Buying Food for Christmas

Go to:-   Countdown to Christmas  |  Turkey Tips  |  Christmas Lunch Menu and Time Plan |  Parties  |   

 Christmas Recipes
 

Jump to:-    General  |  Sell-by Dates  |  Before you go  | Shopping list  | Buying food Online
 

Specially selected items by Recipes4us. Click the logos to visit our store pages

General
Depending on when Christmas day falls,  you may feel you have plenty of time to get your shopping a couple of days or the weekend before,  but remember - everyone else will probably be thinking the same, so beat the rush and avoid disappointment by getting as much in before.

Bear in mind that certain essential items such potatoes, parsnips, onions, carrots, bacon, and bread for stuffings, can be bought many days in advance. You don't need very fresh bread to make stuffing.

If you're buying a frozen turkey, make sure you allow 1-2 days for defrosting.  See the Turkey Tips article  for guidelines.

Back to Top

Sell By dates
Take special note of sell-by dates.   There's nothing worse than having bought some double cream 4 days before Christmas only to find that it's out of date by Boxing day. Check EVERYTHING you buy - even if you're used to buying it. Sell-bys often seem to be shorter over the holiday period.

Back to Top

Before you go Christmas shopping
Take some time out to plan your holiday menus. Remember, in many areas the shops will be closed for a couple of days so you won't be able to pop out for anything you've forgotten. 

Plan meals for the day before, Christmas Day and Boxing day and don't forget to include lighter meals and snacks, taking into consideration any guests who may be visiting you. 

Don't go overboard with meal and snacks. There's really no need to have 6 vegetables plus 3 types of potatoes to accompany the main course. In general people don't like to feel full to the brim because they've been obliged to eat everything on their plate. besides which it's not very good for the system.

Here's an example to set you on the right track:-

Christmas Eve - Just the family all day/evening

Christmas Day - 4 for breakfast - 8 for lunch  - 10 for evening

Boxing Day - 8 for breakfast - out for lunch - 4 for supper

Once you've done that, you can make a shopping list. If you're lucky enough to have someone shopping with you, divide the list into two so you can send them off with their part and a separate shopping trolley - under pain of death  to get everything on their list. It will halve your time in the shops at this busy period.

If possible, each person should take a mobile phone (and the other persons number)  - it's amazing how easy it is to lose someone in a supermarket.

We know we shouldn't say this, but if you're not making your own from scratch, don't forget the stuffing, stock cubes for the gravy, mincemeat or mince pies and Christmas pudding.

Back to Top

Christmas Shopping List

Below is a shopping list which covers some essential items you may need if serving a traditional British Christmas dinner plus some extras for later in the day. Why not print it as a guideline for your trip to the shops. We've even put in check boxes so you can tick each item when you've got it and we've left some spaces just in case you're planning to cook something we haven't thought of.
 

Meats/Poultry	.
Turkey	.
Ham - on the bone or ready sliced	.
Streaky Bacon	.
Cocktail Sausages or Chipolatas	.
.	.
.	.
.	.
Chilled	.
Cream	.
Milk	.
Butter	.
Stuffing
Brandy Butter	.
.	.
.	.
Vegetables, Herbs & Salads	.
Onions	.
Potatoes	.
Brussels Sprouts	.
Red Cabbage	.
Parsnips	.
Thyme	.
Parsley	.
Sage	.
Lettuce	.
Cucumber	.
Tomatoes	.
Watercress	.
Potato Salad	.
Coleslaw	.
.	.
.	.
.	.
.	.
Fruit & Nuts	.
Oranges	.
Lemons	.
Melon	.
Apples	.
Cranberries	.
Chestnuts	.
Walnuts	.
Dates	.
.	.
.	.
.	.
Groceries	.
Stock Cubes	.
Paprika	.
Worcestershire Sauce	.
Dried Mixed Herbs	.
Bay Leaves	.
Bread
Olive Oil	.
Goose Fat	.
Christmas Pudding	.
Christmas Cake	.
Mince Pies	.
Pickles e.g. pickled walnuts, piccalilli, chutney	.
Eggs	.
Honey	.
Brown Sugar	.
.	.
.	.
.	.
Drinks	.
Sherry	.
Wine	.
Brandy	.
Soft drinks	.
.	.
.	.
.	.
Other Important stuff	.
Lots of heavy duty extra wide Aluminium Foil
Wooden Cocktail sticks
Clingfilm
Kitchen Roll
A large roasting tin (if you haven't got one)
1 or 2  Baking Sheets (if you haven't got one)
Shallow roasting tins (if you haven't got any)

Back to Top

Buying Christmas Food online

There are lots of reputable online shops from which you can purchase just about everything. For a really good directory listing  UK suppliers which has hundreds of online and a few mail order stores in every category imaginable, visit www.ukfoodonline.co.uk

Find UK Holiday Cottages