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Make-ahead Christmas sides

Make-ahead Christmas sides

Don’t spend Christmas Day in the kitchen, use these recipes for make-ahead sides and keep festive stress to a minimum.

We’ve got red cabbage with pomegranate, buttery potatoes and a simple garlicky kale dish to tempt you.

Looking to lessen the Christmas dinner stress? Our Glow Up hacks are simple ways to add some WOW to your standard sides. The mini recipes – including rosemary candied nuts for crunch and a sage and nutmeg garlic butter to stir through veg – can all be made ahead too.

Showing 1-16 of 66 recipes

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Make-ahead stuffing recipes

Sausage, sage, prune and onion stuffing

The two best stuffings are sage and onion or sausage and prune. This one contains both, making it the ultimate Christmas stuffing recipe.

Dairy-free Freezable Make-ahead

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Cabbage recipes

Braised red cabbage

This braised red cabbage offers a sweet-and-sour flavour combo with seasonal spice, cutting through the rich flavours of Christmas dinner.

Dairy-free Freezable Gluten-free Vegan Make-ahead

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Christmas trimmings, sides and sauces

Butter-roast parsnips with hazelnuts and sage

Dish up your best-ever roast parsnips this Christmas. Crisp sage and a scattering of toasted hazelnuts provide flavour and crunch.

Gluten-free Vegetarian Make-ahead

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Christmas trimmings, sides and sauces

Air fryer sage-butter roast potatoes

Make perfectly crisp roast potatoes in the air fryer in 30 minutes with this easy recipe. Toss with earthy sage butter for a special side.

Gluten-free Vegetarian

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'Nduja recipes

Air fryer crispy ’nduja sprouts

Sprouts crisp up beautifully in an air fryer – the outer leaves caramelising to golden shards. Toss in ’nduja for a sweet, fiery, salty side.

Dairy-free Gluten-free Make-ahead

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Leek recipes

Creamy baked leeks

In this cosy side dish recipe, leeks are cooked slowly in cream and cheese until soft and golden. A delicious accompaniment to any roast.

Vegetarian Make-ahead

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Christmas recipes from around the world

Christmas Jansson’s temptation

Brontë Aurell shares her recipe for Jansson's temptation (Jansson's frestelse), a classic Swedish potato dish made with cream and ansjovis.

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Stuffing recipes

Savoy cabbage and pork stuffing

This pork stuffing is one of Matt Tebbutt's go-to Christmas recipes, as the deeply savoury notes complement the delicate flavour of turkey.

Gluten-free Make-ahead

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Christmas trimmings, sides and sauces

Christmas cabbage with hazelnuts, olives and raisins

Jazz up your Christmas cabbage. Treat savoy like a salad, combining shredded leaves with nuts, olives, raisins, herbs and pomegranate seeds.

Dairy-free Gluten-free Vegetarian

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Stuffing recipes

Prune and potato stuffing

Try something different this Christmas, with Debora Robertson's French style prune and potato stuffing. You can stuff the bird with it or serve it on the side.