Check out our Christmas Day cooking timetable to help you get organised in the kitchen. Follow our plan and you should have plenty of time to enjoy yourself and grab your Advent Escalators tickets!

Christmas Eve prep

Safely defrost your turkey

Frozen turkeys must be thoroughly defrosted before cooking. Check the weight of the bird you have and allow:

• Fridge (up to 4C): 8 to 12 hours per kg
• Cool room (10-15C): 3 to 4 hours per kg
• Room temperature (20C): 2 hours per kg

Get your veggies ready

• Peel and chop your potatoes. Parboil a portion for the roasties. Cover them and store them in the fridge to finish off tomorrow.
• Peel and chop your carrots. Put them in cold water, cover them and store in the fridge.
• Peel and chop your parsnips. Cover and store them in the fridge.

Christmas Day Timetable

8am – Take the defrosted turkey out of the fridge to bring it to room temperature.
8:30am – Enjoy a breakfast of selection boxes and novelty chocolates.
9am – Chop carrot, celery and onion into thick pieces to make a trivet for the turkey to sit on. Throw these into a roasting tray with a couple of squashed cloves of garlic. Add generous slug of white wine – or a cup of water.
10am – Put the oven on its highest setting. Put the turkey on the roasting tin with the vegetables. Squeeze over a lemon, and pop the squeezed out halves in the bird. Cover with foil and put the turkey in the oven. Turn the heat down to 180C/350F/gas 4.
10:15am – Peel and trim the Brussels sprouts.
10:45am – Set the table so it’s ready for later.
11:00am – Baste the turkey by spooning over the juices from the tray.
11:15am – Pre-buy your tickets for today’s Advent Escalators then hop in the shower. Dress in your most fabulously festive outfit.
12:15pm – Baste the turkey again then remove the foil. Grab a handful of Quality Street and make a cuppa.
1pm – Take the turkey out of the oven and leave it to rest on a chopping board. Cover it with foil and a couple of tea towels to seal in the juices.
1:05pm – Turn the oven up to 200C/400F/gas 6. Pour a couple of tablespoons of oil into a roasting tray – or dollop in your finest goose fat for the roast potatoes. Put this in the oven to heat up.
1:10pm – Take the parboiled spuds out of the fridge. Bash them about in a colander to fluff up the edges. Season with salt and pepper then tip them carefully into the roasting tray of hot oil. Swirl them around and put them back in the oven to cook through.
1.20pm – Brush the parsnips with oil, season with garlic salt, arrange them on a baking tray and put them in the oven. If you’re short on space, they can share with the roast potatoes.
1.25pm – Get your chipolatas and streaky bacon from the fridge. Wrap each sausage in a rasher and put them on a tray. Put your hand-made pigs in blankets in the oven.
1:30pm – Give the roast potatoes a shake and boil the kettle for your other veggies.
1.40pm – Put the sprouts on to boil. Start steaming the Christmas pudding (unless you’re a going to take the easy route and whack it in the microwave at the last minute).
1.45pm – Put the carrots and any other veggies, such as broccoli, on to boil.
1:50pm – Make gravy using the turkey and vegetable juices from the bottom the roasting tray. Heat up the gravy boat in the microwave, then pour in the gravy from the pan.
2pm – Transfer everything into serving dishes and place on the already-set table.
2:05pm – Pour yourself a large victory drink!