21 Christmas trimmings recipes (2024)

Looking for Christmas dinner ideas? Try our best pigs in a blanket recipe, Christmas stuffing and gravy recipes, and other Christmas trimming ideas.

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Our Christmas stuffing recipes are easy to make, from sausage meat stuffing to chestnut stuffing recipes. We also have Christmas side dish recipes for boozy cranberry sauce and bread sauce using sourdough.

Check out our best ever roast potato recipes to serve with Christmas dinner and our favourite easy red cabbage recipes for a pop of colour and flavour. For impressive mains and more, check out our best Christmas recipes. For quick and easy festive entertaining, check out our no-cook Christmas entertaining ideas. Find out what to eat this Christmas for a happy gut.

Christmas trimmings ideas

Pigs in blankets

Pigs in blankets are an essential part of any festive spread. Chipolata sausages are wrapped in crisp streaky bacon for the perfect Christmas side dish.

Pigs in a blanket recipe with sage and apple

We love pigs in blankets! This is a classic Christmas side dish with a twist. Crisp bacon, sweet and sour apple and aromatic sage, what more could you want from your piggies at Christmas?

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Master stock and get ahead gravy

This super-charged chicken stock makes a rich and flavourful gravy that’s perfect for your Christmas day roast.

Make-ahead gravy

Our easy gravy will save you juggling pans on Christmas day and you can even make and freeze it if you want to get ahead. Add any last-minute juices from the turkey to this when you reheat it for an extra bump of flavour.

Chestnut stuffing with dates and molasses

Impress guests over the festive period with our epic stuffing recipe, featuring chestnuts, sausagemeat, sage leaves and sour cherries.

Honey roasted parsnips

Bring an extra serving of veg to your Christmas dinner with crispy, golden, honey roasted parsnips.

Cranberry and port sauce

A side of festive cranberry and port sauce is a grown-up addition to your Christmas dinner.

Beef dripping roast potatoes

Elevate your roast dinner by roasting your potatoes in hot beef dripping with garlic, rosemary, thyme and butter.

Brussels sprouts gratin

This epic festive side dish combines brussels sprouts with streaky bacon, baked until golden and crisp.

Marmalade-glazed sprouts with chestnuts

Give Christmas sprouts an effortless twist with marmalade, chestnuts and thyme. Frying steamed sprouts in butter lends colour and a velvety shine to your veg.

Vegan pigs in duvets

No one needs to miss out this Christmas with these delicious vegan pigs in duvets, perfect as a canapé or as part of a plant-based Christmas dinner.

Vegan stuffing

It wouldn’t be Christmas dinner without a dish of stuffing, and this version has the traditional flavours of sage and onion, alongside Puy lentils for added substance. It's also delicious in a Boxing Day sandwich, with leftover roasted root vegetables and lashings of cranberry sauce.

Boozy cranberry sauce

Made with red wine and port, this tangy and boozy cranberry sauce makes a perfect accompaniment to your Christmas turkey or goose for Christmas dinner.

Sourdough bread sauce

A nice twist on an old classic, this sourdough bread sauce is the perfect accompaniment to your Christmas day feast. Pile your plate high and enjoy a good spoonful of this alongside all the trimmings. Make your own perfect sourdough loaf with our ultimate step-by-step guide here

Bacon butter

Looking for ways to pimp up your butter for Christmas? Try our quick and easy bacon butter, it adds extra savoury flavour to have alongside your bread or to add flavour to roast chicken.

Christmas butter

Want to jazz up your turkey this Christmas? Try self-basting your turkey with our quick and easy sweet Christmas butter.

Sage and onion stuffing

Make your own stuffing balls for Christmas Day, or serve them alongside a Sunday roast. Add plenty of ground mace and sage for flavour.

Pork stuffing

Take your Christmas feast to the next level and serve this epic stuffing with an umami miso hit and streaky bacon topping.

Sausage meat stuffing

Instead of same-old stuffing balls, make your own stuffing cakes with sausage, chestnuts, pancetta and sage. Plus, they can be made a day ahead and then chilled until Christmas Day itself.

Yorkshire puddings

We love Yorkshire puddings for Christmas dinner, and cookery writer Adam Bush shares his pro tips and tricks for making the best Yorkshire puddings to serve at you festive feast for an alternative Christmas dinning trimming.

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Bacon-wrapped dates with quince marmalade

Swap sausages for dates and try these alternative pigs in blankets recipe. They look really impressive but these bacon-wrapped festive trimmings are actually very easy to make. Check out our best Christmas canapés here

21 Christmas trimmings recipes (2024)

FAQs

What are Christmas trimmings? ›

Christmas trimmings & sides

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without all the traditional trimmings and sides – the very best roasties, oozy veg bakes, gorgeous greens, gravy and more! Meat stuffing. Mixed mushroom stuffing. Cheat's cranberry sauce. Apricot & sausage stuffing.

