London mum preps Christmas dinner for her whole family in October - costing just £15

A super-organised working mum from London who struggles with seasonal planning along with her other winter commitments has made life easier by making the Christmas dinner already. In October, Kate Hall, 38, spent around two hours - over a few days - preparing and freezing veggies, stuffing and pigs in blankets - along with the gravy and cranberry sauce, ready to cook straight from frozen.

She’s also prepared home-frozen roast potatoes, sprouts, carrots and parsnips, green beans, broccoli and cauliflower, and has a cook-from-frozen turkey joint in the freezer. The cost of the meal for Kate, her husband Matt, and two children aged six and eight, comes to just £15 because she keeps the cost down by just cooking what they need - with some intentional leftovers for Boxing Day.

It’s a practice she came up with during Covid when the ever-changing rules left it unclear whether she would be able to visit her parents in Cheshire on Christmas Day. ‘This was when I started prepping and freezing Christmas dinner - as did my mum - because it meant that if we could not travel, we knew we had a Christmas dinner sorted’, she explains.

READ MORE: The tranquil winter walk full of nature despite being in the shadow of a nuclear power plant

READ MORE: The West London Christmas trail perfect for families lets kids go on treasure hunt

Kate says the frozen food will taste better on Christmas Day than if she prepared it fresh and her savvy planning will free up time to spend with her family. The home food waste expert explains: "This method really suits me as my son’s birthday is late October and I always find November and December are very busy with the kids and work.

"Knowing the food is tucked away ready to be cooked from frozen just takes one more thing off my to-do list, and I love not having loads of washing up to do on Christmas day. I know a lot of people think frozen food is beige and cannot taste as good as fresh, but that is usually because they are comparing fresh to shop bought frozen products. When you prep and freeze at home, you’re simply pressing pause on your food,"

She has also flat-frozen her gravy and cranberry sauce so they don't take up too much space in the freezer, with the shape meaning they can thaw and reheat very quickly. Kate added: "The key to success when cooking it is to cook it from frozen so the excess moisture can escape - only do this with meat if it is a cook-from-frozen product though. It’s important to spread your food out in a single layer too so there’s plenty of space for the heat to circulate and if you are boiling or steaming remember to reduce the cooking time down slightly so you don’t end up with soggy veg."

Kate, who has written a book about how to freeze food and who runs her own business helping people reduce food waste, says the family will have a big breakfast of pancakes, bacon and fresh fruit on Christmas Day, and because their Christmas dinner is already prepped, she’ll be able to fit in a morning walk with nearby family. She will then put the turkey in three hours before they plan to eat, and chuck the veg in the oven and air fryer while listening to Christmas tunes and drinking bubbly and then play board games with the kids.

"Once we’ve eaten, the kids will play with their toys whilst we load up the dishwasher and get any leftovers in the fridge, and then we’ll probably go for another little stroll before coming home to snuggle up on the sofa and watch a Christmas film. I’m really looking forward to spending lots of time with the family, rather than slaving over a hot stove on the day", she adds.

Stay up to date about London's hottest events, latest restaurant openings, and best deals with our Going Out Out newsletter. Sign up HERE!