Stressless Christmas menu

Christmas doesn’t have to be a stressful time, a little menu planning can be useful to get ahead and enjoy this festive season! So, I have decided to share some ideas during these weeks coming up to Christmas that hopefully can inspire you and help you with your menu planning.

On Christmas day, many will be enjoying a traditional dinner, I have always followed Delia’s Christmas recipes and tips for the big day.

But there is a lot of cooking to do around the big day. Here are a few tips to get us started on our menu planning:

• First of all, think of who you are cooking for: family, friends, dietary requirements, number of people.
• What dishes they enjoy and don’t forget the element of surprise!
• Food cost, that is, if you like me need to keep to a budget, and of course, count on using up leftovers.

And one key tip: keep it simple!

I find it useful to have a list of possible recipes and then I make a weekly menu chart using the list. Here is an example, for this list I have used some tried and tested recipes previously published in this blog with the link to take you straight to it if you’d like to use it.

Starters/sharing platters/light dinners

• Smoked salmon mousse with crostini
• Roasted pumpkin and balsamic roasted beetroot with chickpeas and feta cheese
• Baked camembert with fruit, nuts and crackers
• Beetroot and fennel soup
• Brie and chorizo muffins
• Marinated mushroom with rosemary and feta served with crusty bread
• Herb roulade with ricotta and spinach
• Quinoa/grain salad
• Black rice with mango, avocado and feta

Mains

• Pan-roasted duck breast with Pearl couscous & pomegranate salad
• Caramelised pork loin with sweet & sour sauce
• Stuffed roasted butternut squash with spinach, seeds and mozzarella
• Pan-fried sea bass with roasted ratatouille
• Vegetable/beef/chicken lasagne
• Baked aubergines

Desserts

• Pannacotta with seasonal fruits
• Meringue gateaux with mascarpone cream and fruits
• Tiramisu cups
• Apple, date and walnuts roll with cream
• Ice cream with mocha sauce
• Fruit crumble with ice cream

The following chart is an example of a menu plan. From the menu plan I make a shopping list in that way, I make sure I buy what I need.

Weekly Menu chart					Shopping list
Day	Lunch		Dinner
	Main	Dessert	Main	Dessert
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday

I hope you find these ideas useful and I will be sharing more recipes soon!