Stress-free serving
Whether cooking on Christmas Day or just having people over for drinks and snacks, here’s how to keep everyone fed and happy
If you’re the cook, make sure to delegate all the other jobs – answering the door, taking coats, serving drinks, setting the table – so you can focus on the food. More hands make less work. Guests or family members often like to help and most recipes involve a bit of prep
that others can handle, too, which gives you a chance to chat while you’re cooking.
Ask guests to bring a dish. Maybe it’s your mum’s go-to cranberry sauce or a friend’s classic Christmas pud (or a recipe from bbcgoodfood. com). Ask them to make it ahead of time to bring along.
Try to keep drinking to a minimum while you cook – it will fill you full of festive cheer, but too much on an empty stomach will slow you down and confuse matters.
Write a checklist. It will help you calmly prepare everything. Try using our time-plan on page 64.