Planning Christmas dinner can be a stressful task. The meal holds great importance in many households, representing a time when family and friends all come together to enjoy a delicious feast. With years of experience in the kitchen, many famous chefs have discovered how to create the best Christmas dinner menu. Here are a couple of their tips and tricks to preparing a fabulous feast, worry-free.
Marcus Wareing
Marcus believes the key to a perfect Christmas meal is to share responsibilities, and works with his wife to create the perfect Christmas dinner menu. Marcus isnโt too keen on sharing the praise thoughโฆ
โCooking the Christmas dinner is a joint effort in our house. When I get home from work, I do the finishing touches and take all the glory for it.โ
Nigella Lawson
Queen of comfort food Nigellaโs Christmas tip involves the addition of a classic British beverage and touches on the importance of hard work:
โI would say to write a list of everything you plan to cook and then go away, drink a cup of tea, and come back and look at the list again, and strike out about half the dishes you’d planned.โ
John Torode
John agrees that delegating jobs to guests is an excellent way to make cooking Christmas day dinner a stress-free experience. His advice is simple, and draws on a family tradition that he enjoyed as a child. His advice?
โPay the kids to do the washing up.โ
Mary Berry
As well as enjoying Christmas dinner, it appears Mary is a fan of spending the days after Christmas just living on leftovers as she advises to:
โBe sure to have enough tin foil and clingfilm in case the shops are shut over the Christmas holiday.โ
James Martin
Despite making a name for himself as the great chef of Saturday Kitchen, James is rarely in the UK for his Christmas dinner and prefers to spend the festive period jet-setting. For those who arenโt spending Christmas day on a beach in the Maldives, James advises to:
โGo round to a chefโs house, or invite a chef for dinner!โ
Tom Kerridge
Chef or artist? Tom believes the key to impressing guests with your Christmas dinner ideas isnโt about the flavours but instead by focusing on the presentation:
โAnything goes, sprigs of holly, whatever. Christmas is an amazing time, thereโs nothing wrong with being a bit flamboyant.โ
Gordon Ramsay
Gordonโs restaurants hold a collective 16 Michelin Stars, with his signature restaurant in Chelsea one of only five places in the UK to have three Stars to his name. So, what exemplary tips does this top chef have? Follow his recipes orโฆ
โAlways emulate your mother.โ
Ina Garten
Before becoming a chef, the Barefoot Contessa was a budget analyst for the Office of Management and Budget in the White House, responsible for the nuclear energy budget for two US presidents. As such, it comes as no surprise that she has such masterful advice on how to make the perfect Christmas dinner:
โBuy the right ingredients.โ
