{"id":3345,"date":"2020-12-04T14:16:16","date_gmt":"2020-12-04T14:16:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/?p=3345"},"modified":"2021-12-21T13:41:24","modified_gmt":"2021-12-21T13:41:24","slug":"our-5-top-tips-to-avoid-stress-in-the-kitchen-at-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/our-5-top-tips-to-avoid-stress-in-the-kitchen-at-christmas\/","title":{"rendered":"Our 5 top tips to avoid stress in the kitchen at Christmas"},"content":{"rendered":"

Everyone looks forward to a hearty Christmas dinner. In fact, for many of us it\u2019s probably the highlight of the entire day – a time for everyone to enjoy some quality food in complete leisure and relaxation. But sometimes that\u2019s not always true for the person cooking it, who can often end up frazzled and too tired to actually properly enjoy the fruits of their labour.<\/p>\n

Now, Christmas looks like it\u2019s going to be a bit of a strange one this year, with all of us allowed slightly fewer people around than normal. While it\u2019s not an ideal scenario, it should take a bit of the pressure off you if you\u2019re cooking. But if you\u2019re looking for a few more quick tips to ensure that you\u2019re not getting too stressed out preparing food on your laminate kitchen worktops<\/a><\/strong> this year, here\u2019s some of our best advice.<\/p>\n

Preparation is the key<\/h2>\n

You probably didn\u2019t need us to tell you this, but we\u2019d be remiss not to mention it. When it comes to the festive season, you\u2019ll need to plan absolutely everything. Doing things off-the-cuff can be a big risk, and when one of the biggest celebrations of the year is at stake, big risks are the sort of thing you\u2019ll want to steer well clear of.<\/p>\n

So, the first thing to do is ensure that you get started early on your Christmas shopping. In fact, right now would be a good time to make sure that you\u2019ve got everything you need, and if you haven\u2019t, to diary in exactly when you\u2019re going to get it. You don\u2019t want to get to the closing days of December and find yourself racing other shoppers to get to the last items in the aisle – especially since we\u2019re writing in 2020, at the end of a year in which social distancing has become a very big concern.<\/p>\n

Get your guests sorted early doors<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s not just the food you\u2019ve got to worry about on Christmas Day, but your guests too. So when you\u2019re doing that all-important planning for the big Christmas meal, that\u2019s also a great time to find out exactly who\u2019s coming, and if they have any dietary requirements. (New boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands or wives should probably be top of your list to ask!)<\/p>\n

Think about intolerances or allergies, such as lactose intolerance or nut allergies. Don\u2019t worry too much if you\u2019re not sure how to cater to dietary requirements – you can just directly ask the person themselves, as they\u2019ll know exactly what they should be eating and how.<\/p>\n

If any of your guests are being hesitant about committing, it\u2019s a good idea to give them a deadline to say yes or no by – even if that might seem a bit harsh at first. After all, it would be a nightmare scenario to end up not cooking enough, or overcooking by too big a margin.<\/p>\n

Cook as much as you can in advance<\/h2>\n

Don\u2019t worry – it\u2019s not cheating! There\u2019s loads of types of foods that can be cooked in advance and then simply re-heated on the day, as long as you\u2019re careful about doing so thoroughly (nobody wants to be served a lukewarm Christmas dinner). The turkey you\u2019ll almost certainly want to cook on the day so that it\u2019s fresh and tender, but you can save yourself a lot of time and stress by preparing a shedload of other things in advance.<\/p>\n

\"Christmas-cooking\"<\/p>\n

Mince pies, Christmas puddings, cakes, and bread sauce are just a few examples of the sorts of things you can get ready in the days running up to Christmas, all completely at your leisure, and without the rush or the hubbub or the stress of getting it wrong. If you want to get into the Christmas spirit with a few tunes on the radio and a bit of cheeky festive dancing as you work your magic on the oven and the hob, there\u2019s nothing wrong with that either.<\/p>\n

Keep everything simple<\/h2>\n

Tradition is a very big part of Christmas, especially where the roast is concerned. This means that almost everyone will have certain expectations of the meal when they sit down, no matter how fond or not-fond they are of Brussels sprouts. So while experimenting is undeniably a fantastic part of cooking, trying a brand new spin on things might not be the best thing for Christmas Day. And if you do decide to, it\u2019s best to have a couple of practice runs in advance – and check with your guests too, so that you don\u2019t fall afoul of any dietary requirements.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also worth us saying that there\u2019s no shame in buying ready-made food or pre-chopped veg. Plenty of cooks don\u2019t do it as a point of pride, but if your main priority is simply to get food on the table, by all means crack on. Let\u2019s be honest, if you\u2019re careful about it, nobody even has to know.<\/p>\n

