• Food
  • Family
  • Beauty & Health
  • Style
  • SPA AWARDS 2023
  • SPA AWARDS 2023
  • Best Beauty Buys 2023
  • Food
    • Eating Out
    • Cooking Tips
    • Festive Food
    • Asian Recipes
    • Food
    • Celebrity Recipes
    • Dessert Recipes
    • Healthy Recipes
    • Quick & Easy Recipes
    • Western Recipes
  • Family
    • Family
    • Deals
    • Parenting
    • Sex & Marriage
    • Travel
  • Beauty & Health
    • Beauty & Health
    • Skincare
    • Makeup
    • Hair
    • Awards
    • Diet & Nutrition
    • Fitness
    • Wellness
  • Style
  • Deals
  • Great Women
    • Career
    • Great Women of Our Time
    • Real Life
  • Entertainment
  • EVENTS/WIN
  • Subscribe
Privacy Menu
SPH Media

Copyright © 2023 SPH Media Limited. Co. Regn. No. 202120748H. All rights reserved.

  • Food
  • Family
  • Beauty & Health
  • Style
  • SPA AWARDS 2023

Entertaining

Pro Tips From Australia’s First MasterChef Julie Goodwin On Hosting A Stress-Free Christmas Lu...

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Entertaining

Pro Tips From Australia’s First MasterChef Julie Goodwin On Hosting A Stress-Free Christmas Lunch

Julie Goodwin, Australia’s favourite home cook and first MasterChef, shares how you can host a stress-free Christmas with delicious, effortless food

December 4, 2020

No longer will you spend December 25 running around your house trying to stop the turkey from burning and shooing your kids away from the candy cane jar. Julie Goodwin, Australia’s favourite home cook and first MasterChef, owner of Julie’s Place cooking school, shares how you can host a stress-free Christmas with delicious, effortless food.

READ NEXT

How To Arrange The Perfect Cheese Platter For A Home Party

11 Christmas Catering Menus & Takeaways For A Festive Feast At Home

7 Must-Know Tips To Choose The Right Dining Chairs For Your Living Space

https://www.womensweekly.com.sg/gallery/style/10-top-tips-from-australias-first-masterchef-julie-goodwin-on-how-to-host-a-stress-free-christmas-lunch/
Pro Tips From Australia's First MasterChef Julie Goodwin On Hosting A Stress-Free Christmas Lunch
Preparation is key
image

It’s time to relax at Christmas and enjoy quality time with your nearest and dearest, not slaving over a stove all day long. Organise what you can in advance; sauces, desserts, chutneys and biscuits can be prepared in the days ahead, whilst salads and vegetables can be prepped the day before, leaving you with your hands free to relax and enjoy the day.

Photo: Pexels
Start small
image

You don’t need a full hot roast dinner to get into the festive spirit; a cold Christmas lunch is more appropriate for our climate. Try a glazed ham, some seafood and a selection of colourful festive salads for an equally special and delicious lunch.

Photo: Pixabay
Think: Banquet-style
image

Serve your lunch in the middle of the table to share with friends and family, or go for a buffet-style feast (along a bench so that people walk along and serve themselves). This will be much easier than individually plating meals and means you won’t need to worry about what each person will and won’t eat.

Photo: Pixabay
Share the workload
image

If you’re having a crowd over, do some delegating and spread the tasks around so you’re not lumped with everything – sometimes it’s much better to ask for help. You could put someone in charge of nibbles, make another person responsible for dessert, or get someone else to bring a salad.

Photo: Julie Goodwin
Don't over-cater
image

It’s really tempting to by more than you need over Christmas. Avoid extra work, extra expense and food waste, by making sure you only supply the food you’ll need.

Photo: Pixabay
Clear out your fridge
image

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, try and use up as much as your fresh produce in the fridge as possible to make room for the festive goodies – ham, turkey and pavlovas usually need a lot of space. I recommend fridges that allow you to slide or lift the door bins to suit your ever-changing needs especially at Christmas!

Photo: Pixabay
Clean up with a team
image

When it’s time to pack the Christmas lunch away, many hands make light work, so don’t be shy about delegating some of the cleaning up. Most people will be pleased to be able to help – or at least pretend! Don’t forget to store the leftovers properly either – cling wrap and plastic containers will become your new best friend.

Photo: Pixabay
Love your leftovers
image

Get some recipes and clever ideas ready to use up any leftover ham, turkey and vegetables so they don’t sit sadly in the fridge until they have to be thrown out. They can be put to great use in a quiche, terrines, pasta, or in fried rice.

Photo: Pixabay
There's no rush
image

It’s good to know that according to food safety standards your food can be safely out of the fridge or oven for 2 hours. That gives you plenty of time for a leisurely lunch before you need to pack up and put your food away in the fridge.

Photo: Pixabay
Relax!
image

Finally, if you want to have a wonderful Christmas day, forget the idea that everything needs to be perfect. Instead, relax, take the pressure off yourself and enjoy the company of your loved ones over some great food, a drink and some silly bon-bon jokes. Happy Christmas!

Text: The Australian Women’s Weekly / Additional Reporting: Sean Tan

Read Next

10 Home Essentials You Need To Host A Stylish Yet Budget-Friendly Dinner Party

15 Divine Christmas Dessert Recipes To Wow The Crowd

Photo: Pixabay
  • TAGS:
  • australia
  • australia masterchef
  • Christmas
  • christmas 2019
  • Cooking
  • Entertaining
  • Food
  • How-To
  • julie goodwin
  • lunch
  • masterchef
  • Party
SHARE THIS ON

Don't Miss Out Ever Again!
Tips & tricks to stay sane + win invites to our events!

By submitting my information above and clicking "Sign Me Up Now", I confirm I understand and accept SPH Media Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy as amended from time to time.
Footer Menu
  • About Us
  • ADVERTISE WITH US
  • Contact
  • Conditions of Access
  • PDPA
  • Privacy Policy
?>">
SPH Magazine

Copyright © 2023 SPH Media Limited. Co. Regn. No. 202120748H. All rights reserved.