What cooking corners do you cut at Christmas?

We buy viennetta, custard, cranberry sauce, mince pies nibbles and granddaughters veggie item.
I make stuffing, pigs and cook everything else for a roast lunch, including gammon for cold and extra veg cooked for a friend (bubble and squeak) as he and wife go out for lunch on the day. I am making a chocolate bread and butter pud this year, I enjoy it, grandchildren prep some veg, daughter mucks in, MrJ washes up

I buy Christmas pudding , Mince pies and Christmas cake to offer to people. We don't eat it ourselves as we don't like it. We will buy cranberry sauce too.

We prefer gingerbread or cheese cake, so we will make those. Maybe even a gingerbread cheesecake! Fresh veg , we make our own pigs in blankets with luxury chipolatas and smoked streaky bacon as then I know they're good. We make our own gravy too and home made stuffing.

In years gone by we've spent a fortune on a fresh turkey but one year it was a real disappointment with an aftertaste and we vowed to buy frozen in future.
Every year now we get a cheap frozen turkey from Aldi or the like and we marinade it for 24 hours in a home made brine like this www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/juniper-brine-355429 Honestly, it takes a cheap frozen turkey to wonderful! We then put butter under the skin and butter baste it, stuff it with lovely home made stuffing and put strips of bacon on the top criss crossed. After all of this you literally cannot tell that it wasn't a fresh free range turkey, it's super tender and tasty.

I used to make gingerbread houses but it depends who's going to be around to eat it.

Well, no bread sauce that's certain. It's no better than wallpaper paste. Yuk!

I outsource it to my daughter. She’s a better cook than me anyway.

To be fair, she isn’t a baker so doesn’t make puds/cakes and only wants my mince pies. Pigs in blankets have to be home made and I only like my own bread sauce so will do those myself.

I have a smaller kitchen now and as it’ll just be the two of us this year (dd2 is working both Xmas and New Year) I’ll probably get some sort of Turkey crown and gammon. We’re likely to eat with dd1 on 25th but we want leftovers - cold meats and bubble & squeak cooked by Dh being the mandatory Boxing Day fare in this house.

Due to stresses beyond our control I can’t see me making cake and puds this year so I will probably buy those. In fact, maybe I’ll start a thread asking for recommendations!

I like that saying winterwhite!

In the old days I made everything, including laborious spiced beef. These days when there’s just the two of us and DH is frail and I no longer enjoy cooking, I make practically 0. I buy from Waitrose, M&S and Cook and don’t call it cutting corners but alternative lifestyle.

I don’t buy much but I do prepare ahead as I can for the 12 days.
We haven’t hosted Christmas for a few years but do have family and friends visiting throughout so I like to make sure mince pies are in the freezer etc.

The special Christmas foods are often reduced as they reach their sell by dates at the moment. Part of our prep is to take that opportunity to try some out so we can decide which ones we like to get in as standby stock.

What time do you want us Primrose53?
It’ll be me, my plus three and the dog!

Seriously though, it’ll be turkey and gammon here. Mostly roasted vegetables with steamed broccoli. I’ll get the sprouts on to boil separately soon!

Not really dessert fans, but possibly something defrosted like a cheesecake, if I’m so instructed. Hate Christmas pudding/cake - only fit for birds.
Thinking perhaps of cheese and biscuits this time, so I can ‘pick’ later.

M&S for me.. All ready to go just cook the meat and add the bits from Mark's and Spencer in the oven and serve.

Turkey was cooked on Christmas Eve and sliced. I warmed it up on Christmas Day. But I make my own bread sauce and cranberry sauce, my own Christmas puddings too. Spiced red cabbage was made in the slow cooker and frozen until required. Trifle- I made my own sponge and custard. It was all done with love and I enjoyed it. Now, my daughter does it all

I actually make very little. M& S is my friend. I like to enjoy Christmas with my family not stress about all the cooking like my mum did.

I’m coeliac so I buy a gf Christmas pudding because only two of us like it. Everything else is home made including a gf Christmas cake.

I buy a few food items such as pickles, sauces, and pigs in blankets.
Cake, pud, brandy butter, mince pies etc I make myself. Mainly because I love baking although I do think they taste better.

Nearly everything these days.

I will check with the staff below stairs and get back to you. 😁