What does trimmings mean for Christmas dinner? ›

The trimmings are the extra parts added to a meal to make it more traditional (or interesting), and in this particular case, they included homemade apple sauce, roast potatoes and parsnips, mashed swede, and excellent gravy!

What vegetable is best for Christmas dinner? ›

16 simple side dishes for Christmas dinner
  • Orange and port red cabbage. ...
  • Sugar and spice root veg. ...
  • Spiced Christmas red cabbage with apple. ...
  • Roasted garlic and clementine carrots. ...
  • Rich and cheesy broccoli. ...
  • Green Christmas stir-fry. ...
  • Mushrooms with shallots and sherry. ...
  • Cranberry and pomegranate sauce.

What Christmas vegetables can be prepared in advance? ›

PREP YOUR VEGGIES

Getting these prepped and lined up in a tray on Christmas Eve will make Christmas morning so much more enjoyable. Get your potatoes, carrots, parsnips, red cabbage and Brussels ready, then simply cover with foil and pop in the fridge, ready to cook tomorrow.

When should Christmas trimmings come down? ›

Epiphany is the official end of the festive season on 6th January each year. It's an ancient Christian feast day celebrating the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, and the arrival of the Three Wise Men.

What are all the trimmings? ›

If you say that something comes with all the trimmings, you mean that it has many extra things added to it to make it more special.

What kind of meat is trimmings? ›

Information. Beef trimmings are pieces of meat remaining after steaks, roasts, and other cuts are removed. Beef trimmings are very often used to make ground beef.

What are special trimmings? ›

Trim pieces from any primal section other than Shanks or Heels that are at least 8 square inches on one side and no less than 1.5 inches thick at any point. Bones and fat surface should be removed. Most often used for further processing into ingredient beef. Butcher's Note.

What are 5 Christmas foods? ›

Candy Cane can be hung as edible decorations.
  • White Christmas, a sweet slice made of copha and mixed fruit.
  • Cold ham and cold turkey.
  • Seafood and salads.
  • Roast chicken, ham and turkey.
  • Stuffing.
  • Christmas cake or Christmas pudding.
  • Custard.
  • Gingerbread in Christmas shapes.

What vegetable is traditional at Christmas? ›

Not far behind Brussels sprouts are roasted parsnips and carrots when you think of traditional Christmas vegetables. Roasted root vegetables can be delicious but perhaps always suffer from being shovelled onto your plate alongside roast potatoes, which are of course one of the highlights of Christmas day dinner.

What vegetables can you prep the night before Christmas? ›

Prep your veg the night before

Peel potatoes, carrots, parsnips and any other veg you're having and leave them in pans of cold water overnight. This will save you a lot of faff and additional mess on Christmas morning.

What should I cook the day before Christmas? ›

Make-ahead Christmas recipes
  1. Tuscan sausage, kale & ciabatta stuffing. A star rating of 4.5 out of 5. ...
  2. Sunken chocolate, olive oil & hazelnut cake. ...
  3. Pheasant casserole. ...
  4. Roast garlic make-ahead gravy. ...
  5. Air-fryer soy & cranberry chicken wings. ...
  6. Croissant bread sauce. ...
  7. App onlyQuick pickled red cabbage. ...
  8. Mincemeat half-baked cookies.

Can I cook my Christmas dinner the day before? ›

A: We'd cook the ham the night before, or you can rest the turkey for an hour under foil and a towel, it will keep warm for ages. Make sure your gravy is piping hot and that will add a little more heat to the plate.

What is the meaning of Christmas trimming? ›

The phrase actually refers to decorating the tree, not cutting it. To 'trim' your Christmas tree is to add all the trimmings, like baubles, ribbon and lights. People were totally baffled by the true meaning of the phrase and couldn't believe they'd got it wrong for so long.

How long do Christmas tree trimmings last? ›

In order to preserve long-lasting evergreens, try choosing varieties that stay fresh for longer. These include pine, cedar, and fir. Indoors, these varieties will preserve for just over two to three weeks with proper care. It is possible for them to last much longer outside in cooler climates like Ontario, however!

What is Christmas tree trim? ›

To prune your Christmas tree, remove any upward growing stems that compete with the leader, and trim back any wayward shoots to maintain a nice even shape all round. Any dead or damaged shoots should also be removed.

What are traditional Christmas items? ›

The display of Christmas villages has also become a tradition in many homes this season. Other traditional decorations include bells, reindeer, candles, candy canes, garland, stockings, wreaths, snow globes, and angels. Snow sheets are made specifically for simulating snow under a tree or village.

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