One in fivehave done a Christmas dinner ‘practice run’ to make sure everything goes right on the big day. A study of 2,000 adults who have prepared a festive dinner found 77% will also spend an average of one hour and 43 minutes prepping on Christmas Eve to help the next day go as smoothly as possible.
Vegetables including carrots (39%), sprouts (31%), potatoes (36%), and even the gravy base (15%) are among the items people try to perfect ahead of time to avoid a Christmas rush. But this doesn’t eliminate all of the stress, with timing everything to perfection (44%) and managing multiple dishes (29%) among the biggest Christmas dinner challenges.
It also emerged that when it comes to Christmas Day itself, those providing dinner will spend an average of more than three hours cooking, with a third making a start before 9am.
The study was commissioned by Lyle’s Golden Syrup, which has teamed up with chef Sam Holland to share his tips on how to make the Christmas dinner prep as stress-free as possible.
He said: “Christmas cooking doesn’t have to be stressful. With a bit of planning, making a checklist of each dish and delegating simple tasks to family members can help lighten the load and turn cooking into a fun, shared experience.
“And a willingness to try something new – whether it’s adding a twist to classic dishes or getting creative with flavours and ingredients – can make the festive kitchen a place of discovery.
“Enjoy the process, get everyone involved and don’t be afraid to experiment, for me, cooking together is what Christmas is all about.”
The research revealed that the pressure of keeping the food hot (29%), finding oven space (28%), and cleaning as you go (25%) brought cooks out in a sweat.
Only 11% claimed to sail through Christmas dinner stress-free, while 28% have weathered spirited debates with loved ones over crafting a flawless meal. As such, 22% prefer to be left alone to focus and 9% even shared they like company but ‘no interference’.
Everyone has their own opinions when it comes to experimenting with flavours: 46% were sticklers for tradition, 29% are open to a twist or two, and 14% said they always embrace trying new things.
Truffle oil roast potatoes (22%), deep-fried stuffing balls (21%) and golden syrup and sriracha parsnips (18%) were the most sought-after recipes people were eager to try this year.
The study, carried out via OnePoll, also found 25% consider Gen Z to be the most adventurous Christmas cooks, with Millennials trailing behind at 19% and Gen X at just 9%.
Additionally, 37% of Gen Z relish a festive season full of surprises, compared to 5% of Millennials who prefer to keep things traditional.
Regardless of their ideal festive vibe, 48% of all adults said cooking Christmas dinner is one of their favourite festive traditions.
Furthermore, 57% said Christmas dinner is worth every minute to see everyone enjoying the food, and 52% said the same to spend time together. Additionally, 30% feel it’s all about the festive atmosphere that comes with Christmas Day.
Olivia Haley, at Lyle’s Golden Syrup, said: “We all know a lot more goes into Christmas dinner than meets the eye. From the hours spent prepping ingredients the day before, to the early start on Christmas morning, it truly is a labour of love.
“We teamed up with Sam to show how versatile ingredients can transform dishes – from a beautifully glazed ham to sausage rolls with a savoury syrup jam.
“Food is an absolutely golden part of Christmas traditions that brings people together. It’s what it’s all about.”
Dining and Cooking