Ingredients Checklist, Timings and Step by Step Guide

The festive season is upon us, and there’s no better way to celebrate than with a beautifully cooked Christmas dinner. If the idea of timing your turkey, potatoes, and all the trimmings feels daunting, fear not! With a bit of preparation and some tips from us at The Cornish Food Box Company, you’ll create a show-stopping meal that’s both delicious and stress-free.

We make Christmas easy from sourcing high-quality, local ingredients, to getting everything you need to your door, and step-by-step timings, we’ve got you covered. So, put on your favourite Christmas playlist, pour yourself a glass of something sparkling, and let’s get started!

Start with the best ingredients. 

At The Cornish Food Box Company we have everything you need for the most delicious & sustainable Christmas ever. Here’s what you’ll need:

Turkey: Opt for one of our free-range Cornish turkeys for unbeatable flavour. You can choose different cuts including whole, crown, & breast joint - find out more from our Christmas Turkey Guide. What sized turkey do you need? Our guide to getting the right sized turkey.

Veggies: Potatoes, Brussels sprouts, carrots, parsnips, red cabbage, savoy cabbage and cauliflowers are all included in our Christmas Veg Boxes. To find out more read our Christmas Veg Box blog.

Extras: Cranberry sauce, stuffing, gravy, and pigs in blankets.

Puddings: Traditional Christmas pudding, Tunis Cake, or a Sticky Toffee Sponge Pudding there are lots of options to suit everyone. Or go savoury with a cheeseboard to finish & graze on for supper.

Preparing for the Big Day

• Order Your Turkey and Veg: Place your order with The Cornish Food Box Company to ensure delivery of your fresh, local produce. Our Christmas Dinner Boxes are a easy way to get everything you need or your can order your turkey, goose, chicken, beef joint, gammon, veggies, and all the trimmings you need.
• Plan Your Table: Add festive cheer with pinecones, candles, and a touch of sparkle. A crisp white tablecloth, matching napkins, and Christmas table decorations will make your table look great.
• Pre-make Dishes: Lots of dishes can be made in advance and frozen for the big day.
• Red Cabbage: Cook spiced red cabbage the day before—it tastes even better reheated.
• Gravy: Make your gravy base and freeze it.
• Peel and Chop Veggies: Prep your potatoes, carrots, and parsnips, storing them in water in the fridge.

Step-by-Step Guide to the Perfect Turkey Christmas Dinner

8:00 AM: Start the Day

Take the turkey out of the fridge to come to room temperature (this ensures even cooking).

9:00 AM: Prep the Turkey

Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan)/200°C (non-fan).
Season your turkey with butter, salt, pepper, and herbs like thyme and rosemary.

Calculate your cooking time:

• 4–5kg turkey: 2 hours 15 minutes.
• 5–6kg turkey: 2 hours 45 minutes.
• 6–7kg turkey: 3 hours 15 minutes.

Cover the bird loosely with foil to prevent over-browning. See our Turkey Cooking Guide.

9:30 AM: Prep the Veggies

Parboil potatoes for 10 minutes, then drain and rough up the edges for crispy roasts.
Toss parsnips and carrots in honey and olive oil.

10:00 AM: Cook the Turkey

Pop the turkey into the oven. Remember to baste every 30–40 minutes.

11:30 AM: Prep Sides

Cook red cabbage on the hob if you haven’t prepped it earlier.
Trim and cross Brussels sprouts, ready for steaming.

12:15 PM: Roast Potatoes and Veggies

Add potatoes to a hot roasting tray with beef dripping, goose fat or oil. Roast for 1 hour, turning halfway.
Place carrots and parsnips on a separate tray and roast for 40 minutes.

12:45 PM: Final Touches

Remove the turkey and rest it, covered with foil, for 30 minutes.
Steam Brussels sprouts, then sauté with pancetta or chestnuts for extra flavour.
Heat red cabbage, gravy, and stuffing.

1:15 PM: Serve Up

Carve the turkey, plate up the sides, and bring everything to the table.

