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nice & naughty fuss:

4/5

I wish I could give you a menu to feed a family or two that had a 1 or 2 fuss rating, but feeding a group, especially for a festive occasion, is intrinsically fussy. there's table settings, garnishes, special crockery and just sheer numbers

but the fuss here is about time management. there are no tricky cooking techniques, everything is laid out on platters.

 follow this time line to get it all done:

5 days out:

  • shop for the christmas cake and soak the fruit in brandy

4 days out:

  • buy the champagne, wine and any other beverages

3 days out:

  • buy the pork, fruit and vegetables
  • marinate the pork
  • bake the fruit cake

2 days out:

  • make the choux ring / profiteroles
  • make the pumpkin custard
  • layer the marzipan on the cake

1 day out:

  • ice the fruit cake
  • set the table & glassware
  • dig out all of your serving platters
  • make the quince syrup

the big day:

  • 6 hrs out: put the pork and quinces into the oven
  • 1 hr out: start the potatoes
  • 30 mins out: cook the peas and sprouts
  • serving time: crisp up the choux pastry in the cooling oven whist you dine
  • 30 mins after: whip cream, make toffee and serve dessert
  • 1 hr after: lock up the sherry, nanna's getting frisky!