In this month’s guest blog, the team at Marsh & Parsons Tooting share their tips for getting your kitchen in top shape in time for hosting Christmas lunch.

Offering to host Christmas lunch at yours was a great idea six months ago, but with less than two weeks to go until the big day it’s…become slightly less of one. Or perhaps you’re a seasoned pro, but have been so busy that you’re a little more behind than you’d like to be. Either way, we’ve put together our top tips to help you prepare your kitchen for the biggest event of its year.
 

Clear clutter

Let’s get the boring bits out of the way first. Clearing your kitchen of clutter is never going to be the most enjoyable of Christmas preparations, but it’s key when you think about the amount of extras that will be coming in at this time of year. Try and keep your surfaces as free as possible, so there’ll be plenty of space for all the components of the meal. Having a side table or a drinks trolley for your canapés, drinks (boozy or otherwise), and snacks will prevent your guests from coming into the preparation zone. Panicking about how to make your four-man kitchen fit eight? Anything non-essential can be relegated to another room, or do drinks and snacks in the living room to give you more space to cook.
 

Go through your cupboards or larder and make a list of what you have, and what you’ll need to buy. If you have a garage, anything that won’t be used on Christmas Day can be temporarily stored there. If there are any tins or packaged food you think you’re unlikely to ever use, local food banks will be sure to appreciate them at this time of year.

Try to eat what you can in your fridge in advance of the big day and (if you can bear to) defrost your freezer to ensure it’s working perfectly and has plenty of space on the big day.
 

Get cleaning

This isn’t going to be the top of everyone’s list, but unfortunately does have to be done. Grease and grime can stop your oven from working to its full potential so give it a wipe down and remove any tougher patches with a bicarbonate of soda and water mix – the last thing you want is an badly cooked turkey (or worse, pigs in blankets). The same goes for your hob. Give all the components a soak and a wipe down well in advance of the big day.
 

As with an oven, a dirty dishwasher isn’t going to work properly. Now’s the time to remove and rinse the filter and check for any lurking food scraps in there. Speaking of food waste, if you’re in a new home, make sure your recycling and rubbish bins can cope with the excess amounts that come with Christmas.

Sort out your supplies

Let’s move onto your kitchen accessories. Do the gadgets work? Did you get round to replacing that gravy boat that smashed last month? If it’s your first time hosting Christmas lunch, do you have enough crockery and glasses for everyone? Putting together a list now will avoid any last-minute panics.

Now we’re onto the fun stuff – the food! Buy anything that isn’t fresh or can be frozen now and consider organising an online delivery for everything else to avoid the mad rush in the supermarket a few days before. This may be a painfully obvious point to acknowledge, but make sure that your turkey fits in your oven if you’re having one – this nasty surprise has been known to happen on Christmas Day, and there’s no way around it.
 

Time to decorate

Your kitchen probably isn’t the place to go crazy and hang a load of flammable Christmas decorations, so focus on your table instead. Start with your place mats and buy crackers and napkins in complementary colours. Candles and themed candlestick holders are a pretty and cheap way to add cheer, or, if space allows, add some greenery and pinecones to make a fresh, festive centrepiece. We’d recommend laying the table the night before if you can to leave as much of the day as free as possible.

Following these tips should help to prepare your kitchen for the merriest Christmas possible! For more advice on maintaining your home, head over to the Marsh & Parsons blog.
 

Marsh & Parsons Tooting is an award-winning estate agent and one of our valued Community Partners. Find them at 29-31 Upper Tooting Road, SW17 7TS. Call John-Paul (sales) or Matthew (lettings) on 020 8115 8053.

Click here to view local properties for sale and here for lettings.

Find out more on their website, and follow them on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Find out more about our Community Partners here.