FORmany of you, cooking the Christmas dinner is a doddle . . . you have it down to a fine art and know exactly when to do what (and what to do when) without even having to think about it. You probably even manage to appear all dressed-up and non-stressed in your next door neighbours' house for a glass of champagne while the turkey is happily roasting away in the oven.

For many others among you, it will be your first time to cook Christmas dinner.

Do not fear. Of course, we all know that the key to great entertaining is a calm and happy host or hostess, but that is easier said than done. I find that I cannot survive cooking a big meal like this without my lists. Maybe it is because with the party season in full swing my brain is not operating as it should, or it could have something to do with the fact that our over-excited children usually wake us at a very ungodly hour with some loud annoying toy that Santa Claus has brought in the middle of the night.

Either way, I know that everything I need to do is down on paper, and that takes quite a bit of stress out of the whole equation.

On my list, before all the madness starts, I write the menu, and a time planner, like below. That way, I know that I am not forgetting something crucial.

I also try to do as much as possible the day before (and even before that) . . . it is amazing how much can be prepared in advance, and of course a bit of delegation is great too.

With the menu that I have written here it is possible to cook the whole meal if you just have one single oven, and one pair of hands. If you want to prepare a starter too, then do go for something relatively simple, like a soup that can be made in advance, or the old favourite . . . smoked salmon on brown bread.

And last but not least, do avoid the major stress of the turkey not fitting into your oven by measuring the inside of your oven before you buy your bird.

ON THE MENU Glazed Ham Roast Turkey with Fresh Herb Stuffing and Smoky Bacon Gravy Bread Sauce Cranberry Sauce with Orange Puree of Brussels Sprouts Maple Roast Parsnips Granny's Roast Potatoes Mincemeat Crumble Tart Chocolate Praline Truffles CHRISTMAS DINNER TIME PLANNER This time planner is based on everyone sitting down to eat at 2pm, and the cooking of a 5.4kg (12lb) turkey (including the stuffing).

Weigh your turkey with the stuffing in and cook according to the cooking times in the roast turkey recipe.

The day before (to get ahead):

1Soak the ham in cold water.

2Make the fresh herb stuffing with smoky bacon.

3If you are making your own turkey stock, then you can do so today.

4Make the cranberry sauce with orange.

5If you wish, you can make the bread sauce today.

6Prepare the brussels sprouts: trim and discard the outer leaves, and halve the sprouts. Cover with wet kitchen paper, and put in the fridge, or somewhere cool.

7Make the pastry for the mincemeat crumble tart, and line the tin. Put in the fridge. Again, if you are cooking with just a single oven this can be completed and cooked the day before.

8Make the mixture for the chocolate praline truffles, and leave to set in the fridge.

Finish making the truffles if you wish.

9Make the praline, leave to set, then crush with a rolling pin, or in a food processor.

Christmas morning 9.00am Put the ham (if you have not already cooked it) in a large saucepan, cover with fresh cold water, bring it to the boil, and cook it according to the recipe.

10.00am Preheat the oven to 2000C, gas 6. Stuff the turkey, then put it breastside down in a large roasting tin. Spread with soft butter, season with salt and pepper.

10.15am Put the turkey in the preheated oven. With the stuffing in, it weighs 5.4kg (12lb) so it will take three-and-a-quarter hours (including the extra 15 minutes) to cook. It then needs half an hour or so of resting time.

10.30am Preheat a second oven to 1800C for the mincemeat crumble tart (if cooking it today).

10.35am Turn the oven down to 1800C, gas 4, and continue cooking the turkey.

10.40am Take the pastry case out of the fridge for the mincemeat crumble tart and spread the mincemeat on the base, then make the crumble and put in the tart. Cook at 1800C, gas 4, for 25-35 minutes until golden.

11.00am If you have not already finished the praline chocolate truffles, then do so now . . . roll in praline (or just plain cocoa) and leave in the fridge, or somewhere cool.

11.15am Check the mincemeat crumble tart . . .

when golden, remove from the oven and set aside.

Leave for five minutes before removing from the tin.

