10 make-ahead festive time savers

Home confits

A confit is a great way of preserving your main course weeks in advance. Jamie Russell, head chef at Parisian restaurant Brula, in London, recommends duck. 'Go for six duck legs and ask your butcher to remove the thigh bones,' he says.

'Season with thyme, bay, garlic and sea salt and leave overnight. Next day, wash off and place on a baking tray. Cover completely with 500g (1lb) duck or goose fat and cook in a preheated oven (150C/Gas mark 2) for around 2-3 hours.

Test the duck using a skewer (when cooked the leg meat should fall off the skewer) and store – completely submerged in the fat – for up to eight weeks in the fridge.'

Christmas countdown: Can be made up to eight weeks before

See also: 6 alternatives to the Christmas turkey

Saucy little number

Put the remains of your Sunday roasts to good use in the months before Christmas and freeze down chicken carcasses for gravy. Just pop the carcase, wings and all, into a deep pan with some garlic, veg and peppercorns, and cover with cold water.

Bring to the boil, skim off any fat and simmer for around four hours before pouring through a sieve. Allow it to cool completely and then refrigerate for up to four days, or freeze in 250ml blocks (for up to a month) so you can grab a homemade stock cube in an instant.

Christmas countdown: Can be made up to one month before

See also: 6 alternatives to the Christmas turkey

Root planner

Carrots, parsnips and even roast potatoes can be cooked and frozen a month in advance. Parboil your spuds for around three minutes and drain, giving them a little shake to fluff up and once cold, open-freeze until solid and transfer to freezer bags. Once needed, drop them into hot fat in a baking tray with lashings of garlic and rosemary, and roast until crisp.

Mary Cadogan, author of Good Food: Christmas Made Easy, also suggests a veggie gratin. 'Thinly slice carrots, celeriac and potato, and butter and season between each layer with salt, pepper and thyme sprigs,' she says. 'Pour stock over before dotting with more butter and baking for an hour until the top layer is crisp and nicely browned. Make it the day before and reheat in the oven when the turkey comes out to rest.'

Christmas countdown: Can be made up to one month before

See also: 6 alternatives to the Christmas turkey

Bangers and blankets

'Pigs in blankets are a welcome addition to Christmas dinner and couldn’t be easier,' says master butcher Stuart Cove, from Weeton’s deli in Harrogate. 'For 8-10 people, use 8 rashers of streaky bacon and run a knife along their length so they stretch a little,' says Stuart.

'Spread lightly with 1tbsp English mustard and cut in half. Wrap around 16 small sausages, and spear onto skewers, allowing two rolls per person. Prepare a couple of days in advance and store in the fridge or pop in an air-tight bag or container and freezer for a month. On the day, roast with the turkey for 30-40 minutes until golden.'

Christmas countdown: Can be made up to one month before

See also: 6 alternatives to the Christmas turkey

Earn your crust

'I love making real American pies during the holiday season,' says Channel 4’s Iron Chef Judy Joo, a former pastry chef at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. 'Pastry can be made weeks in advance, and even rolled out into your pie dish and frozen ready for use.

'In a measuring jug, mix 1 egg yolk with ½tbsp apple cider vinegar and enough warm water to make 120ml (4fl oz). In a bowl, mix 430g (15oz) flour, 230g (8oz) lard, and 1½tsp salt.

'Cut the lard into the flour until combined and slowly add the egg mixture, stir, and divide into 2 balls. Press into flat disks to line your pie dishes and refrigerate for an hour before rolling, or wrap well to freeze. Pie fillings are a cinch to throw together – use frozen berries and you won’t have to peel or stone anything!'

Christmas countdown: Can be made up to three weeks before

See also: 6 alternatives to the Christmas turkey

All the trimmings

Flavoured butters – either savoury for rubbing on your roast (try butter with sage, nutmeg, pepper and chopped cranberries) or sweet to go with your pies and puddings (cream together butter, icing sugar and brandy) – can be kept in the fridge for two days.

Fry some mushrooms, onions and garlic with dried thyme, and add them to melted butter in a pan. Pour over some brandy and lemon juice and cook until the liquid has almost evaporated. Spoon into a dish and chill in the fridge ready to lavish on toast soldiers as a pre Christmas starter.

Christmas countdown: Can be made up to two days before

See also: 6 alternatives to the Christmas turkey

Belly buster

Twice-cooked pork belly can be roasted in advance and crisped up on the day (in fact it benefits from being pressed in the fridge for as long as possible). Season a 700g (1.5lb) piece of pork with salt and pepper and rub with oil.

Pour some wine into a roasting tin, adding herbs and garlic cloves, or whatever you fancy, and lay the pork on top, skin side up. Cover with foil and roast for 1½ hours, then remove the foil, baste, and cook for another 45 minutes.

Once cooled, sandwich between two trays and flatten with tins, and leave in the fridge for up to two days. On Christmas day, splash with oil, place in a hot oven for 15 minutes and voilá you have succulent sustenance without any of the slaving!

Christmas countdown: Can be made up to two days before

See also: 6 alternatives to the Christmas turkey

Prefab sprout

A Christmas without sprouts is like Santa without his sleigh, but they can often be forgotten in the flurry of presents, preparations…and Port. While not great for freezing (they’re prone to taking on the flavours of other frozen foodstuffs such as fish fingers) they can be tackled the day before, preparing as normal and parboiling before plunging in cold water.

Drain and store in the fridge and the next day sauté with almonds or chestnuts (vacuum-packed ones only need warming in stock), bacon lardons or garlic, and there you have it – not an overcooked sprout in sight!

Christmas countdown: Can be made one day before

See also: 6 alternatives to the Christmas turkey

Starters orders

'Smoked salmon is perfect before turkey, with a glass of chilled Prosecco, and you can assemble it first thing and place in the fridge until needed. Serve with capers, red onion and crème fraiche, and loads of lemon wedges,' says chef Marianne Lumb, a recent finalist in the BBC’s Professional Masterchef. 

'For non fish eaters try a starter of tallegio (Italian cheese), pears, rocket and hazelnuts with a balsamic dressing. Prepare in the morning (tossing the sliced pears in lemon to avoid browning) and keep under a damp kitchen towel until needed. Serve the dressing on the side and let your guests do the drizzling.'

Christmas countdown: Can be made a couple of hours before

See also: 6 alternatives to the Christmas turkey