Recipes, time plans and tips for all your Christmas cooking

Feeling daunted about cooking through the festive season?

Want to get ahead so you're not stuck in the kitchen while everyone else is having fun?

Want to shop well to save money and avoid waste?

My guide allows you to enjoy inviting people over and spend time having fun, rather than being stuck in the kitchen. It is what I use every year so that I can enjoy Christmas.

From Christmas day to a dinner party with friends and all my leftover tips, you'll get everything you need for the next few weeks in one place - here!

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“I bought this for the Christmas Day guide but ended up making nearly everything. I invited my friends around and made your dinner party menu on a work night. Noone could believe I'd made it and could serve food like that without spending all day in the kitchen. The recipes are so interesting, easy to follow and the tips about prepping ahead are brilliant. I will recommend it to everyone" - Angela

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“Thank you so much! I'd never made Christmas dinner before but following your guide made it so easy. I think my mother in law was mad she enjoyed it so much and that I was so calm!” - Claire

enjoy cooking this christmas

Invite friends over for a festive dinner party - all prepped ahead so you can sparkle instead of sweat.

Get most of the Christmas dinner prepped in small chunks ahead of time so you can enjoy the big day.

Shop sensibly, waste nothing and know exactly what to do with any leftovers.

Have everything you need in one place so you're not frantically googling turkey cooking times, potato quantities or all the other things you panic about.

Use the same time plan I use every year so you can enjoy the best bits of Christmas and the days around.

Save money and packaging by making things yourself, with the confidence they will taste way better than anything you can buy.

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“I've resented making Christmas dinner for years and was tempted to just buy everything ready done. But I'm so glad I bought this instead. It was the best Christmas dinner I've ever had and I made it! I reckon I saved a fortune - not just because I made everything in the run up from scratch, but also because we used the leftovers to make lovely meals after. I know what I could freeze and what to add to make things taste fresh and exciting.” - Simon

Your complete guide includes

Part 1 – A stress free Christmas or New Year’s dinner party…

This menu works just as well for a buffet, a casual dinner party or a Christmas Eve dinner. Everything can be prepped ahead, and most of it can be frozen. You will get an invite to a zoom Q&A where you can ask any questions.

You’ll get all these recipes, a detailed time plan and my prep ahead tips...

Welcome cocktail

Parmesan and sesame biscuits with almost instant apricot and thyme chutney.

Baked ham with a Christmassy glaze.

Winter salad of massaged kale, carrots, clementines, toasty nuts and goats cheese.

Winter slaw.

Herb Hassleback potatoes.

Fruit and almond tart with clementine cream.

Part 2 – The big day – how to enjoy Christmas day without spending hours in the kitchen​…

You’ll get all these detailed tried and tested recipes, including details of what can be prepped ahead and frozen; tips on where to buy the best ingredients and what equipment to use.

You’ll also get a detailed plan for what you can get done between now and Christmas Day to make the day a breeze. Plus, you get my detailed time plan for Christmas Day. These recipes will also work brilliantly for Thanksgiving or Sunday roasts throughout the year.

Buying, cooking and serving the perfect turkey – what size to order, timings, temperatures, carving and seasoning.

Make-ahead and freeze gravy.

Crunchy bay and honey parsnips.

Sage, date and barley stuffing.

Potato and celeriac purée.

Roast Brussels with pancetta, Marsala and chestnuts.

Bread sauce.

Cranberry and orange sauce.

The best crunchy roast potatoes.

Carrot mash.

Pigs in blankets wreath

Part 3  – Lovely leftovers…

Learn exactly how to safely save and use leftovers and how to use them as a blank canvas to create all sorts of delicious meals to reawaken a jaded palate after Christmas.

Find out exactly what can be frozen, how long things can stay in the fridge and how to safely re-heat things.

You’ll get all these recipes – which can also easily be made from scratch throughout the year without leftovers – as well as some other simple ideas to use your leftovers.

Smoked salmon or trout pâté, crisp capers, speedy pickled radish and rye toasts.

Indian potato cakes with chutney, salad and the best coronation turkey.

Thai turkey and greens fried brown rice.

Panettone and chocolate ice cream layer cake.

The best 3 turkey sandwiches.

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“I wish I'd bought this when my kids were younger, I feel like I spent so much of their early Christmas days in a bad mood in the kitchen. Following your guide made it all feel a bit too easy! And the flavours were amazing. I never thought I'd turn out something as delicious as I did, and actually enjoy Christmas Day."

meal plan

Hey, I'm Gemma

but all my friends call me Gem.

I’ve spent 12 years teaching thousands of busy people to become confident, organised and creative home cooks.

Christmas cooking should feel like a celebration, not a drain. With the right plan and recipes you can enjoy the best Christmas food you've eaten without stressing or wasting money.

You can now buy my stress-free Christmas cooking guide, containing all my recipes, time plans and tips, as if I'm by your side cheering you on.

I cover everything from the Christmas Day dinner, a dinner party menu and what to do with leftovers.

All my recipes are written for any level of cook and my years of teaching, answering all sorts of questions, means I explain everything so you can confidently recreate everything yourself.

All the recipes have had the ultimate test of being cooked live and served in my classes, as well as to tables full of family and friends over the years. So, you can confidently cook up a storm without stressing out.

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Questions?

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