11.20am Cook the brussels sprouts and puree with the cream. Set aside, in a saucepan, ready to heat up when serving the meal.

11.30am If the bread sauce is not already made, do so now, and cook it on a very low heat on the hob (make sure it does not burn), or pop it into the oven with the mincemeat crumble tart.

11.45am Peel the potatoes and cook for 5-10 minutes in boiling salted water.

Drain off all water, then shake them in the saucepan with the lid on, to roughen up the edges. Set aside.

11.55am If you are cooking the ham today (if you have a second/double oven) then preheat the oven to 2500C, gas 9, for glazing the ham.

12.00pm Peel and cut the parsnips, blanch (par-boil) in boiling water for three minutes, then drain and set aside. Cover with wet kitchen paper until they need to be roasted.

12.20pm If you have not already glazed the ham, then do so now, and put in the preheated hot oven.

Keep an eye on it, and don't put it too close to the grills in the top of the oven.

When the ham is glazed, turn the oven down to 2300C, gas 8, for the potatoes and parsnips.

12.30pm Clean up, organise the kitchen. Get out the carving fork and knife, serving bowls and plates, make sure the table is set.

12.40pm Keep an eye on the ham, and remove from the hot oven when deep golden all over. Cover with tinfoil to keep slightly warm.

VERY IMPORTANT 12.50pm Take 10 deep breaths/have a G&T/glass of bubbly/cup of tea/find the batteries for the remote-control dinosaur/Barbie jeep.

1.00pm Turn the turkey so that it is facing breast-side up, give it a baste (spoon the juices over the top) and put back in the oven.

1.15pm If you have a second/double oven, prepare the potatoes for the oven, and cook now . . . if you don't have a second oven then cook the potatoes and parsnips when the turkey comes out to rest.

1.25pm Put the blanched parsnips in the hot oven to cook, tossed in olive oil and maple syrup.

1.30pm Push a skewer into the deepest part of each thigh to see if the turkey is done . . . the juices should run clear, and the leg should be slightly loose if you give it a pull. Transfer to a warmed serving plate, cover with tinfoil and let rest in a warm place. Make the gravy with the juices from the turkey tin.

1.45pm Put the bread sauce in a warm serving bowl (and keep warm) and the cranberry sauce with orange in a bowl on the table. Put the mincemeat crumble tart in an oven that has been turned off, but is still warm. Take the praline chocolate truffles out of the fridge.

1.50pm Carve the turkey and the ham. Reheat the gravy.

2.00pm Remove the roast potatoes and parsnips from the oven, reheat the puree of brussels sprouts.

Serve Christmas dinner!

Glazed ham Serves about 15-20 If you are cooking with just a single oven on Christmas day, then chances are the turkey will be taking up all the oven space, so cook this the day before, then slice it and heat it in a dish covered with tinfoil (add about 25ml of stock into the dish to keep it moist).

You can also use this recipe (just cut it down according to the weight of the meat) for a loin of bacon if you prefer.

1 x 4.5-5.5kg (10-12lb) ham, preferably with the rind on (I prefer unsmoked for this) About 40 whole cloves 350g brown sugar 50-75ml pineapple or orange juice Soak the ham in a big bowl of cold water overnight (this step is not essential, but it will mean that you will have to change the water less often when cooking the ham).

The next day (or eight hours later) put the ham in a large saucepan, and cover with fresh cold water. Bring it up to the boil . . . if the meat is still salty there will be a white froth on top of the water. In this case, discard this water and cover with fresh cold water, and bring up to the boil again. If the water is still frothy when it boils discard the water once more.

Cook the ham at a simmer on the hob for approx 20 minutes per 500g (or lb). The ham is cooked when a skewer stuck into the centre of the meat pulls out easily.

Take the ham out of the saucepan and carefully peel off the rind. With a knife, score the fat into squares or diamonds, and stud each square or diamond with a clove. Mix the brown sugar with the juice to make a thick paste (don't add too much liquid, otherwise it will all fall off the ham in the oven) and spread over the ham.

Bake it in a hot oven preheated to 2500C, gas 9, for about 20 minutes or until the top has caramelised. While it is glazing, baste it regularly.

