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Make-ahead Christmas

Make-ahead Christmas recipes

Get ready for the festivities with our make-ahead Christmas recipes – and see our menu ideas at the bottom of the page too. We’ve got everything you need for an organised holiday season, including make-ahead starters, side dishes, mains and desserts.

Make your own Christmas cake, pudding or mincemeat with our tried-and-tested recipes. While they’re maturing nicely in the larder, clear some room in the freezer for our freeze-ahead roast potatoes, red cabbage, gravy and stuffing.

Save some room in the fridge for desserts you can whip out for those ‘here’s one I made earlier’ moments. Whether you’re planning a big family feast or an intimate celebration, we’ve got all the make-ahead recipes you need this Christmas.

Showing 1-16 of 88 recipes

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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

Easy

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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

Easy

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Filo pastry recipes

Vegetarian filo Christmas wreath

Food writer Elly Curshen’s spectacular filo-wrapped wreath makes a perfect vegetarian Christmas main or Christmas buffet centerpiece.

Freezable Vegetarian

Easy

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Parfait recipes

Maple-peanut parfait with peanut brittle and boozy prunes

Parfait is the ultimate make-ahead dessert. This parfait recipe amps things up with crunchy peanut brittle and rum-soaked prunes.

Freezable Gluten-free Vegetarian Make-ahead

Medium

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Dark chocolate recipes

Dark chocolate mousse with blood orange gel and hazelnut crumb

Dark chocolate mousse is a delight with toasted hazelnut crumb and sweet-sharp blood orange gel in this festive make-ahead dessert.

Vegetarian Make-ahead

Medium

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Pear recipes

Beef carpaccio with pickled pear and parmesan mayonnaise

This carpaccio is a masterpiece on the plate, with butter-soft beef, pear, umami-rich mayo and crunchy nuts, A perfect make-ahead starter.

Freezable Gluten-free Make-ahead

Medium

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Preserves recipes

Wine jelly

Debora Robertson's wine jelly is a versatile condiment to have on hand. Serve with cheese and charcuterie, or stir into sauces.

Dairy-free Gluten-free Vegan Make-ahead

Medium

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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.

Freezable Make-ahead

Easy

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Almond recipes

Almond cheesecake meringue nests

Scoops of pillowy amaretto-spiked mascarpone top golden sugar meringue nests to make these individual festive desserts.

Vegetarian Make-ahead

Easy

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Christmas baking recipes

Tres leches eggnog cake

This tres leches eggnog cake puts a festive spin on the Mexican milk-soaked cake. The snowy bake is light, fluffy and subtly spiced.

Vegetarian

Medium

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Christmas chocolate recipes

Passion fruit snowball truffles

You only need four ingredients to make these pretty snowball truffles, with tangy passion fruit and creamy white chocolate.

Freezable Gluten-free Vegetarian

Easy

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Stir-up Sunday recipes

Best of the best Christmas pudding

Inspired by a family recipe, this Christmas pudding is intensely fruity and deeply spiced – the best figgy pudding you’ll ever make.

Medium

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Ice cream recipes

Spiced fruit and mascarpone ice cream sandwiches

These ice cream sandwiches are inspired by our popular Christmas pudding semifreddo. A delight to have on hand in the freezer this Christmas.

Freezable Vegetarian Make-ahead

Medium

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Christmas cake recipes

Mulled fig and apple Christmas cake

This lighter take on Christmas cake is packed with fruit, adding figs and apples to the classic mix. Mulled cider brings comforting warmth.

Make-ahead

Medium

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Vegetarian pie recipes

Ottolenghi’s butternut crunch pie

This ruffled filo pie from team Ottolenghi cleverly treads the line between sweet and savoury, with a top note of zingy heat thanks to a scattering of pickled chillies.