The advent menu
Make one a day, or pick your favourites for the big meal.
Mains
Roast turkey with herb butter
Butter, garlic, thyme and lemon under the skin keep the breast moist.
Honey and mustard glazed ham
Score the fat, glaze, and roast until sticky.
Chicken karahi for a crowd
A tomato, ginger and green chilli karahi that feeds a family table.
Mushroom and chestnut Wellington
A vegetarian centrepiece in golden puff pastry.
Slow-roast leg of lamb
Rosemary, garlic and a long, low roast.
Salmon with a herb crust
Quick, light and good for Christmas Eve.
Sides
Crispy roast potatoes
Parboil, rough up the edges, roast in very hot fat.
Honey-roast carrots and parsnips
Sweet, sticky and easy to make ahead.
Brussels sprouts with chestnuts
Fried until charred, finished with butter.
Pigs in blankets
Small sausages wrapped in bacon.
Sage and onion stuffing
Bake it in a tray for crunchy edges.
Cranberry sauce
Cranberries, orange zest and sugar, ten minutes in a pan.
Desserts
Christmas pudding
Dried fruit, spice and a long steam, best made weeks ahead.
Yule log
Chocolate sponge rolled with cream and dressed as a log.
Trifle
Sponge, fruit, custard and cream in layers.
Gajar ka halwa
Slow-cooked carrots, milk, ghee and cardamom.
Pavlova wreath
Meringue ring topped with cream and red berries.
Sticky toffee pudding
Date sponge with toffee sauce.
Bakes and drinks
Gingerbread biscuits
Cut into stars and people, then ice.
Mince pies
Sweet fruit mincemeat in short pastry.
Christmas fruit cake
Feed it weekly until Christmas.
Cinnamon rolls
A slow Christmas-morning breakfast.
Hot chocolate with marshmallows
Real chocolate melted into warm milk.
Spiced apple punch
Apple juice simmered with cinnamon, cloves and orange.
Planning the Christmas meal
Make the cake and pudding first, since they keep. Order meat about two weeks out. On the day, work backwards from the time you want to eat. The planning checklist has the full timeline, and the hours countdown helps with the final stretch.
Easy Christmas cookie recipes
Christmas cookies are the most searched Christmas recipe of all, and for good reason: they are cheap, fun to make with children, and make lovely gifts. Here are five easy ones with simple ingredients.
1. Classic sugar cookies
You need: 225 g soft butter, 200 g sugar, 1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla, 375 g plain flour, ½ tsp baking powder, pinch of salt.
Method: beat butter and sugar until pale, add egg and vanilla, then mix in the dry ingredients. Chill the dough for an hour, roll to 5 mm, cut into stars and trees, and bake at 180°C (350°F) for 8 to 10 minutes. Decorate with icing once cool.
2. Gingerbread people
You need: 350 g plain flour, 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 2 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp cinnamon, 125 g butter, 175 g light brown sugar, 1 egg, 4 tbsp golden syrup or honey.
Method: rub butter into the flour, soda and spices, stir in sugar, then add egg and syrup to make a dough. Roll, cut and bake at 180°C for 10 to 12 minutes.
3. Snowball cookies
You need: 225 g butter, 60 g icing sugar plus extra for rolling, 1 tsp vanilla, 250 g plain flour, 100 g finely chopped walnuts or pecans.
Method: mix everything into a soft dough, roll into small balls, bake at 175°C for 12 to 14 minutes, then roll in icing sugar twice while warm.
4. Three-ingredient shortbread
You need: 250 g butter, 125 g sugar, 375 g plain flour.
Method: rub together, press into a tin, prick with a fork and bake at 160°C for 25 to 30 minutes until pale gold. Cut into fingers while warm.
5. Chocolate crinkle cookies
You need: 200 g sugar, 60 g cocoa, 60 ml oil, 2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla, 130 g plain flour, 1 tsp baking powder, icing sugar to roll.
Method: mix, chill for two hours, roll balls in icing sugar, and bake at 175°C for 10 minutes. They crack into a snowy pattern as they bake.
Christmas dinner recipes
For the main meal, keep it simple and do the work ahead. The roast turkey with herb butter is the centrepiece in many homes: push butter mixed with garlic, thyme and lemon zest under the skin, roast at 180°C for about 20 minutes per kilo plus 70 minutes, and rest it for at least 30 minutes before carving. Use a meat thermometer: the thickest part should reach 74°C (165°F).
For a South Asian table, a big chicken karahi or biryani feeds a crowd and can be made the day before. For vegetarians, a mushroom and chestnut Wellington looks special and can be assembled in advance and baked on the day.
Make-ahead sides save the day: parboil and freeze roast potatoes, make cranberry sauce a week early, and prepare the stuffing the day before.
Christmas dessert recipes
Traditional Christmas pudding is made weeks ahead, often on Stir-up Sunday (22 November 2026). A Yule log is a rolled chocolate sponge filled with cream and covered in chocolate to look like bark. Gajar ka halwa, carrots slow-cooked in milk with ghee, sugar and cardamom, is a warming favourite in Pakistan and India. A pavlova wreath topped with cream and red berries is a lighter choice, and ideal for a summer Christmas in Australia.
Christmas drink recipes
Proper hot chocolate: warm 500 ml milk, whisk in 100 g chopped dark chocolate and a spoon of sugar, and top with marshmallows. Spiced apple punch (alcohol-free): simmer 1 litre apple juice with a cinnamon stick, four cloves and orange slices for ten minutes. Both are perfect for a film night with our classic Christmas movies.
Planning your Christmas cooking
- November: make the cake and pudding; they improve with time.
- Two weeks out: order meat and plan the menu.
- One week out: bake and freeze cookies and mince pies.
- Christmas Eve: prep vegetables and set the table.
- Christmas Day: work backwards from the time you want to eat.
The full timeline is in the Christmas planning checklist, and the hours until Christmas help in the final stretch.
Questions people ask
Quick answers about this countdown.
What are the easiest Christmas cookies to make?
Three-ingredient shortbread and classic sugar cookies are the simplest, and both are great for decorating with children.
How long do Christmas cookies keep?
Most keep for one to two weeks in an airtight tin. Unbaked dough freezes for up to three months.
How long should I cook a turkey?
As a guide, about 20 minutes per kilo plus 70 minutes at 180°C. Always check the thickest part reaches 74°C (165°F).
What can I make ahead for Christmas dinner?
Cranberry sauce, stuffing, parboiled potatoes, gravy base and desserts can all be made in advance.
Keep exploring
More countdowns, tools and Christmas reading on Christmas Days Left.