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Turkey Tips
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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.
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Christmas only to find that it's out of date by Boxing day.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.
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.
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