Be inspired by these tried and tested festive dishes and self-catering Christmas cheats including a traditional Christmas feast, an amazing vegan alternative, a show-stopping starter and top tips for the best ever roast potatoes and baked carrots ever! 

Festive menu ideasFestive holidays are a wonderful way to get a change of scene and when you’re self-catering you can still enjoy a Christmas lunch with all the usual trimmings plus the added bonus of celebrating somewhere truly amazing.

FESTIVE DRINKS

Christmas should be a time to relax and let your hair down. Champagne, Bucks Fizz, Bellini or Prosecco are all wonderful festive drinks and don’t forget to also include sparkling and still soft drink options. For something extra special, Kir Royale is a lovely Christmassy cocktail made from Crème de Cassis (a blackcurrant liqueur) and champagne, sparkling wine or dry white wine. Serve in a champagne flute with added berries for extra appeal. 

Christmas drinksTRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS TURKEY MENU

To make things easier, bring your ingredients with you, shop locally or book a shopping delivery and do make sure you allow enough time as delivery slots for Christmas tend to get booked up well in advance. For convenience and to save time you could buy frozen roast potatoes, ready-made sauces and a pre-stuffed turkey crown. Here’s what you will need:

Ingredients

  • Turkey - a small turkey of around 3-4.5kg will feed 6-8 people but a pre-prepared and ready-stuffed turkey crown can be the easiest option when self-catering
  • Stuffing
  • Potatoes
  • Carrots
  • Broccoli
  • Parsnip
  • Cabbage/Brussels sprouts
  • Cranberry sauce
  • Gravy
  • Bread sauce
  • ‘Devils on horseback’ (prunes wrapped in bacon)
  • ‘Pigs in blankets’ (cocktail sausages wrapped in bacon)

Method

Simply roast the turkey according to instructions with the potatoes, stuffing and parsnips and either steam or boil the vegetables in the last 10 minutes or so while heating the sauces. Make the gravy last by using the water used to boil or steam the vegetables. If you’re planning to bring a frozen turkey, then do make sure it’s thoroughly defrosted before cooking. You want this to be a Christmas to remember for all the right reasons!

The Old Millhouse near Edinburgh

Roast potatoes

Super crispy roasties are what really make a Christmas dinner and Maris Piper or King Edward potatoes tend to make the best roasties. Cut the potatoes into equal sizes and boil for around 10 minutes until just beginning to soften. Take care not to overboil them or you’ll end up with mash. Drain well in a colander and shake them to fluff up the edges before adding in a single layer to a hot tray of oil, butter or goose fat. Spraying with rapeseed oil is the healthiest way to cook roast potatoes and adding an extra drizzle of oil will add a golden crunch. Season with salt and pepper and cook for around 20-30 minutes at 180 degrees before turning. Then add whole garlic cloves in their skins with fresh sprigs of aromatic lemon thyme or a sprinkling of smoked paprika and roast for a further 20-30 minutes.

Baked carrots

This simple idea transforms plain boiled carrots into something quite spectacular. Scrub or peel the carrots before slicing into a small glass dish with a lid (or make a lid from foil), add lemon juice, sugar/honey and black pepper then bake in the oven for 40-55 minutes depending on size and desired softness. This gives the carrots an incredible depth of flavour and really adds a little something special to your vegetables.

Smoked salmon starter

Ingredients:

  • Mini blinis
  • Smoked salmon
  • Boursin/other garlic and herb cream cheese
  • Fresh rocket
  • Capers (optional)

Method

This is a simple but still impressive starter that you can make the night before and keep in the fridge until needed. Mini blinis are tiny pancakes that make a perfect little finger food and they’re a great alternative to baking canapés, making this recipe ideal for a self-catering holiday. Allowing around 4-5 per person, simply top the mini blinis with a teaspoon of Boursin, then a folded slither of smoked salmon and top with a sprig of peppery rocket. For more flavour, you could also add caper berries to the top. This is an easy starter for children to make if you want to give them something fun to do.

