My secret? Don’t make dinner on Christmas Day. Make it two days earlier

Chef Jak O’Donnell has a crucial secret for cooking the perfect dinner on Christmas Day.

She doesn’t do it on Christmas Day but 48 hours before.

Jak, a favourite on TV’s Great British Menu, from The Sisters restaurants in Glasgow, said: “The biggest mistake people make is thinking they need to do everything on Christmas Day.

“Every single bit of preparation can actually be done prior to that and this year I’ll do it all on the Saturday.

“I want to be wrapping any last-minute presents on Christmas Eve and certainly not stressing on the big day.”

Jak’s starter prawns will all have been defrosted, salmon readied and tomatoes, cucumber and shallots diced and chilled on trays, all just ready to serve.

At the same time she’ll make the accompanying bloody Mary dressing of vodka, tomato juice, crème fraiche, mayonnaise, tabasco and Worcestershire sauce and leave it in a jug.

A sorbet is the intermediate course with an alternative of ham and lentil soup for her 10 dinner guests, that’s made on the Sunday evening.

And the stress is taken out of the main course, too.

“The roast potatoes can be par-boiled, roughed up in a colander a couple of days ahead of time and then put in a container in the fridge.

“Then you only need to roast them for 30 minutes rather than an hour of total cooking time. They’ll taste just as good as you doing it all on the day.

“All the roast vegetables can be peeled, chopped and in a container four days in advance and then par-cooked two days ahead.

“I’m doing a roast goose with a venison Wellington but if it’s turkey then make sure you factor in resting time.

“People take it straight out of the oven and on to the table when it should actually rest it for an hour beside the stove.

“When it’s doing that, don’t cover it in tinfoil. I’ve tested it and it only drops by four degrees in an hour. The crisp skin you’ve got from the oven will be spoiled in the tinfoil as the bird will sweat.

“If you have an Uncle George who insists on having it really hot then put your oven to 280 degrees and just 40 seconds of a blast on the surface will do it.”

Jak’s main dessert of clootie dumpling was done weeks’ back and will be served with either spiced orange ice cream, custard or a Drambuie butterscotch sauce – or with all

three.