Fine-Dining Chefs Share Their Christmas Dinner Tips

For many, Christmas dinner is a highlight of the festive season. Whether you’re a seasoned pro who has managed the cooking for years, or a novice attempting the indulgent dinner for the first time this year, the task can be stressful.

To reduce some of the stress, chefs from five-star hotel The Grand, York, have shared their advice for perfecting this festive favourite – from planning what to serve on the plate to cooking all trimmings.

What belongs on a Christmas Dinner plate?

A classic debate during the festive season is what to include on your Christmas dinner plate.

Kevin Bonello, Executive Head Chef at Legacy explains, “The UK is a very multicultural country, which gives us the chance to experiment with many more varied options for Christmas Dinner. Serving multiple meats is becoming more popular, as well as adding different sauces, chutney and side dishes. Of course, there are still families who like to stick to tradition and serve up turkey with all its trimmings – it’s all up to personal preference.”

Marc Williams, Director of The Cookery School at The Grand, York, adds, “As a Yorkshire-based chef, Yorkshire puddings are always on my Christmas dinner plate – Christmas to me is about excess! They are great to prepare ahead of time to reduce time spent in the kitchen on Christmas Day. Make them the day before and place them in the freezer, then just pop them into the oven ten minutes before you are ready to serve up.”

Ahmed Abdalla, Head Chef at Legacy says, “I’m all for experimenting, but personally I think sweetcorn has no place on a Christmas dinner plate. I love sweetcorn but there’s a time and place for it!”

Simplicity is key for a perfect turkey

To prevent serving a dry turkey roast, or worse, an undercooked one, avoid complicated recipes and stick to Kevin’s simple advice.

“I always cook turkey as a crown, with a parsley and sage butter, spread between the skin and the breast meat. The key with turkey is to check the core temperature has reached 75°C to ensure the meat is fully cooked through. Once the bird is cooked, cover it with aluminium foil and allow it to rest. Resting is the most important part when cooking turkey as it allows all the juices to be absorbed and keeps the meat moist. I like to rest the crown for half the cooking time, so if you are cooking it for two hours, allow the meat to rest for at least one hour before carving.”

Use an air fryer for the trimmings

Now a staple in many UK kitchens, air fryers are a useful appliance when it comes to making Christmas dinner cooking easier.

Marc says, “Air fryers are fantastic for roast potatoes and cut down cooking times drastically. The air fryers with two sections are great for cooking at different temperatures. Try honey-glazed parsnips on one side at 180°C and roast potatoes on the other at 200°C. This will make the day easy and free up some oven space if needed, just don’t try to cram a turkey in the air fryer!”

Kevin suggests using the air fryer for another festive favourite – pigs in blankets, “Wrap small pork sausages in thin sliced streaky bacon and cook in the air fryer at 180°C until golden brown. Finish with a drizzle of honey when serving for an extra indulgent touch.”

Don’t try to please everyone

Whilst Christmas is all about bringing everyone together to celebrate, it is impossible to please everyone.

Ahmed says, “It’s always difficult with Christmas dinner because everyone has their own ideas and methods when approaching it. To avoid stress, stay ahead of time and put the right planning in place. Sticking to your plan and timings is a sure way to remain calm and focused.

All things considered, it’s the tradition of spending time with loved ones which is most important and special. The food will always come second to this, so try to not feel too pressured to make everything perfect, and don’t be shy to pour a glass of wine to help you relax, after all, it’s Christmas!”

Top photo by Noah Samuel Franz on Unsplash