“A Stress‑Free Irish Christmas in the Kitchen” — three pillars: plan like a pro, cook like our best Irish chefs, and mind yourself and your wallet.

Food Business Coach Tracie
12 minutes ago
4 min read

Especially for Sinead Ryan of Newstalk.

Feeling so lucky to work alongside the most incredible experts who constantly inspire me! Every time I get to share space with people who are exceptional at what they do, it’s a real pinch-me moment.

Heading into the Newstalk studio with the amazing Sinéad Ryan for The Home Show was one of those moments this morning that ticked every single box — she’s a total pro, one of the coolest foodie conversationalists I know, passionate about scratch cooking, and genuinely loves what she does.

Chatting all things festive cooking and baking was pure joy for me (I could talk about it all day long — and probably will until the cows come home!). Huge thanks to Sinéad for having me — I can’t wait to be back after Christmas to chat all things leftovers, along with a smaller little downloadable mini cookbook to come for listeners to use so that their leftovers are utterly delicious this Christmas. Xxx

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“Christmas in Irish kitchens doesn’t have to be chaos anymore – with a bit of planning, borrowing a few tricks from our best Irish chefs, and doing a little less, you can have a gorgeous traditional dinner without wasting your time, your food or your money.”

***See the attached PDF that includes the best recipes inspired by some of my favourite Irish Chefs. It includes a time plan, recipes for you to create the most delicious Christmas in the comfort of your own home.

1. Plan like a chef, not like a martyr

“Decide the exact menu on paper – breakfast, nibbles, main, dessert, St Stephen’s – and shop only for what’s written. That alone cuts cost and waste.”
“Count heads and portion properly – things like 450–600 g turkey on the bone per adult and 200 g boneless ham – instead of guessing and doubling everything ‘just in case’.”
“Have a backwards timetable from ‘we eat at 2 pm’ – turkey in at X, potatoes in at Y – and a little mini-checklist for the final hour so you’re not firefighting.”

TURKEY- Go boned and rolled if turkey on the bone is too overwhelming. Buy a meat thermometer and cook until core temp is 75*C

2. Let Ireland’s chefs do the heavy lifting

“This playbook stands on the shoulders of people like Darina & Myrtle Allen, Rory O’Connell, Neven Maguire, Kevin Dundon, Catherine Fulvio – they’ve already tested the turkey timings, the ham glaze, the pavlovas and puddings; we just follow the road map.”
“Think of it as building a menu in their honour: Darina-style roast turkey and bread sauce, Neven-style glazed ham and red cabbage, Rory-style elegant celebration of seasonal Irish veg, Catherine’s clever bakes and leftover croquettes.”
“You don’t need 10 showpieces – pick one or two ‘hero’ dishes with a chef’s name behind them and let the rest be really good, really simple sides.”
Write the list, prep in advance- enjoy Christmas and save money as a bonus.

3. Do less on the day – move Christmas into December

“The secret to a calm Christmas Day is that most of the work is done long before the 25th: stuffing, gravy base, breads, puddings, mince pies, braised cabbage, boulangère potatoes – all of that freezes or holds brilliantly.”
“On the day itself you should mostly be reheating and roasting, not peeling and panicking; Christmas morning becomes assembly, not production.”
“There’s even a full clock‑run sheet in the guide from 8am to carving, but the big idea is: build in a proper turkey‑rest window where the oven ramps up and you get to breathe.”

Give yourself permission to enjoy the day and give everyone tasks- DELEGATE duties, roles, tasks and please remember to reward each person for a great job and this will yield success for all.

4. Mind yourself: boundaries in the kitchen

“Have a hard cut‑off for new ideas – no changing the menu on Christmas Eve because you saw something on Instagram.”
“Schedule when you actually sit down to eat breakfast and a time you leave the kitchen; protecting your own energy is as important as protecting the turkey from drying out.”
“And give jobs away – someone is on sprouts, someone on spuds, someone on dishes – you are head chef, not the entire brigade.”

Buy a Christmas Day dessert or two from a small business- this will make such a difference to you and to them.

5. Mind your money and stop feeding the bin

“The guide is built around waste‑aware shopping: one master list, checking presses and freezer first, portion planning and specific leftover meals – pie, curry, soup, sandwiches – so food is an ingredient, not clutter.”
“You cook once and you eat three or four times: Day 1 the big feast, Day 2 cold cuts and salads, Day 3 pie or curry, Day 4 soup and croquettes – that’s value.”
“And it’s not about austerity; it’s just respecting the ingredients and the money you’ve spent on them.”

What does Christmas mean to you? If your answer is negative or worrying, reflect and look at how you can make it better for you and those around you. Small steps matter, cut back a little and delegate more: this is a recipe that works.

6. Close with reassurance

“If people take one thing from this: choose fewer dishes, start earlier in December, follow the Irish chefs who’ve done the testing for you, and remember the goal is a happy room, not a perfect Instagram table.”