How to make Christmas stress-free by preparing food in November

"When the kids were little, I actually didn’t like Christmas. I didn’t feel it was my day. I felt like it was everybody else’s day,” the 49-year-old says. “I look back on it now and think I really did miss some key moments where I would have loved being the one sitting just helping build Lego, or whatever it was, but I felt tied to the kitchen.”

To make a busy life with children easier Mulholland started batch cooking, and after sharing videos on YouTube and Instagram, ‘The Batch Lady’ Instagram account was born. With it, the mum-of-two was able to transform Christmas so she wasn’t cooking all day.

November is the perfect time to start, she says, and buying a lot of your Christmas food in November can help spread the cost.

“You can do it all in November, when you don’t have every other activity going on, like the Christmas fete at school, your kids Carol concert and your work night out. December becomes really busy for us.”

Here are some of her suggestions to get ahead before Christmas this year….

Festive Camembert puff pie

Ingredients

(Prep: 20 minutes, serves 6)

500g frozen butternut squash chunks

2tbsp olive oil

1 red onion, diced

1tsp frozen chopped garlic

300g chestnut mushrooms, sliced

1 x 500g block of puff pastry

Plain flour, for dusting

150g Camembert cheese, cut into slices

2tbsp cranberry sauce

1 egg, beaten

Method (if making ahead for the fridge or freezer)

To cook in an oven:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan. Drizzle the squash with olive oil and season well, then roast on a baking tray for 20–25 minutes until golden.

2. Fry the onion and garlic in the remaining oil until soft, add the mushrooms and cook for 5–6 minutes.

3. Combine the cooked mushrooms and squash in a bowl and leave to cool.

4. Cut the pastry in half and roll out both pieces on a lightly floured surface to a £1 coin thickness. Cut a 23cm circle from one (use a plate as a template) and a 28cm circle from the other.

5. Place the smaller circle onto a parchment-lined baking tray. Add the mushroom and squash, leaving a 2.5cm gap at the edges. Top with the Camembert and the cranberry sauce.

6. Brush the pastry edges with beaten egg, then lay the larger pastry circle on top. Press around the edges with a fork. Brush all over with egg and decorate with leftover pastry, cut into shapes.

7. Flash-freeze on the baking tray then place the pie in a freezer bag.

To make in an air fryer:

1. Preheat the air fryer to 180°C. Drizzle the squash with olive oil and season well, then place in the basket and cook for 18–20 minutes, shaking halfway.

2. Fry the onion and garlic in the remaining oil until soft, add the mushrooms and cook for 5–6 minutes.

3. Combine the cooked mushrooms and squash in a bowl and leave to cool.

4. Cut the pastry in half and roll out both pieces on a lightly floured surface to a £1 coin thickness. Cut a 23cm circle from one (use a plate as a template) and a 28cm circle from the other.

5. Place the smaller pastry circle onto a parchment-lined baking tray. Add the mushroom and squash, leaving a 2.5cm gap at the edges. Top with the Camembert and the cranberry sauce.

6. Brush the pastry edges with beaten egg, then lay the larger pastry circle on top. Press around the edges with a fork. Brush all over with egg and decorate with leftover pastry, cut into shapes.

7. Flash-freeze on the baking tray then place the pie in a freezer bag.

To reheat:

Oven: Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan. Place the frozen pie on a lined baking tray and cook for 45–55 minutes, covering with foil if it’s browning too quickly.

Air fryer: Preheat the air fryer to 170°C and line the basket with baking parchment. Cook the frozen pie for 40–45 minutes, covering with foil if it’s browning too quickly.

If cooking now:

Follow the method in the ‘making ahead’ section up until the end of step 6.

To cook in an oven: Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan. Cook on a lined baking tray for 35–40 minutes until golden, covering with foil if it’s browning too quickly.

To cook in an air fryer: Preheat the air fryer to 170°C and line the basket with baking parchment. Cook for 35–40 minutes until golden, covering with foil if it’s browning too quickly.

Sage, cheddar and chestnut stuffing

Ingredients

(Prep: 15 minutes, serves 4-6)

1 x 170g packet of dried sage and onion stuffing

2tbsp orange juice

400g pork sausage meat

70g grated Cheddar

90g cooked chestnuts, finely diced

Method (if making ahead for the fridge or freezer)

1. Add the stuffing to a mixing bowl and pour over the amount of boiling water stated on the packet, along with the orange juice. Leave to stand according to the packet instructions.

2. Add the sausage meat, cheese and chestnuts and mix with your hands until they all come together.

3. Add to a large labelled freezer bag and freeze flat.

To cook in an oven: Remove from the freezer and leave to fully defrost. This can now be used to stuff your turkey or be cooked separately. To cook separately, preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan and line a 900g loaf tin with greaseproof paper. Press the stuffing mixture into the tin and cook for 25–30 minutes until cooked through.

To cook in an air fryer: Remove from the freezer and leave to fully defrost. This can now be used to stuff your turkey or be cooked separately. To cook separately, preheat the air fryer to 180°C and line a 900g loaf tin with greaseproof paper. Press the stuffing mixture into the tin and cook for 20–25 minutes until cooked through.

If cooking now:

Follow the method in the ‘making ahead’ section up until the end of step 2. This can now be used to stuff your turkey or be cooked separately.

To cook in an oven: To cook separately, preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan and line a 900g loaf tin with greaseproof paper. Press the stuffing mixture into the tin and cook for 25–30 minutes until cooked through.

To cook in an air fryer: To cook separately, preheat the air fryer to 180°C and line a 900g loaf tin with greaseproof paper. Press the stuffing mixture into the tin and cook for 20–25 minutes until cooked through.

Roast potatoes

Ingredients

(Prep: 10 minutes, serves: 4–6)

1kg Maris Piper potatoes

80g melted goose fat or 5tbsp olive oil (use olive oil if cooking for vegetarians or vegans)

Salt and pepper

Method (if making ahead for the fridge or freezer)

1. Slice the potatoes into quarters and add to a saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil over a high heat. Cook for 6–7 minutes, then drain and return the potatoes to the saucepan to allow to steam dry.

2 Add the melted goose fat or olive oil to a tray, then tip in the hot potatoes. Turn to coat them well in the oil and season with salt and pepper.

3. Flash-freeze the tray of potatoes for 1 hour to allow them to get hard, then transfer them to a large labelled freezer bag and freeze flat.

To cook in an oven: Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan. Place a baking tray in the oven for 3 minutes to heat. Carefully remove from the oven and add the frozen potatoes to the hot tray. Cook for 40–50 minutes until roasted and delicious.

To cook in an air fryer: Preheat the air fryer to 190°C. Add the frozen potatoes to the air fryer basket and cook for 30–35 minutes, shaking them every 10 minutes.

If cooking now:

Follow the method in the ‘making ahead’ section up until the end of step 2.

To cook in an oven: Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan. Place a baking tray in the oven for 3 minutes to heat up. Carefully remove from the oven and add the oiled potatoes to the hot tray. Cook for 35 minutes until roasted and delicious.

To cook in an air fryer: Preheat the air fryer to 190°C. Add the oiled potatoes to the air fryer basket and cook for 20–25 minutes, shaking them every 10 minutes.