Making the Table Festive

Centrepieces: Use seasonal flowers, a garland of greenery, or candles in mason jars.
Personal Touches: Create handwritten place cards or festive crackers.
Sparkle and Shine: Add fairy lights or metallic accents for extra glamour.

Top Tips

Stick to your timings but don’t stress if things take a little longer—Christmas is about enjoyment!
Serve a selection of wines and soft drinks to complement the meal.
If you find that everyone is too full to enjoy pudding straightaway take a break and enjoy it later on when everyone has a little more space. 
 
With a little planning your Christmas dinner will be a feast to remember. Let the rich flavours and warm company make the day magical. Merry Christmas and happy feasting!

Make your Christmas food shopping hassle free, delicious and sustainable this year with our selection of Christmas Veg Boxes.

Make your Christmas food shopping hassle free, delicious and sustainable this year with our selection of Christmas Dinner Boxes to suit all households 

Your definitive guide to choosing the best turkey for your Christmas dinner.

The Tunis Cake is a Christmas essential for many but for others completely unknown. Find out what the history of the Tunis Cake is and why it is so beloved.

Autumnal and winter recipe that goes perfectly with roasts and is a selcious accompaniment to Christmas dinner. Can be made in advance and freezes well.

Perfect fluffy & crispy roast potatoes perfect for Sunday roasts and Christmas Dinner.

Brussel Sprout Gratin (with streaky bacon - if you want!)

This is a fantastic recipe for something a little bit different on your Christmas table.

SERVES 4 - 25 MINUTES

Our Christmas turkey size guide gives you all the info you need to work out what size turkey you need this Christmas. Whether you are having a whole bird, turkey crown or breast joint we have you covered.

How to create the perfect cheeseboard for your festive table

Christmas simply isn’t complete without at least one epic cheeseboard.  From gooey brie to the tang of a blue it’s the range of flavours and textures that makes the difference.  When partnered with a great range of chutneys, pickles, breads and crackers, and a selection of charcuterie and pâté, it is the perfect way to feed your guests or family. 

We are incredibly lucky to have an amazing range of cheeses produced in Cornwall. The temperate climate and long growing season mean we produce rich milk which is perfect for cheese production. Cornish cheeses regularly win prestigious awards and are highly regarded both within the UK and globally. I have set out a selection which will provide the texture and flavour variety which goes to make a truly fantastic cheeseboard.

For your cheese selection you want a mix of both hard and soft cheese so you have a range of textures. As a minimum you’ll want 3 – a brie, a blue and a semi-hard such as Miss Muffet or Gouda but having 4 or 5 will give you more scope for variety. 

All the following cheeses feature in our cheseboards, hampers and are available to order individually.  There is a hamper to suit every occasion from our Small Cheese Hamper to our Large Deli Delights Hamper.  They make a fantastic gift over the festive season, perfect for nibbling beside the fire with a glass of port or good bottle of red.  

Cornish Blue

This is the blue cheese for those that find stilton too much. Designed to be eaten as a young cheese, Cornish Blue is a very different product from traditional English blue cheeses. Its flavour is mild and creamy, with a dense texture and buttery richness, instead of the ‘salty tang’ common of other traditional blue cheeses it has a gentle sweetness.

Cornish Blue is a vegetarian, pasteurised, cow's milk cheese handmade by artisan cheesemakers at Philip and Carol Stansfield's family farm on the edge of Bodmin Moor near Liskeard in Cornwall. It is dry salted by hand before being left to mature for between 12 and 14 weeks.

Enjoy the cheese at room temperature on crusty bread or crackers with chutney and glass of port or red wine. Its mild flavour makes it very versatile and a perfect complement to many sauces & recipes.

It was voted Best Blue cheese at the 2006 British Cheese Awards and 2010 & 2014 World Cheese Awards, and it won World Champion Cheese at the World Cheese Awards 2010.

Cornish Jack

Cornish Jack is a traditional farmhouse Swiss cheese made by Lawrence and Rosie at the Padstow Cheese Company based at Port Issac.  It is full fat hard cheese with a fruity flavour and nutty tones. It has won several awards including Gold at the Global Cheese Awards in 2016.