Serve hot or cold.

Roast turkey This method of cooking the turkey (breast-side down for most of the time) leaves it with meat that is juicy and tender. This stuffing has smoky bacon in it which is delicious, but you can, of course leave it out.

Keep in mind that when you are weighing the stuffed turkey, and working out cooking times (as below), it will need to rest somewhere warm for at least 20 minutes, making it more juicy and easier to carve.

1 x good quality free-range (and organic, if possible) turkey 25g butter 1 x recipe for stuffing with smoky bacon. Make sure the stuffing is cold before you use it Preheat the oven to 2000C, gas 6. Remove the wishbone from the neck end of the turkey . . . this makes carving the breast easier later . . . and remove the wing tips too.

If you want to make a stock for your gravy, put the wishbone, wing tips, neck, heart and gizzard into a saucepan along with one carrot and one onion cut in half, a stick of celery and a sprig of thyme and parsley. Add a pinch of salt and cover with cold water.

Simmer for two hours while the bird is roasting.

You can also make the stock in advance.

Wipe clean and dry the cavity of the turkey. Half fill with the cold stuffing and put the remainder of the stuffing in at the neck end. Weigh the turkey and calculate cooking time.

Allow 15 minutes per lb (or 30 minutes per kg) plus 15 minutes extra.

Smear the butter on the turkey, then put it, breastside down in the roasting tin (this prevents the breast from drying out) and roast for 20 minutes, then turn the oven down to 1800C, gas 4. About 30 minutes before the end of cooking time, turn the turkey breast-side up (I sometimes wear washing up gloves to do this), basting it well with juices in the tin . . . this will allow it to brown.

At the end of cooking time, test to see if it is cooked (stick a skewer into the thigh of the turkey . . .

the juices should run clear). Take it out of the oven, cover it (with tinfoil or something similar) and put it somewhere slightly warm for at least 20 minutes.

If possible, carve it on a board sitting in a roasting tray (the turkey, not you) . . .

this will catch the juices, which can be added to the gravy. Holding the turkey steady with a carving fork, cut down through the skin between the breast and the leg. Cut through the ball and socket joint to remove the leg. Divide the thigh from the drumstick by cutting through the joint holding them together. The leg is the brown meat.

Carve the thigh into smaller pieces.

Remove the wish bone (at the neck end) if you have not already done so.

Carve the wing off on its own and carve the breasts into slices and put in a warm serving dish with the stuffing. It always looks nicer if the meat is served skin side up. Cover to prevent it from dying out, and keep warm until serving.

Gravy When the turkey is cooked, remove to a dish or another baking tray and keep warm. Pour off the fat from the tray, but not the bitty juices at the bottom.

Pour 800ml boiling stock into the juices in the tray and whisk to dissolve all the bits. Strain into a saucepan and boil for a few minutes. Sometimes I add a sprig of whatever herb I'm using in the stuffing.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To thicken the gravy, make a roux by melting, in a small saucepan, equal quantities of butter and flour (say 25g of each).

Cook on a medium heat for two minutes. Then whisk couple of teaspoonfuls of this into the boiling gravy, while still on the heat. It will thicken as it boils.

Fresh herb stuffing with smoky bacon This will stuff a good 5.5- 6.75 kg (12-15 lbs) turkey 175 g butter 350g onions, finely chopped 400g soft white breadcrumbs Four generous tbsp chopped fresh herbs, like marjoram, tarragon, parsley, thyme, chives, lemon balm, rosemary (rosemary is quite strong so don't use too much) 150g smoky bacon (I love Gubbeen bacon) cut into lardons Salt and pepper Put the lardons in a saucepan of cold water.

Bring to the boil, drain and dry the bacon with kitchen paper. Heat up a frying pan. Add one tsp olive oil and, on a high heat, cook it, (three-five minutes), until golden and crispy.

Melt the butter in a saucepan. On a gentle heat, cook the onion (with the lid on) for about 8-10 minutes until soft. Add the breadcrumbs, herbs and bacon, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Allow to cool completely before you stuff the bird.

