My top tips on how you can stay organised while enjoying the celebrations.
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I am Eniko Fejer, founder and private chef at Chef to Home. We are one of Norfolk’s leading small event caterers offering private dinner and catering experiences for family or friend’s get-togethers. We have been mentioned on the EDP and on BBC Radio 2, collaborated with other small business (check the press page on our website) and we have over 70 very personalised five star Google reviews. The concept of Chef to Home by Eniko Fejer was born in late 2020 however I started to work full time as a private chef in April 2023. My aim has been to provide a high-end, personalised culinary experience to the guests in their chosen location.
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Plan ahead
Don't spare time on the planning, hosting an event and cooking is all about organisation. It takes a lot of time. Write a list for everything and with everything on it. Because that 'little job' that you don't include will take you an hour and will knock you off.
If I have two busy events in one week the planning of the cooking, which day I need to do what, prep list, shopping list, ordering my ingredients, putting the recipes together, takes about 3-5 hours. Cooking is the fun part, but to get there I already worked 10-15 hours (client communication, event planning and ingredient sourcing is included).
Prep everything that you can a day before. Carrots and Brussels sprouts can be peeled, chopped and cooked. Potatoes for roasties can be prepped the same way. On the day all you need to do is to add a bit of butter or oil and roast them in the oven.
While prepping you will accumulate a lot of washing up. If you have a shorter program on the dishwasher (usually 1 hour or 1H20M) now is the time to use it.
Invest the time now, so you have peace of mind later with less mental load. Following an already thought through list is a lot easier.
How much drinks and food should I get?
Drinks
- Aperitif (G&T and cocktails) – maximum two per person will be sufficient if you consume more alcohol with the meal.
- Wine – one bottle will serve 5 people comfortably.
- Soft drinks – count with 2 or 3 glasses per person.
Food – if you don’t want leftovers
- If you are having any starter (smoked salmon, prawn cocktail etc) count with 50g protein / portion.
- A turkey is as big as a turkey is but if you skip this year 180-200g protein / person is more than enough.
- Roasties: 3 / portion, so 1 extra-large potato will give you 2 portions.
- Veggies (like Brussels sprouts and diced carrots): 3 or 4 / portion.
- Gravy – it’s never enough in my opinion.
- Cheese – you will be full with all the food, emotions will run high, so maximum 20g / cheese type / person. 3 or 4 type of cheese is sufficient. (I’m a cheese lover but after a two-course meal I do have my limits and these quantities work best.)
- Dessert – if the family is not a dessert type don’t force it. But if you want to serve something up go slightly smaller than what you would first think.
If the group like to enjoy high volume of alcohol before or during the meal take into consideration that alcohol is very filling and they might want to eat less.
This period can be tough for some and if someone refuse to drink alcohol please be respectful and accept it. No means no.
Declutter the kitchen
If the big cooking happens in your kitchen free up the space so you have clear work surfaces on the bench. The air fryer that hasn’t been used for months can go in the garage now. Books don’t belong to the kitchen counter and the vitamins and other drugs on the island are not very sensible when children are around. The mail also needs sorting through…
Empty the bins because there is a lot of stuff incoming and I cannot think of anything worse than overflowing bins.
Think about fridge space
If you have only one fridge and you are hosting at least 10 people you need to plan out the logistics of the fridge space. Drinks can be stored in the cold garage, open chutneys and condiments will be also fine in a box there. If you have no garage pop them in the garden (it’s December, let weather do the cooling).
Set your kitchen boundaries
Do you like cooking when people are around you? Or you would prefer being left alone with a glass of wine and some good tunes? Be confident with the family about what you need when you are preparing the big dinner. You are the one who is cooking, the kitchen is yours, you make the rules so don’t be shy to communicate your needs.
Side note: I prefer to cook alone.
Set the table
After you put this much effort into the planning and cooking now is the time to think about hosting and setting the table nicely. This is the part when you could ask for support. Allow at least 30 minutes to do it. I would recommend putting small fresh flowers on the table because they will elevate the visuals of the dining experience. Keep the flowers small and low, this will allow to see the person apposite you.
Dishing up the food will take about 20 minutes. If you are hosting family style set the table with the plated food on before you invite the guests in. This way you will have a chance to sit with them.
Outsource the drink serving, you did the cooking part, someone else can do the drinks.
Clearing
The kitchen will be rammed at this point and there will be food, dirty trays, turkey fat, empty bottles and gravy drippings everywhere. Cleaning up after a meal like this will take about an hour. Again, ask for help or even better if you put your feet up and outsource it completely.
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There is a special, peaceful moment after dinner, when the dirty plates and all the leftover food is back to the kitchen, but the family is still together finishing the last drinks and enjoying the sweets. The gentle talk is ongoing. We are together and we had a chance to celebrate another Christmas with our loved ones. I always stop at this point and reflect. I feel truly grateful for the wonderful memories that we are able to share.
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