Six Irish celebrity males participate in cooking the festive dinner
In many families up and down the country the task of preparing the turkey and all the trimmings will fall to the woman of the house, but there are an increasing number of men who will either take charge of the task themselves or do their best to help out in some way or other.
We spoke to well-known dads who will be cooking up a storm in the kitchen this Christmas to find out what they will be making and we asked a top chef for tips on how to ensure they don’t get their giblets in a twist.
“Christmas is my absolute favourite time of the year and I will be doing the cooking for the family as it’s one of the few times of the year in which I do anything in the kitchen. I’m a bit of a glory cook, so while I can be called upon to rustle up something for a dinner party or a special occasion, ask me to do a spaghetti Bolognese in the middle of the week and you wouldn’t see me for dust.
“But cooking at Christmas has become my thing — I have been planning for weeks and will be doing everything. I will make my own bread and all the sauces and stocks from scratch. My mother was a home economics teacher, so cooking was always something I was involved in.
“I don’t get much time off during the year and will be wrecked when Christmas comes around, but I still like doing all the cooking and we will be having the whole traditional meal.
“I will probably be stressed out in on the day itself, but once everyone is fed, I will relax and hang out with the three kids (aged from 9 to 2) in front of the fire and enjoy all the lovely food I will have prepared.”
“I do a lot of cooking throughout the year— in fact, I do the Sunday roast on a weekly basis and also a few mid-week dinners such as a chicken dish with honey and mustard. No-one has turned their nose up yet, so I must be doing ok.
“Christmas is a special affair though and while I’m not a bad cook, my wife, Jenny is brilliant and the kids (he has five aged from 24 to 11) have told me in no uncertain terms that they want her to be in charge of the turkey. However, I have been allowed to prepare the turkey and get it ready for the oven— they just want make sure she is in charge of cooking it to perfection.
“I will also be doing the ham and the potatoes and vegetables so I guess it will be a bit of a joint affair.
“We don’t go in for starters at Christmas but we will be having my mother’s famous pudding with cream or ice-cream for dessert and I’m sure there will be a chocolate pudding as well.
“I definitely be doing my bit for the festive dinner — even if my kids have warned me to ‘step away from the turkey!”
“My wife is queen of the kitchen, when it comes to cooking and especially on Christmas Day, but I will get things started by doing a big fry-up in the morning. My son is already gearing up for it, so I can’t disappoint him.
“Then, later on, while Marian does the necessary with the turkey, I will be in charge of the potatoes and will season them with parsley and thyme, like my mother always did.
“I will also be doing the Brussels sprouts and any other vegetables we have. We used to have prawns as a starter but I have developed a seafood allergy so will have chicken wings instead. Although it is simple, it’s a nice starter before the main event.
“I will be in the kitchen throughout with Marian so I would say that it is going to be a shared job on Christmas day— but I don’t mind at all because it’s just lovely having a day off from training to sit down and chill out with the kids (aged 11, 9 and 10 months) after dinner.”
“I cooked Christmas dinner every year for the past 13 or 14 years, but this year I am going to be looked after by my daughter (he has two grown-up daughters) and her husband — which I am really looking forward to. We have always had the traditional dinner with turkey and ham or sometimes we had goose, which I really like and would always use the fat to roast the potatoes with.
“I am a methodical planner and when I did the big dinner I would be planning for weeks. I am a reasonably good cook, so don’t find it stressful. I think as long as all the preparation is done in advance, it’s not that difficult on the day.
“We will be having goose this year which my son-in-law will be cooking and, while I won’t be in charge of the main dish, I will be doing a ham — boiled in cider and then baked. I will also make a trifle from a Delia Smith recipe which I use every year and will make my own custard — people think this is difficult, but in fact it is the simplest thing in the world.
“So while I’m quite happy that I’m no longer at the helm, I won’t be outside of the kitchen either as I like doing my bit to help.”
“For the last few years I have done the cooking at Christmas. I will do the traditional turkey but I think this year we will get a boned and rolled one as there is less waste and it is easier to carve. We always need various types of potatoes as everyone likes something different— so I will have mashed, boiled and roasted in goose fat.
“I like to do something a little different every year as a starter, so I think I will do pumpkin and carrot soup this time.
“I have also started a little tradition for firing up the barbeque on Christmas Day — it’s mad really as I only use it to cook chicken wings but there is something so funny about getting on the coat and boots to go out and cook something.
“My parents and my wife’s parents will be coming to dinner and they usually bring something for dessert.
“I think the key to a successful Christmas dinner is not to worry about it going wrong; the most important thing is just being with family — my children are aged 12 and six.”
“I’m not the world’s best cook by any stretch of the imagination. I once did a show with Marco Pierre White and he said he could tell whether someone could cook or not by their handshake — when he shook mine, he said, ‘No, definitely not’.
“So when it comes to making the Christmas dinner, my wife will definitely be in charge. She is a brilliant cook and I would love her to go on Master Chef , she’s that good.
“I tend to have the role of commis chef — so I will be beside her doing all the chopping, peeling, whisking and stirring; while she takes control of the main event. I might do the ham as well — but we usually have our Christmas dinner on St Stephen’s Day as we do a load of visiting on the day itself.
“So when we do have our own traditional dinner, with the two boys aged 14 and 7, it will be a combined effort, but my help will be mostly in the preparation as I know my limits.”
“One of the big changes I’ve noticed over the years is how many men are enjoying cooking and doing it often at home. They really enjoy it and get quite interested,” says celebrity chef Neven Maguire, pictured right.
Prepare well and don’t put yourself under pressure because even though you’re the cook you want to enjoy the big day as much as your family and guests.
Be organised, prepared and write everything down that you are going to do; don’t over complicate things.
Break each course down — turkey stuffing made the night before; ham cooked and glazed on Christmas Eve and then reheated with some stock on Christmas Day. Keep the turkey moist with lots of butter and citrus fruits.
For perfect roast potatoes par cook the day before in boiled salted water and finish on oven with duck fat, garlic and herbs.
Brussels sprouts can also be prepared ahead — par cook sprouts, with bacon, red onion and place in dish with white sauce and bread crumbs. “It’s always a favourite in our house,” adds Neven.
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