Stuffing tips >> It is perfectly safe to stuff your bird . . . besides you get a much more flavoursome stuffing if it is cooked in the bird.

>> Do not overstuff the cavity . . . leave a little gap in the cavity to allow the heat to penetrate so that the bird can cook completely.

>> Do not put warm stuffing into a bird . . . allow it to cool before putting it in the bird unless you put it in the oven straight away. It's very handy to make the stuffing ahead of time.

And of course you can freeze it.

Bread sauce Serves 10-12 This is my mother in-law, Darina's recipe for bread sauce. In my opinion, this and cranberry sauce are a must to serve with roast turkey and glazed ham at Christmas.

600ml milk 100g soft white breadcrumbs Two onions, peeled and each stuck with six cloves 50g butter Salt and pepper, a pinch or so of each Two good pinches of ground cloves 100 ml cream Preheat the oven to 1700C, gas 3. Put all the ingredients, except for the cream, in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Cover and put in the preheated oven, or simmer on a low burning hob, for 30 minutes. Remove the onion and add the cream. This can be made in advance. If it is too thick, just add a little milk.

Cranberry sauce with orange Serves 10 This sauce can be prepared ahead and kept in the fridge for a week or two. It could also be frozen.

340g cranberries (one bag) Finely grated zest and juice of one orange . . . keep separate 150g light muscovado sugar Put the cranberries (they can be frozen), the orange juice and two tbsp water into a small saucepan and cook on a low heat, with the lid on, stirring regularly for about six or seven minutes, until the cranberries have burst completely. Take the saucepan off the heat and stir in the grated orange zest and the sugar.

Puree of brussels sprouts This delicious brussels sprouts puree will usually have sprout-haters asking for more. If you are making this in advance, and you can, just heat it up briskly in an uncovered pot . . .

prolonged covered heat will make it go dull in colour.

500g (18oz) brussels sprouts, outer leaves trimmed and discarded. Sprouts cut in half 75ml cream A tiny knob of butter Pepper Cook the sprouts in boiling salted water (uncovered) for about five minutes, until just tender, drain them, then whizz them in a food processor with the cream, butter and a good pinch of black pepper.

Maple roast parsnips Serves 6 The maple syrup in this recipe gives the parsnips a sweet subtle flavour. These can be prepared in advance, up to the point where you put them in the oven to roast (see below).

500g parsnips (four large or eight small), peeled, quartered with the woody root in the centre cut out, and sliced into long, even chunks Scant 50ml maple syrup Pinch sea salt Two-three tbsp olive oil Preheat the oven to 2300C, gas 8. Place the prepared parsnips in a saucepan of boiling water on the heat and boil for three minutes.

Drain and dry with kitchen paper. (I find that this blanching give the parsnips a lovely texture. ) Toss in a bowl, with the maple syrup and a pinch of sea salt. Drizzle the olive oil, toss and empty out on a roasting/baking tray (can be prepared up to this point). Put in the oven and roast for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown and soft.

Granny's roast potatoes Serves 4-6 My grandmother makes the best roast potatoes, the ones that are crispy and crunchy on the outside, and soft on the inside. If cooking with a single oven for Christmas, cook these and the parsnips while the turkey is resting, after being cooked.

Eight large 'old' potatoes, peeled and cut in half Olive oil, or beef dripping Salt Preheat the oven to 2300C, gas 8. Drop the potatoes into boiling salted water and cook for 10 minutes.

Drain off the water and shake the potatoes in the dry saucepan with the lid on . . . this makes the edges of the potatoes a bit rough.

Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a roasting tray and toss the potatoes in it, making sure they are well coated . . . add more oil if they are not. Sprinkle with salt and place in the hot oven for about 35 minutes, basting every now and then. Take them out when they are golden brown and crusty all over.

Handy hint: If these have to keep warm in the oven for any length of time do not cover them. If you do they will go soggy.

Mincemeat crumble tart Serves 6-8 I love this tart. My sister Simone always makes this at Christmas time. It keeps for days, and is great to serve as a dessert after Christmas dinner, or to enjoy with a cup of coffee.

