Christmas
Three days of vegetarian food, all of it made in November and December. Do it on one long cook day, or a recipe or two each weekend from mid-November.
- Christmas, a weekend at a time Mince pies and sausage rolls first, the mains last, and everything in the freezer by Sun 13 Dec.
- A make-ahead Christmas Eve dinner A tart from the freezer, a bag of salad and a tray of sausage rolls for whoever drops round. The cooking was done weeks ago.
- A make-ahead vegetarian Christmas dinner The main, the gravy, the red cabbage and the stuffing are made in December. On the day you roast the potatoes.
- Make-ahead Boxing Day food Crisp bubble and squeak cakes from the freezer, with red onion marmalade. Made in December, so they don’t wait on the leftovers.
All three days are on one page, in a make-ahead vegetarian Christmas.
New Year’s Eve
A dinner for 8 that you make before Christmas, while you’re cooking anyway. On the night the gougères, the soufflés and the potatoes come out of the freezer, and the Wellington, wrapped the day before, goes in the oven.
- A make-ahead New Year’s Eve dinner Four courses that look like a restaurant’s. The soufflés, the jus, the potatoes and the puddings are in the freezer before Christmas, and the Wellington is wrapped the day before.
Party food from the freezer
Made weeks ahead and baked from frozen, for whoever drops round in December or the first hour of a party.
- Mushroom, chestnut and sage sausage rolls 24 rolls, frozen unbaked and baked when people arrive.
- Mince pies Frozen in the tin, baked when you want them warm.
- Gruyère gougères Choux cheese puffs, piped and frozen raw, then baked straight from the freezer.
- Twice-baked Gruyère soufflés Baked weeks ahead, then puffed up again in cream on the night.
Your own occasion
Mum’s 60th, or Sunday lunch for 12. Pick the day, say who’s coming and choose the menu, course by course or from one of ours. Nomstash works out what you can make weeks ahead and when to make it, so there’s little left to do on the day.
Occasions are part of Plus, which founding access includes at no cost. Make an account to plan one.