to help.

1. Freeze now  ready for the big day

There are plenty of things you can cook now to save yourself time later – either for gatherings pre-Christmas or Christmas lunch itself. Bake a large batch of mince pies then keep a few aside in an airtight tin for early Christmas events and store the remaining pies in the freezer. See here for our easy mice pie recipe.

Other foods you can cook now and freeze:

• Stuffing
• Chocolate roulade
• Traditional bread sauce
• Peel, chop and blanch your vegetables ready for the big day

2. Stock up on wrapping paper

Check if you’ve got any wrapping paper left over from last year, then stock up on some new rolls to avoid any last minute stress.

3. Make the Christmas pudding

Did you know that Sunday 30^th November is ‘Stir-Up Sunday’? Traditionally, families gather on the last Sunday before Advent to make the Christmas pudding. Each family member gets to stir the mix and make a wish.  Try our recipe for simple steamed Christmas pudding with pecan topping.