How To Host a

Stress-Free Christmas Dinner

Use Make-Ahead Elements to Boost Flavour Automatically

To make your dish look like you worked on it all day, prepare a compound butter and a quick glaze ahead of time. An excellent herb butter can be made with garlic, lemon zest, and various fresh herbs; combined with roasts of chicken or pork (vegetables) will have your guests asking, "Did you use a secret recipe?" Also, a simple glaze - jam combined with vinegar and chilli flakes - can add shine, colour, and flavour, while requiring very little effort.

These two items can be considered flavour bombs, as they do all of the work for you while you sit back and enjoy the process of hosting a stress-free event.

Choose a Main Dish That Behaves Itself

When you want to host carefree (without stress), and you don't want to have to watch what you're cooking every twenty minutes, consider preparing a roast chicken (spatchcocked or not); it is easy, predictable, and forgiving. Also, it's almost impossible to mess up a baked ham; it's just about the easiest thing to cook. Lastly, if your guests are vegetarian, you can also do an easy panel of mushroom roast, and it is just as simple to prepare. Find something that doesn't need your attention every ten minutes or so; think of it as a dependable friend in your kitchen.

Outsource the “Energy Sinks”

There will always be a specific dish that takes way too long to cook or makes you wash too many pots—don't waste your time trying to make that dish. Buy pre-made bread rolls and/or dessert if necessary, and ask a friend to bring salad. Hosting is about bringing people together to share a meal, not being a martyr. When you tell someone to bring something specific, like a dessert, they feel like they are part of the party instead of just showing up with nothing.

Set Up a Serve-Yourself Table

When a Christmas dinner flows well, the host doesn't continuously serve plates like he's a wedding caterer. Instead, he sets all the food on the table and allows everyone to serve themselves; this makes for less stress on the host, faster flow of service, and allows him to actually sit down and enjoy dinner instead of spending the whole night refilling everyone's plates. Additionally, by allowing the guests to choose their own portions, there will be less food wasted.

Embrace Imperfection Like a Pro

The key to an enjoyable hosting experience is to accept from the beginning that at some point, something may go slightly off course—perhaps a dish will be an hour late getting ready, or a cookie tray will get burnt; it happens to all of us. No one remembers the little things; they remember the feelings associated with holiday meals—the warmth, the effort, the shared food, etc. As long as you keep the lights low, the music mellow, and yourself relaxed, everything else will fall into place and become part of the holiday spirit.