Christmas lunch is a perfect opportunity to gather the family at the dining table, recapping the year and sharing gifts with loved ones. Whether you’re hosting for four people, or forty, preparing for the day can get a little stressful, which is why we have shared our five top hosting hacks to help you pull off a truly delicious celebration. These shortcuts and tips will help you stay organised – no one wants to spend their holidays worrying about last-minute party and meal prep!
From adding a personal touch to delving into the golden goodness of the Christmas ham, we’re ensuring you make this festive season the best yet for the entire family. Of course, your Christmas lunch will run even smoother with the help of our modern kitchen appliances designed with ease in mind, so you can get on with the good stuff.
1. Add a personal touch
Add a personal touch to your dining table with place cards. Write each guest’s name on a place card to make everyone feel like they have a seat at your table. Place cards are a perfect way for you to separate the kids and adults, leaving all the wine on your end of the table. You can even get the kids involved with designing these or adding a special message on the place cards as a clue for people to guess where they’re sitting.
2. Chill your drinks nice and early
Chilling your beverages a night or two before hosting your Christmas lunch makes you the perfect entertainer on the day. Ensuring your fridge is stocked with a variety of soft drinks and bubbles not only provides for all your guests but gives you less time worrying about buying ice on the day. The FlexSpace Convertible Compartment on the 609L French Door Refrigerator allows you to choose predefined temperature settings between -23°C and +7°C to fit your changing needs. Set the drawer at 7C for perfectly chilled wine and champagne, or at 0C for ice cold drinks.
3. Ham it up on time
The key to being the best entertainer this Christmas is to ensure the ham in the middle of the table is sitting glorious and juicy. But how do you cook it to perfection? Our 90cm Pyrolytic Multi-Function 14 Oven has an inbuilt programmable timer so that you can choose your start and finish times, helping you get your ham to that delicious crispy, golden texture we all love! You can get on with cooking without worrying about hovering around an oven, letting you focus on the guests at your table.
4. Organise your food
Planning your menu and writing a shopping list in advance will help you figure out what needs to be done on the day. A food preparation schedule lets you gather all ingredients and consider how long each dish takes to make including refrigerating, baking, marinating, or freezing. Not only does this help you, but your guests to decide what they can bring to the table! Buying or picking a dessert you can make well ahead of time is a must for you to enjoy Christmas lunch stress-free.
5. Set the mood
Choose a Christmas playlist and get in the Christmas spirit! Putting together a Christmas playlist of jingles and go-to carols can truly get everyone excited! You can light some candles and gather table runners and napkins to create a Christmassy vibe to your home.
