Gather round, first-time Christmas cooks. We’ve a secret to share. 

The Christmas recipe box from Hello Fresh promises to source, measure and deliver the EXACT ingredients you need to assemble the perfect festive feast. Whether you’re cooking for 4, 6, 8 or 10, the people who send out life-saving recipe boxes every day of the week have graduated to Christmas dinners with all the trimmings. 

We’re talking a huge, butter-basted, super juicy turkey, truffle-roasted root veg, meaty stuffing balls, premium pigs in blankets, fluffy potatoes, zingy red cabbage, plus sprouts studded with cranberries, pecans and bacon. Then there’s the ‘next-level’ turkey gravy, that’ll make you laugh at the thought of ever using Bisto again. 

So how does it work? We were lucky enough to be sent a box to try out – and can safely say this process is a breeze. You begin by choosing whether you’d like to add dessert (a traditional Christmas pud doused in fabulous brandy butter) and/or a gorgeous cheese platter. 

Next, place your order, driven directly to your door by Friday 21st December. No queuing at the supermarket, no lugging the turkey home in an Uber and NO weird online shopping substitutes. While you wait, check out the extremely handy full list of ingredients and cooking instructions, so you know exactly what’s in store – it’s a big task, but you can do this, with helpful tricks to make everything go smoothly. The leaflet even comes with a handy time plan for the big day, so you know exactly what to prep the night before, when to get up and turn the oven on, and what time to begin cooking that big ol‘ bird.

At this point, we suggest roping in two helpers with the promise of mulled wine, music and festive cheer. With all the ingredients pre-measured and recipes pre-planned, cooking becomes truly fun – though a meal of this size requires a couple of helping hands to get everything out hot and fresh.

The night before, you’ll need about an hour between you to wash and chop the veg, peel the potatoes and wrap the pigs in their blankets. Then there’s the gravy to get started on – totally worth the extra time, this recipe involves cooking eight huge turkey legs with onion and carrot to create a tasty sauce, its remains doubling as a Boxing Day turkey soup. This is all quite fun when tackled as a group, and you can go to bed smug in the knowledge that some of the harder work is done. Christmas Day cooking is about timings, more than anything – so warn your little elves to keep an eye on the clock. 

With the bird in the oven early on the 25th (Hello Fresh recommend around 8am), you’ll have a couple of hours to set the table, prepare presents and ready all the kitchen utensils you’ll need for the rest of the cooking. Then it’s on to grating apples for the zesty red cabbage, mixing Italian hard cheese and polenta to coat the veg and cooking the sprouts and potatoes in-between basting the turkey. Coming together to form a true feast around 2pm, we couldn’t believe how simple the process was, with truly outstanding flavours. Stuffing balls were incredibly meaty, the gravy rich and moreish – even the turkey, a famously dry bird, remained soft and buttery, perhaps down to the long resting time cleverly factored in.

Every element of the meal is pre-thought-out, even leaving you plenty of time to get started on the washing up if you’re organised (or if you have enough pairs of hands!). Then there’s just the Christmas pud to finish (whack it in the oven as you sit down to eat – it takes an hour, though can be microwaved in a few minutes). Not a fan of the traditional dessert? We defy you not to enjoy some doused in Joe & Seph’s delectable Brandy Butter – kids around the table will be fighting to drink the stuff.

If you should somehow damage or lose the recipe card in all the chaos, you can find step-by-step instructions online, complete with detailed photos and handy tips (did you know a damp kitchen paper or a tea towel under your chopping board will stop it slipping? You do now). 

NEED TO KNOW: You don’t need a Hello Fresh subscription to order the Christmas box – simply log on and plug in what you’d like! Also, it should be noted that there’s no veggie option right now – this is a deliciously meaty affair, right up to the sprouts serving – we suggest buying a nut roast separately to be eaten with the (veggie – no goose fat here) roasties and polenta-dusted parsnips and carrots. Merry Christmas, one and all!

PRICE: The Christmas box with dessert for 6 people works out at £16.66 pp – which we think i a total bargain considering all the heavy lifting is done for you (literally).

INFO: Hellofresh.co.uk