# Christmas dinner timings planner

Tell it your turkey, your trimmings and when you want to eat, and you’ll get a timeline for Christmas Day: when the turkey goes in, when to turn the oven up, and what you can do the day before.

Source: https://feastflow.co.uk/christmas-dinner-timings (FeastFlow free cooking-time guides). Last checked 9 November 2026. The page has a calculator that works out the time for any weight and serving time.

## Christmas dinner prepared in advance

Most of Christmas dinner can be done before the day. Here’s what to do when:

| When | What to do |
| --- | --- |
| Up to a month before | Make and freeze the gravy base, stuffing and bread sauce. Order the turkey. |
| 21–22 December | Move a frozen turkey to the fridge to thaw (use the [thawing calculator](https://feastflow.co.uk/turkey-thawing-time)). |
| 23 December | Make the cranberry sauce. Check you have foil, a roasting tin big enough and a meat thermometer. |
| Christmas Eve | Peel the potatoes, parsnips and carrots and keep them in cold water. Trim the sprouts. Wrap the pigs in blankets and roll the stuffing. Take the turkey’s giblets out. |
| Christmas morning | Take the turkey out of the fridge an hour before it goes in. Lay the table. |

## One oven, lots of dishes

The turkey roasts at 190°C (170°C fan), but potatoes, parsnips and pigs in blankets want 220°C (200°C fan). The answer is the turkey’s rest: it can rest, covered, for up to 90 minutes and stay hot. Take it out, turn the oven up, and the sides crisp up while you make the gravy.

## Questions

### What time should I put the turkey in on Christmas Day?

For a 5–6 kg turkey and dinner at 2pm, it goes in at about 9:30–10am. Use the planner above with your turkey’s weight.

### How do I keep everything warm?

Rest the turkey under foil and tea towels; it stays hot for over an hour. Warm the plates and serving dishes in the oven as it cools after the roasties come out.

### How much turkey per person?

Allow about 500 g (1 lb) per person for a whole bird, or 250 g (½ lb) for a crown or boneless joint.

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Times are a guide: ovens and joints vary. Always check meat with a thermometer before serving. FeastFlow’s times come from British Turkey, AHDB and USDA guidance.

FeastFlow also plans a whole meal backwards from serving time, with every dish timed and oven temperatures that don’t clash: https://feastflow.co.uk/