Christmas blogVEGETARIAN AND VEGAN CHRISTMAS DISHES

For vegans, there are now more ready-made options available than ever before so for once cheating is possible and you won’t have to spend your morning mashing lentils ever again! A golden puff-pastry wellington filled with festive chestnuts and topped with cranberry sauce makes the ideal accompaniment to the traditional roast potatoes with vegetables and a rich vegan gravy. If you need to make it gluten-free, it’s good to know you can now get ready-rolled gluten-free puff pastry and gluten-free gravy. A wellington is as easy to make as it is impressive to look at and, of course, an absolutely delicious Christmas centrepiece.

Vegan chestnut wellington (with a gluten-free option)

Ingredients

  • Vegan wellington – you can now buy pre-made options with vegan pastry and choose from chestnut, mushroom or beetroot.
  • Potatoes
  • Carrots/ sweet potato
  • Broccoli/asparagus
  • Cabbage/ kale
  • Cranberry sauce
  • Gravy
  • Vegan ‘pigs in blankets’/ ‘devils on horseback.’

Alternatives

  • Cranberry and lentil bake
  • Nut roast
  • Lentil loaf

Vegetarian baked camembert and puff pastry twists starter

Ingredients:

  • Whole baking camembert
  • 2 sheets puff pastry, cut into 30cm circles
  • 3 tbsp cranberry sauce
  • A few sprigs of rosemary
  • 1 egg, beaten

Method

This is a seriously impressive sharing starter that tastes amazing. Preheat oven to 180 degrees and place the pre-rolled pastry sheet on baking parchment on a baking tray. Place the lid of the camembert in the centre and cut around it leaving a large circle with space in the centre. Do the same with the second sheet of pastry. Spread cranberry sauce over the first pastry circle and then cover with the second circle of pastry and place the cheese in the middle. Now comes the magic - slice the pastry into 16 equal segments by cutting the circle into 4 equal sections, then 8, then 16. Carefully pick up each segment and twist it once to the right, then lift the segment next to it and twist once to the left. Keep going round, changing direction and press together. Brush the pastry with egg or vegan milk and make a couple of small slits in the top of the cheese before spraying with olive oil and topping with rosemary. Bake for around 30 minutes or until the pastry looks golden brown.

Vegan alternative

A vegan version of this is a centrepiece of warmed hummus topped with smoked paprika surrounded by vegan puff pastry twists to dip. Alternatively, create a centrepiece of three separate dips comprising hummus, mashed avocado with chilli flakes and lime and tomato salsa with a side of marinated olives, cucumber, red pepper and carrot sticks and surround with warm crusty bread.

Court Barn SuffolkFESTIVE DESSERTS

There are several desserts you could choose from and these are the most traditional.

  • Christmas pudding with brandy butter or cream (we don’t recommend setting light to it in a self-catering property – just in case!)
  • Traditional sherry trifle (a vegan version can be made with fresh fruit, vegan cake base and custard made with dairy-free milk.)
  • Mince pies and festive cupcakes are also a lovely addition.

Finish with a cheese board with cheese crackers and fresh grapes or a vegan cheese board with cashew-based vegan cheeses rather than the cheaper coconut oil-based vegan cheeses for the best flavours and texture.

finishing touches

Set the scene in your Christmas holiday cottage with a Christmas tree, decorations and lights. If you have children with you then festive baking can be a lot of fun, making gingerbread men the day before and decorating them with each guest’s name in icing to make very special place settings.

Bring your usual table decorations like a festive table runner and candles plus homemade Christmas crackers. Keep children occupied while you’re busy by giving them a gingerbread house they can stick together with icing. Bring along a ready-made kit for ease. Small children will love sticking the sweets on.

THE ULTIMATE SELF-CATERING CHRISTMAS

One of the best things about self-catering breaks is that you can take whatever you need with you to create a real home from home. Check that your holiday home has all the cooking essentials such as roasting trays and tin foil so you can arrange to bring them from home if necessary. If you’re booking a large house to stay in, then it’s likely the kitchen will have everything you need but it’s still worth asking just in case. If you’re booking a Christmas break with extended family, then make sure to plan your self-catering Christmas menu in advance to ensure you cater for any dietary requirements.

Chef in a Lodge

And if you don’t fancy cooking at all this Christmas but still want a short break, book an amazing Chef in a Lodge at Loch Lomond Lodges in Scotland.

From gorgeous lakeside country cottages with roaring open fires to swanky city apartments and comfortable caravans or luxury eco-lodges, you'll find your dream Christmas holiday here.