Draft in family to help<\/h2>\n

Plenty of cooks think of the duty of serving up as part of their overall cooking duties on the day, but if you think about it there\u2019s no real reason why that should be the case. You\u2019re doing the majority of the work here, so the least your guests or family could do is chip in a tiny bit of effort right at the end. It\u2019s a time for coming together, after all, so don\u2019t hesitate to nominate people to lay the table, do the drinks or serve up plates. There\u2019s obviously a careful balance to be struck, though – you don\u2019t want to have literally too many cooks in the kitchen! You\u2019ll probably find that just one or two extra pairs of hands is enough.<\/p>\n

Final thing – it\u2019s always a lovely bonus to warm the plates. You can do this in the oven, or simply using a sink full of hot water and drying them quickly, before serving up.<\/p>\n

Be careful of hot plates and pans around your laminate kitchen worktops<\/a><\/strong> though, as you can end up permanently marking them. If you\u2019ve bought your laminate kitchen worktops from right here at Savoy Timber, you\u2019ll be pleased to hear that they\u2019re exceptionally heat-resistant, particularly our ultra slim Zenith compact laminate worktops<\/a><\/strong>. Whatever you\u2019re looking for, you can be sure that we\u2019ll have a kitchen worktop<\/a><\/strong> to suit your style here at Savoy Timber. You can browse them right here on our site, or \u2013 now that the latest nationwide lockdown has ended \u2013 if you\u2019d like to see them in the flesh, you can always pay a visit to one of our DIY stores in Preston, Wigan or Blackpool, where one of our staff will be only too happy to assist you if you have any questions!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Everyone looks forward to a hearty Christmas dinner. In fact, for many of us it\u2019s probably the highlight of the entire day – a time for everyone to enjoy some quality food in complete leisure and relaxation. But sometimes that\u2019s not always true for the person cooking it, who can often end up frazzled and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":479,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nOur 5 top tips to avoid stress in the kitchen at Christmas - Savoy Timber<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Christmas dinner is a hugely special meal, which also means that cooking it can be a very stressful experience. Here are the best ways to take the edge off!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/our-5-top-tips-to-avoid-stress-in-the-kitchen-at-christmas\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Our 5 top tips to avoid stress in the kitchen at Christmas - Savoy Timber\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Christmas dinner is a hugely special meal, which also means that cooking it can be a very stressful experience. Here are the best ways to take the edge off!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/our-5-top-tips-to-avoid-stress-in-the-kitchen-at-christmas\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Savoy Timber\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SavoyTimberDIY\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-12-04T14:16:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-12-21T13:41:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Is-Your-Kitchen-Ready-For-This-Festive-Season-1-2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"730\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Anthony Royle\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@savoytimber\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@savoytimber\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Anthony Royle\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/our-5-top-tips-to-avoid-stress-in-the-kitchen-at-christmas\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/our-5-top-tips-to-avoid-stress-in-the-kitchen-at-christmas\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Anthony Royle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/#\/schema\/person\/62f7a40a68f298120b5c3e2ea93b0013\"},\"headline\":\"Our 5 top tips to avoid stress in the kitchen at Christmas\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-12-04T14:16:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-12-21T13:41:24+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/our-5-top-tips-to-avoid-stress-in-the-kitchen-at-christmas\/\"},\"wordCount\":1187,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Kitchen\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/our-5-top-tips-to-avoid-stress-in-the-kitchen-at-christmas\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/our-5-top-tips-to-avoid-stress-in-the-kitchen-at-christmas\/\",\"name\":\"Our 5 top tips to avoid stress in the kitchen at Christmas - Savoy Timber\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2020-12-04T14:16:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-12-21T13:41:24+00:00\",\"description\":\"Christmas dinner is a hugely special meal, which also means that cooking it can be a very stressful experience. Here are the best ways to take the edge off!\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/our-5-top-tips-to-avoid-stress-in-the-kitchen-at-christmas\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/our-5-top-tips-to-avoid-stress-in-the-kitchen-at-christmas\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/our-5-top-tips-to-avoid-stress-in-the-kitchen-at-christmas\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Our 5 top tips to avoid stress in the kitchen at Christmas\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/\",\"name\":\"Savoy Timber\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Savoy Timber\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/localhost\/help-and-advice\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/savoy-timber.