Christmas dinner shopping list 2025

Christmas is a whirlwind of present-buying, food-ordering, gift-wrapping and party-going – and it's hard to remember every last detail To help you out, we've drawn up a list of items that are easy to forget but will make things a little bit simpler come Christmas Day.

See our Christmas menu ideas for recipe inspiration, from a traditional Christmas dinner menu to our vegetarian Christmas menu and vegan Christmas menu.

We also have plenty of Christmas desserts, Christmas cakes and Christmas baking ideas.

Essential storecupboard buys for Christmas Day

These take-it-for-granted products are worth having on hand:

1. Extra wide foil

For keeping the big bird covered when you need to. Remember to make a ball out of your used foil before you bin it, that way it's easier to recycle.

Use it for:
Classic roast turkey
Next level roast turkey
Easy turkey crown
Roast turkey breast
Foolproof slow roast chicken

2. Butcher's string

Every trusser's essential.

Use it for:
Next level porchetta
Festive porchetta
Porchetta
Italian-style roast pork with crispy crackling

3. Baking parchment

Perfect for lining trays for sausage rolls, mince pies and all those other irresistible nibbles. Buy a compostable version.

Use it for:
Christmas dinner sausage roll
Mincemeat traybake
Classic Christmas cake
Last minute Christmas cake

4. Reusable food containers

You can never have too many, great for storing and stacking pre-prepped foods and leftovers.

Use it for:
Christmas leftovers
Make-ahead Christmas recipes

5. A labelling pen

Date it and name it, because it's hard to work out what that frozen mass is.

Use it for:
Make-ahead Christmas recipes
Freezable Christmas recipes

6. A couple of new tea towels

If you need some.

Top 10 ingredients for your Christmas shopping list

Glamorous ingredients? Maybe not, but we'll be grateful we added them to the list when the feeding frenzy begins

1. Eggs

Breakfasts and Boxing Day bubble and squeak taken care of.

Use it for:
Bubble & squeak hash
Eggs benedict with smoked salmon & chives
Spicy Bloody Mary eggs with crunchy croutons
Breakfast casserole

2. Icing sugar

A sprinkle gives a festive frosting to any dessert.

Use it for:
Christmas crinkle cookies
Next level yule log
Gingerbread cake
Lebkuchen
Sunken chocolate, olive oil & hazelnut cake
Unbelievably easy mince pies

3. Cheese and biscuits

The perfect snack when you're too full for a full-blown meal.

Use it for:
Grazing platter
Cheeseboard mince pies
Christmas tree cheeseboard
Cheeseboard sticks

4. Chutney

For all the leftover cold meats.

Use it for:
Jumbo turkey samosas
Mango chutney campfire cheese toasties
Caramelised onion chutney & soured cream dip with air fryer crisps

5. Vanilla ice cream

Allow to melt slightly and mix with leftover Christmas pudding for an easy dessert.

Use it for:
Frozen custard sundae
Christmas pudding strudel
Mince pie baklava
Mulled wine brownie surprise
Rye Christmas pudding cookies

6. Frozen peas

Rustle up a pea and ham soup with leftover ham stock and gammon.

Use it for:
Pea & ham soup
Pea & feta toasts
Leek, pea & watercress soup
Pea & ham pasta

7. Mayonnaise

A potato salad or coleslaw make easy Boxing Day sides.

Use it for:
Classic homemade coleslaw
Next level potato salad
Marie rose sauce
Easy coronation chicken
Sriracha & lime potato salad

8. Puff pastry

Impromptu guests? Scatter ready-rolled with leftover cheese, slice and cook for simple cheese straws.

Use it for:
Pesto cheese straw Christmas tree
Cheese straws
Puff pastry mince pies
Caramelised onion puff pastry tart
Pigs in puff pastry blankets

9. Sauces

Not just cranberry and bread, top up your tomato and brown for festive brunches.

Use it for:
Family breakfast station
Air fryer bacon
One-pan egg & veg brunch
Merguez sausage baps & harissa ketchup

10. Butter and self-raising flour

You've got the eggs, have these two to hand and you can always whip up a quick cake for guests.

Use it for:
Winter wonderland cake
Christmas chocolate cake
White forest Christmas tree traybake
Red velvet brownies

Gadgets and kit for making Christmas dinner

Yes, we can manage without, but life is simpler with them...

1. Meat thermometer

The best way to ensure you don't overcook and dry out your meat.

Use it for:
Garlic and herb stuffed tender turkey crown
Classic roast chicken & gravy
Next level roast beef
Crispy roast pork belly

2. Gravy separator jug

A simple concept, this jug separates the delicious meat juices from the fat.

Use it for:
Sticky Port gravy
Flavour-bomb roast turkey & gravy
Turkey & chestnut gravy
Gravy for the Christmas turkey
Make-ahead your way gravy

3. Food processor

Quick and efficient for taking repetitive ingredient-preparation off your hands, like shredding cabbage, slicing vegetables and blitzing sauces.

Use it for:
Two-tray Christmas dinner
Healthy stuffing balls
Stir-fried festive cabbage
Christmas red cabbage
Gratin of carrots & root vegetables

4. Roasting tin

An indispensable kitchen staple for making mains and sides.

Use it for:
Ultimate roast potatoes
Easy roast chicken
Chestnut, bacon & cranberry stuffing
All-the-trimmings traybake
Honey-roasted parsnips

5. Non-stick baking tray

Ideal for stopping messy spills from bubbling Christmas dishes.

Use it for:
Stuffing pigs in blankets
Crunchy parsnips
Halloumi pigs in blankets
Christmas dinner wellington
Beetroot & squash wellingtons with kale pesto

6. Food warmer

Sadly hostess trolleys are no longer a high-fashion kitchen favourite but you can get a small heated tray for keeping all the side dishes warm.

Use it for:
Giant pig-in-a-blanket pinwheel
Easy red cabbage
Clementine, bay & pink peppercorn stuffing balls
Cheesy sprout gratin
Sweet chilli-glazed pigs in blankets

7. An electric carving knife

Great for those who hate to carve, otherwise a super sharp carving knife is spot on. Get a big fork too to steady the bird.

Use it for:
Peppercorn & honey ham
Burnt lemon & thyme butter turkey crown
Pepper-crusted roast beef with béarnaise butter
Classic roast goose with cider gravy
Slow-cooker ham with sticky ginger glaze

8. Plate warmer

Perhaps a luxury too far but ideal for keeping you and your guests' meals warm while you wait for granny to pass the carrots.

For more recommendations of our tried and tested favourites, visit our reviews section where you'll find expert buying advice on hundreds of products.

So you've taken a look in our shopping basket – now, we'd like to know what's in yours. Turkey aside, which must-haves will you be stocking up on for the festive period?