Our classic Christmas menu shopping list & time plan
This year, we're taking the stress out of your Christmas meal by planning it all out for you. Below is everything you need for our ultimate take on a classic Christmas dinner, from a printable menu and shopping list to a full time plan for the lead up to the big day.
Our classic Christmas menu shopping list & time plan
This year, we're taking the stress out of your Christmas meal by planning it all out for you. Below is everything you need for our ultimate take on a classic Christmas dinner, from a printable menu and shopping list to a full time plan for the lead up to the big day.
We know as well as anyone that whilst Christmas can be one of the most magical times of the year, it can also have its stresses and many of these stem from the cooking of the Christmas dinner. That's why this year we've taken the time to put together a series of start-to-finish guides for cooking your Christmas meals, getting as much done in advance as possible.
This is our take on the classic Christmas menu, featuring prawn cocktails, Brussels sprouts, confit duck leg and more. Here we've provide you with all the things you need to recreate this epic spread, covering everything from your shopping list to your time plan, to ensure you're as organised as possible in the days leading up to Christmas! You can print off your shopping list and time plan here, to make things as convenient as possible and we've even designed a bespoke printable menu for you, to add a further touch of class to your Christmas table.
Our classic Christmas menu
Our classic Christmas menu covers everything from a starter and sides to a showstopping centrepiece and dessert. You will find the full recipes for each element in the links below, and these are the recipes that we'll be referring to in our time plan further down the page.
Shopping list
This shopping list covers all the ingredients you will need to make our entire classic Christmas menu. Click the print button below to print out the full list and time plan.
Metric
Imperial
Seafood & meat
- 700g of large prawns, with heads and shells on
- 8 duck legs
- 1kg duck fat
- 150g of guanciale, or pancetta if unavailable
- 11 rashers of streaky bacon
Dairy & eggs
- 300ml of whole milk
- 200ml of double cream
- 500g of mascarpone
- 50g of mature cheddar, grated
- 50g of Parmesan
- 2 tbsp of unsalted butter
- 9 eggs
Vegetables & fruit
- 1kg new potatoes
- 600g of Brussels sprouts
- 13 garlic cloves, plus extra as needed
- 1 white onion
- 4 Medjool dates
- 2 oranges
- 2 lemons
- 500g of fresh cranberries
- 3 baby gem lettuces
- salad leaves, for garnishing the duck legs
- 2 handfuls of fresh parsley
- 1 handful of fresh chives
- 4 sprigs of rosemary
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- sage leaves, fresh
Herbs & spices
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 star anise
- 1 pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp flaky sea salt
- salt and pepper to season
Condiments & sauces
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 80g of tomato ketchup
- 50g of cranberry jelly
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp of wholegrain mustard
- 1 tbsp of marmalade
Store cupboard
- 250ml of neutral oil, sunflower or vegetable
- 70ml of lard, or vegetable oil
- 50ml of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp brandy
- 200ml of red wine
- 500ml of beef stock
- 175g of plain flour
- 300g of caster sugar, plus extra if needed
- 1 handful of Panko breadcrumbs
- 50g of white breadcrumbs
- 300g of ladyfinger
- 250ml of strong coffee
- 2 tbsp of cocoa powder
- gingerbread biscuits
- 1 handful of sesame seeds
- 100g of cooked chestnuts, chopped
- 9 eggs
- 50g of milk chocolate
- crispy shallots
Christmas cookery time plan
Here is our classic Christmas menu time plan, beginning a few days before Christmas Day, to ensure you can get as much of your prep done in advance as possible. Follow this carefully and you'll hugely reduce the amount of work you need to do on the day itself. You'll need to refer back to the full recipes linked at the top of this page for specific steps.
Up to 3 days before serving
There's only one task on the agenda today, and that's to begin your duck main course:
Make the confit duck legs, cool and refrigerate until Christmas day
1 day before serving
Today, you'll be preparing some of your sauces in advance, as well as making your tiramisu:
Make the cranberry sauce (found in confit duck leg platter recipe), cool and store in the fridge
Make the medjool date and red wine gravy. Cool and store in the fridge
Make the gingerbread tiramisu, but don’t add the crumbled gingerbread, cocoa or grated chocolate, as this will be added before serving. Cover the tiramisu and chill in the fridge overnight
Christmas Day
The day has finally arrived but there should be a bit less to do in the kitchen than you might be used to, thanks to the prep you've already completed. We've still broken things down by hour, so you can stay on top of every element:
Roast the potatoes for the hasselback potatoes and set aside
Poach the prawns for the starter and chill in the fridge for later use
Blanch the Brussels sprouts for the gratin, then set aside
Make the batter for the toad in the hole, then let rest at room temperature until baking
Make the Marie Rose sauce for the prawn cocktail cups and refrigerate
Make the chestnut gremolata for the hasselback potatoes and set aside at room temperature
Assemble the Brussels sprouts gratin and chill
Finish and cook the hasselback potatoes. Saving the final garnishes until serving
Make the panko crumb for the prawn cocktail baby gem cups and store in an airtight container until needed
Assemble the baby gem lettuce cups, reserving the Marie Rose sauce, panko crumb and garnish until serving
Lay the confit duck out on a tray and place in the oven for around 7-10 minutes, before turning the oven onto the grill setting and crisping up
Remove the duck from the oven, turn it back onto fan setting, then add in the toad in the hole and the Brussels sprouts gratin. Ensuring they are both able to fit side by side, on one level in the oven
Reheat the gravy and the cranberry sauce and keep warm
Plate the starter: Make the starter just before you serve.
Plate the main course: Build your confit duck platter with salad leaves, the duck legs, cranberry sauce and orange segments. Make sure all your sides are hot and ready to serve
Finish & serve the dessert: Dust your tiramisu with cocoa powder and sprinkle with crumbled gingerbread and grated chocolate just before serving
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