2-hour Christmas dinner menu
Enjoy a stress-free Christmas Day with our festive menu plan. Your guests will marvel at a glazed turkey crown, trimmings and tempting dessert.
Juggling the kids' excitement at opening presents with trying to cook Christmas dinner is no easy task, so make it super simple with our no-fuss menu. Achieving the perfect turkey roast with all the trimmings doesn't have to mean sweating over a stove for hours when you know all the festive hacks. The other advantage of this approach is that you'll have more time to spend with your loved ones. Our menu serves around four people, so it's ideal for the average family.
The recipes
You cannot fail to get a golden-brown finish with this easy turkey crown that cooks in just 1 hour 30 minutes (after only 10 minutes' prep). We've used the traditional glaze you would get on a ham to give the turkey this beautiful colour and of course, plenty of festive flavour. Baste it a few times during cooking for a stunning Christmas centrepiece. With the time you save on the main event, you may want to check out our 10 quick Christmas starters.
While your turkey is in the oven, spend 15 minutes prepping your veggies for a festive traybake. By roasting your sprouts with the potatoes, pigs in blankets and root veg, you'll also save time on washing-up after dinner. We use spoonfuls of sticky caramelised onion chutney along with traditional seasonings to create a subtly spiced, sweet flavour.Stir-fried festive cabbage
With the veg and the turkey both cooking in the oven, you're free to assemble our 20-minute stir-fried red cabbage. With cranberry sauce, red wine and orange, this dish is bursting with seasonal flavours that are as vivid as the colour they bring to the table. This side dish also makes a fresh and zingy, healthy addition to an otherwise rich, no-stress roast. Black Forest Christmas fool
For the final festive flourish, whip up our indulgent Black Forest fools, which you can make ahead before putting the turkey in the oven, or even just after eating it. With a grand total of 10 minutes prep time, it's up to you. As well as being quick, these creamy puds use storecupboard ingredients – and if you want to make a non-alcoholic version, use a can of cherries in syrup instead of kirsch.
You may also want to browse other quick desserts.
Want a plan that takes all the stress out of Christmas dinner? Try our easiest ever or next level menu plans, complete with timeplan, pre-loaded shopping list (to print out or use for online shopping) and all the recipes you'll need for the big day.
What's your ultimate cooking shortcut? Leave a comment below, then check out more Christmas menus...
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