This cheese is made using pasturised milk from Trewithen Dairies and traditional rennet in its making so is not suitable for vegetarians.  Matured for between 4 to 6 months the curd develops irregular holes, formed by bubbles of carbon dioxide as the cheese matures.

Fantastic as part of a cheeseboard, this versatile cheese is also great melted on top of a burger or cheese toastie. It goes really well with white wines and most beers.

Miss Wenna Brie

A mellow, smooth mould ripened soft cheese with a delicately wafer-thin velvety rind and subtle aroma.  This brie is made with vegetarian rennet and pasteurised cow’s milk.

A brie is a must on any cheeseboard, and this is sure to be a firm favourite for everyone. It won a Gold award at the Global Cheese Awards in 2018 and is made by Curds and Croust in Liskeard from Roddas milk by master cheesemaker Martin Gaylard.

This brie goes well with the traditional cheeseboard accompaniments and is an excellent partner for sweet chili jam.

Cornish Gouda

A very versatile cheese it’s great on sandwiches or a cheeseboard.  It is made on the farm near Looe from the milk from their family pedigree dairy herd. 

The cheese has been developed by Giel who started the Cornish Gouda Company when he was just 19 to ensure a future for the farm.  It is made using traditional techniques learnt in Holland. The farm strives for zero food miles in its supply chain. Their cheese is made solely from their own milk, with all of the cows born and reared on the farm and fed by crops grown on its land. A biomass boiler supplies the energy for the cheese production.

Matured for 5 up to 18+ months this cheese comes in a range of maturity levels from the easy eating semi mature with its creamy smooth texture up to the much drier richer extra-mature with large crystals giving a fantastic crunch. The mature cheese won ‘Best hard cheese’ at the Great British Cheese Awards.  Suitable for vegetarians as it is made with vegetarian rennet and pasteurised cow’s milk.

Miss Muffet

This is a sweet continental style washed curd cheese with a nutty creamy flavour.  It has a semi-soft smooth texture and a unique pink/grey natural mould rind.  It is ripened over a 4-6 week period which develops its sweet flavour due to the very low acidity left in the thoroughly washed curds. 

Just one of several fantastic cheeses made by Sue Proudfoot of Whalesborough Cheese based in Bude.  It is made from pasteurised cow’s milk and is suitable for vegetarians.  Over the years it has won several awards including a Three Star Gold at the Great Taste Awards 2011 and The Best Modern Cheese award at the Nantwich International Cheese Show 2013.

This cheese works well as part of a cheeseboard especially when partnered with chutneys featuring honey and nutty notes.

Helford Camembert

Helford Camembert is a full fat, traditionally made Camembert with an edible white rind. It has a 9 week from make shelf life but can be eaten from 2 weeks on according to taste. As it matures it becomes more runny. The South West’s only truly artisan Camembert.

It is made from vegetarian rennet and pasteurised milk by Treveador Farm Dairy in the far South-West of Cornwall.  In 2018 it won Gold at The Artisan Cheese Awards for best farmhouse cheese. 

Serve at room temperature on your cheeseboard to ensure you get the full developed flavour. Also delicious baked and served with toppings such as candied nuts or garlic, honey and rosemary.

Accompaniments

Alongside your cheeses you will want to serve a selection of sweet and salty accompaniments, and for meat lovers charcuterie and pâté, paired with different crackers and breads. It is not only the variety of tastes which is important but the colours and textures.

In our hampers we provide oat biscuits and thin crackers, with fruity chutneys. Our charcuterie comes from Deli Farm Charcuterie who make premium salami, coppa, and other air-dried meats, and we source our award-winning rillettes and pâtés from Cornish Charcuterie.  They have a fantastic selection from traditional pork rillettes through to salmon pâté with horseradish and dill and vegetarian alternatives such as their mushroom with chili and coriander. A selection of these meat and fish products gives contracting colours and textures which work so well with a great cheese selection. 

Add extra tang to your platter with salty olives, pickles, and crunchy nuts. If you want to add a homemade element then picked cucumber or courgette, often called ‘Bread & Butter Pickle’ is wonderful and really easy to make.  Complete the look with juicy grapes artfully draped and you will have a cheeseboard designed to wow!