If making in advance, just warm it up to serve. If serving for dessert you may want to add a little whiskey into whipped cream for the adults to have with the tart.

Sweet shortcrust pastry:

200g plain flour 100g cold butter, cut into cubes 25g icing sugar One small egg, beaten 1x 310g jar mincemeat (about six tbsp) Crumble:

175g plain flour 75g cold butter, cut into cubes 75g soft brown sugar or light brown muscovado One generous tsp mixed spice 1 x 23cm shallow tart tin (with a pop up base, preferably) To serve:

Whipped cream (or vanilla ice cream) and a dusting of icing sugar for the tart Preheat the oven to 1800C, gas 4 . Next, make the sweet shortcrust pastry. In a food processor, put the flour, butter and sugar and whizz for a few seconds until the butter is in small coarse pieces. Add half the beaten egg and continue to whizz for a few more seconds until it comes together . . . you may need to add all the egg to bring it together. As soon as it comes together, stop whizzing.

If making this by hand, rub the butter into the flour and the sugar, then add the beaten egg (or some of it) and bring together with your hands. Wrap the ball of pastry dough with clingfilm and flatten it into a round. Cover with clingfilm and put it in the fridge to chill for at least 20 minutes .

When it has chilled, take it out of the fridge and roll it, either between two pieces of clingfilm or on a floured work surface, until it is about 3mm thick and will fit into the base of and up the sides of the 23cm tart tin .

Transfer carefully into the tart tin and trim the edges to make a neat pastry shell. If you have time, put the pastry shell in the fridge or freezer to chill. Then remove from the fridge and spread the mincemeat over the base to give a thick, even layer.

Next make the crumble.

Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and the spice and mix. Pour the crumble over the mincemeat, don't worry if it looks very full.

Put the tart in the preheated oven and cook for 25-35 minutes until the crumble is golden brown. I often put this on the bottom of the oven for a few minutes to make sure the pastry cooks on the base.

Remove from the oven and allow to sit for five or 10 minutes before taking the tart out of the tin.

(Leave the tart on the base of the tin if you wish. ) Dust with icing sugar and serve warm with a little whipped cream.

Chocolate praline truffles Makes about 40 These are rich and delicious after-dinner truffles, well worth the effort. They can be made a week or two in advance and stored in the fridge (or even in the freezer for a few weeks), and would make a lovely gift at Christmas time.

For these you need to make praline, in which you roll the truffles, but of course you can roll the truffles in cocoa powder instead. Praline is lovely to have in the kitchen . . . it is delicious sprinkled on top of vanilla ice cream with some toffee sauce for a quick impressive pudding.

If making these to serve with coffee or liqueurs after dinner, remove from the fridge about 20 minutes before eating.

For the praline:

100g caster sugar 100g unpeeled almonds For the truffles:

150ml cream 225g dark chocolate, chopped One tbsp whiskey, cointreau, or rum (optional) First, make the praline. Put a sheet of parchment paper (not greaseproof) on a baking tray. Put the sugar and almonds in a saucepan or a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Allow the sugar to caramelise slowly . . . do not stir the mixture but you can swirl the pan if it is browning unevenly. Cook until all the sugar has caramelised to a rich golden brown (the colour of whiskey). Pour the mixture onto the parchment paper and allow to cool completely . . . it will harden as it cools.

When it is cool, either whizz it up in a food processor or put it in a plastic bag and bash it with a rolling pin . . . you want it to become the texture of breadcrumbs. Store in a covered box or jar until you need it . . . it will keep for a month like this.

To make the truffles, put the cream into a saucepan and bring up to the boil, add the chocolate and the whiskey or rum, if using.

Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Pour into a dish which has been lined with a double layer of clingfilm or greaseproof paper, and allow to cool and set.

When it is set, take the chilled chocolate mixture out of the tin and cut it into squares. Then roll into balls with wet hands or simply leave as square truffles.

Drop into a bowl of praline or cocoa powder and toss to cover the chocolates. Remove from the bowl, shake off the excess praline or cocoa, and serve with coffee after dinner, or wrap up to give as gifts.