Christmas dinner: Everything you need for the perfect festive menu

After the rough year we’ve had, take time to make a memorable festive spread for whoever you’re spending it with

From starters to mains through to pud, check out our reviewers’ tips for a cracking feast (iStockphoto/ The Independent)

Christmas dinner is, for many, the focal point of the festive season. It’s a chance to eat, drink and be merry, pull a few crackers, tell terrible jokes and enjoy togetherness with loved ones.

We’re not sure what Christmas dinner will look like for lots of you this year: with lockdown rules in place, maybe there’ll be fewer of you around the table.

And with many of us having faced tough times financially in 2020, you might be trying to do it on more of a budget than usual. Though, we hope you're still able to include a few treats here and there.

To help you get started if you haven't bought everything already (we know some early birds have) take a look at our ideas to help your Christmas dinner go with a bang (or at least a pop) and say “We made it!” in the face of 2020.

You can trust our independent reviews. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections, which are formed from real-world testing and expert advice. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

If you’re going for the full three courses, a salmon starter is the classic option for Christmas dinner or, if you can’t wait that long, as a nice simple breakfast (Bucks Fizz optional).

For extra opulence, this truffle smoked salmon (Waitrose & Partners,  £3.99) is a serious contender. Testing it for a rundown of the best smoked salmons, our reviewer said: “You can definitely taste the truffle, but it’s beautifully balanced. An absolute must-have addition to Christmas Day breakfast.”

This smoked salmon has an extra twist of flavour (Waitrose & Partners)

Though if you think the truffle could be too much, this thick sliced Scottish smoked salmon (£4.95, Sainsbury’s) might do the trick instead. “Although it’s smoked for 12 hours over a mix of oak and whisky cask chippings, the overall flavour isn’t overpowering,” our tester said. And as it’s pretty well priced, you could just get three or four packets to last into Boxing Day too.

The main attraction for lots of us come Christmas dinner is the turkey. We know not everyone goes traditional, but if you are, consider this free range bronze turkey crown with thighs (Waitrose & Partners, £65) which won our best buy award for most delicious turkeys of 2020.  

If you haven’t got your turkey yet, this one’s still available  (Waitrose & Partners)

Our reviewer said that “this was some of the most succulent and tender meat we tried. The maple streaky bacon-covered turkey is cooked in the bag which helps retain the juices – we followed the instructions to the letter and it came out perfectly.”

If you’ve got a vegan or non meat-eater joining you, there are lots of options out there to keep them happy too. These “no turkey” parcels (Sainsbury’s, £6) are made from turkey-flavoured seitan and are covered in a smoky-orange bacon substitute and stuffed with herby sage and onion stuffing. Landing a spot in our review of the best vegan Christmas mains, our tester said that trying these “really did make us question why we’d eat the real thing when this is so tasty”.  

After the starters and mains are over, if anyone’s got room, it’s dessert time. If you’re all fans of the traditional pudding, we’d go for something like this nine-day matured Christmas pudding (£7, Asda) which is seriously budget-friendly too. It featured in our round-up of the best Christmas puddings for 2020, and got praised for its “nice mix of chopped almonds, pecans and walnuts for that classic Christmas pudding texture”.  

Finish your meal off (if there’s room!) with a classic Christmas pud (Asda)

If the trad pud isn’t going to cut it with your crowd though, worry not. There are loads of alternatives, as tested in our review of the best Christmas desserts for something a little different. Waitrose & Partners won our our best buy award for this seriously yummy-looking Queen of Trifles (£15, Waitrose) which our lucky taster said “looks like something you’d find in a posh Parisian patisserie”. Delish.

Festive drinks can add a nice sense of occasion to the Christmas dinner too. If you want to go all-out celebratory, why not treat yourselves to a nice bottle of bubbly?

This Bollinger special cuvee (£45, Sainsbury’s) was featured in our best champagnes of 2020 round-up, with our reviewer giving us a great idea of its blend: “Apple and pear flavours combine with floral and spice notes and undertones of walnuts and honey to make a rich, delightful and long-lasting drink.”

Why not grab a bottle of “Bolli” for some Christmas fizz? (Slurp)

Though for something less pricey, we’d point you to this Champagne Leon launois brut NV (£19.95, Slurp) which won our best buy award. Our reviewer said it is “everything a champagne should be”.  

If you’re serving wine instead, take a look at our guide to the best online wine shops: one of them’s bound to have something tickle your palette.  

As well as serving great food and drink, you’ll probably want to fancy-up your table a bit too. A nice tablecloth is a simple way to give a festive feel, and the traditional design of this Orrin vintage tablecloth (Wayfair, £32.99) hits to spot with us. 

It found its way into our round-up of the best Christmas tablecloths, where our reviewer noted that “it’s made from 100 per cent polyester and has wrinkle, water, and stain-resistant properties – although it’ll forgive the odd splash of red wine, thanks to its busy pattern”.

Pretty up your table with something vintage that hides the spills too! (Wayfair)

For something subtler though, this metallic floral tablecloth (Zara, £49.99) could work well. Our tester “loved its contrast between the bright gold floral motifs and the earthy muted maroon background”.

And finally, nothing says Christmas like a scented candle, and while you might not want any on your dinner table in case it masks that lovely food aroma, you could dot a few around the home to add some ambience before lunch is served.  

This chai spices candle (£11.99, UpCircle) was awarded the best buy award in our review of the best winter and Christmas candles for 2020. Our tester noted that “the scent, a warming chai latte, hits you the moment you remove the lid and only gets stronger once lit”. We’re sold.

While you don’t want too strong an aroma, some candles around will set the scene (UpCircle)

For more Christmas inspiration, read our review of the best festive hampers