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/localhost\/help-and-advice\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/savoy-timber.png\",\"width\":400,\"height\":86,\"caption\":\"Savoy Timber\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCel5dggpBsgk12qq0N_QFMQ\",\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SavoyTimberDIY\/\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/savoytimber\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/#\/schema\/person\/62f7a40a68f298120b5c3e2ea93b0013\",\"name\":\"Anthony Royle\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3a9fe99b7f5d0ccbe0b760427c07f9db?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3a9fe99b7f5d0ccbe0b760427c07f9db?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Anthony Royle\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Our 5 top tips to avoid stress in the kitchen at Christmas - Savoy Timber","description":"Christmas dinner is a hugely special meal, which also means that cooking it can be a very stressful experience. Here are the best ways to take the edge off!","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/our-5-top-tips-to-avoid-stress-in-the-kitchen-at-christmas\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Our 5 top tips to avoid stress in the kitchen at Christmas - Savoy Timber","og_description":"Christmas dinner is a hugely special meal, which also means that cooking it can be a very stressful experience. Here are the best ways to take the edge off!","og_url":"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/our-5-top-tips-to-avoid-stress-in-the-kitchen-at-christmas\/","og_site_name":"Savoy Timber","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SavoyTimberDIY\/","article_published_time":"2020-12-04T14:16:16+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-12-21T13:41:24+00:00","og_image":[{"width":730,"height":300,"url":"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Is-Your-Kitchen-Ready-For-This-Festive-Season-1-2.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Anthony Royle","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@savoytimber","twitter_site":"@savoytimber","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Anthony Royle","Estimated reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/our-5-top-tips-to-avoid-stress-in-the-kitchen-at-christmas\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/our-5-top-tips-to-avoid-stress-in-the-kitchen-at-christmas\/"},"author":{"name":"Anthony Royle","@id":"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/#\/schema\/person\/62f7a40a68f298120b5c3e2ea93b0013"},"headline":"Our 5 top tips to avoid stress in the kitchen at Christmas","datePublished":"2020-12-04T14:16:16+00:00","dateModified":"2021-12-21T13:41:24+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/our-5-top-tips-to-avoid-stress-in-the-kitchen-at-christmas\/"},"wordCount":1187,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Kitchen"],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/our-5-top-tips-to-avoid-stress-in-the-kitchen-at-christmas\/","url":"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/our-5-top-tips-to-avoid-stress-in-the-kitchen-at-christmas\/","name":"Our 5 top tips to avoid stress in the kitchen at Christmas - Savoy Timber","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/#website"},"datePublished":"2020-12-04T14:16:16+00:00","dateModified":"2021-12-21T13:41:24+00:00","description":"Christmas dinner is a hugely special meal, which also means that cooking it can be a very stressful experience. Here are the best ways to take the edge off!","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/our-5-top-tips-to-avoid-stress-in-the-kitchen-at-christmas\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/our-5-top-tips-to-avoid-stress-in-the-kitchen-at-christmas\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/our-5-top-tips-to-avoid-stress-in-the-kitchen-at-christmas\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Our 5 top tips to avoid stress in the kitchen at Christmas"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/#website","url":"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/","name":"Savoy Timber","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/#organization","name":"Savoy Timber","url":"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"http:\/\/localhost\/help-and-advice\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/savoy-timber.png","contentUrl":"http:\/\/localhost\/help-and-advice\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/savoy-timber.png","width":400,"height":86,"caption":"Savoy Timber"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCel5dggpBsgk12qq0N_QFMQ","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SavoyTimberDIY\/","https:\/\/twitter.com\/savoytimber"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/#\/schema\/person\/62f7a40a68f298120b5c3e2ea93b0013","name":"Anthony Royle","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3a9fe99b7f5d0ccbe0b760427c07f9db?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3a9fe99b7f5d0ccbe0b760427c07f9db?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Anthony Royle"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3345"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3345"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3345\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3564,"href":"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3345\/revisions\/3564"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/479"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3345"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3345"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3345"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}