I am a head chef and here are my tips to handle Christmas dinner like a professional

• Many of us may be nervous about hosting Christmas dinner
• Chefs across the country have shared their top tips
• Tips include brining turkey, adding chocolate to gravy and what to do with leftovers

Christmas Day is just over a month away, and many of us will be hosting one of the most important parts of the day - the Christmas dinner. 

Hosting and cooking Christmas dinner carries quite a lot of responsibility, to ensure we feed everyone we are hosting with a delicious meal to remember. 

To ensure you have the greatest Christmas dinner possible, incredibly talented chefs across the country have provided us with their top tips on how to pull off Christmas dinner like a professional. 

How to save time

Although we all certainly look forward to the Christmas dinner, there are plenty of other things we will be doing during the big day, including playing games, listening to music and unwrapping presents. Chefs have shared tips that will save you time this Christmas.

Theo Randall, chef patron at Theo Randall at the InterContinental said: “Do as much prep as you can the day before - peel your root veg, wash greens, prep snacks and pre boil your potatoes so they’re ready for roasting on Christmas day. Make sure you also have your cutlery, glasses and plates washed and polished so there’s no panic when trying to find things.”

Adam Bateman, executive chef at Straits Kitchen, Pan Pacific Londonsaid: “Buy a meat probe – it takes all the guesswork and worry out of cooking your turkey or salmon, especially on Christmas Day. It’s game-changing.“

Meat

Two talented chefs have shared that brining your turkey is an absolute must, but they both have different approaches to the method. 

Elliot Day, co-founder at FieldGoods said: “Brine that turkey! It's a tradition inherited from our Mum's American side of the family and it's failsafe. It may seem weird to soak a whole turkey in salty water, but trust me, you’ll never look back! We make our brine with water, beer, salt, sugar, orange, cloves and smoked bacon.”

Rob Mitchell, executive chef at Drake & Morgan said: “I recommend a dry brine for turkey, which you do a day in advance - it leaves a juicy turkey with the crispest skin! To dry brine your turkey, pat all over with paper towels and generously rub a mixture of good quality sea salt, black pepper and a little light brown sugar all over and inside the turkey and, leave for at least 12 hours in the fridge.”

Gravy

If you are making your own gravy for the Christmas dinner, chefs have shared tips on how to make it taste as unique and delicious as possible. 

Eran Tibi, executive chef at Kapara and Bala Baya said: “Adding date syrup or date purée to gravy creates a beautiful, balanced flavour. Another way to up your gravy game is to add shawarma spice so it becomes a mix of sweet, spicy and salty flavours.”

Benjamin Ferra Y Castell, head chef at Michelin-starred Pavyllon Londonsaid: “If you’re making gravy with red wine, don’t forget to add a square or two of dark chocolate – this will give extra body to your sauce.”

Steve Scoullar, executive sous chef at Cameron Housesaid: “Instead of steaming your sprouts this Christmas, try roasting them with olive oil, chunky smoked, streaky lardons and chestnuts.”

Vivek Singh, CEO and executive chef of The Cinnamon Collectionsaid: ‘’Tamarind. Whatever sides you go for, a simple jar of tamarind pulp will bring them to life. Add it to your vegetables or potatoes in the last five minutes when they’re almost roasted, and it will make everything taste so much fresher, livelier, and lighter as it cuts through all the fat - thank me later!’’

Jack Stein, chef director at Rick Stein Restaurantssaid: "My top tip for delicious roast potatoes is to add the peel to the water as you boil them, as the skin carries so much flavour that shouldn't be wasted. Get the water boiling before adding the skins, then boil for 15-20 mins with plenty of salt. Gently strain the potatoes before adding to a pre-heated pan with vegetable oil.”

Leftovers

Phew! Christmas dinner is complete and your guests left feeling very satisfied. But what to do with the leftovers? Well, three chefs shared ideas on what to make with what you have left.

Niklas Ekstedt, Ekstedt at The Yard said: “Make something special with the leftovers – a Christmas pyttipanna. Chop turkey, potatoes and any leftover vegetables and fry everything together in a large pan with some butter. Add in a few festive spices like cinnamon and cloves, before serving with lingonberry jam for a delicious Swedish touch!”

Pavel Baranovs, Head Chef at UBA said: “Try something different and transform cold turkey into a refreshing salad with cheese and Caesar dressing or use it to make chipotle turkey tacos packed with leftover red cabbage and tomatillo salsa.”

Paul Da Costa, Senior Sous Chef at Lanes of London (Marriott Hotel London Park Lane) said: “Left-over roast vegetables make a great salad when mixed with a simple dressing and to use up excess gravy, roast potatoes and meat, turn them into croquettes.”

What are your top tips for a great Christmas dinner? Let us know in the comment section below 👇