Christmas Kitchen Essentials

Christmas is a busy time in the kitchen with mince pies, christmas cake, turkey, canapés, roulades, trifles and other festive treats being made. It's not just the ingredients you need to stock up on though, you should also make sure that your cupboards are stocked with the necessary utensils too or you'll struggle to baste your turkey and pipe your gingerbread men!

I've put together a few suggestions which might make your Christmas cooking a little easier and stress free, there's nothing worse than preparing your meal then finding you're missing that one vital piece of equipment you need to finish the job.

Angled turkey baster

A key tool you don’t want to be without at Christmas, this angled baster will keep your turkey basted to perfection, gathering juices from around the roasting tin. The round, silicone bulb is comfortable to hold and the baster body is heat resistant, ensuring it wont crack or warp when working with hot juices straight from the oven. Also comes with a wire brush for easy cleaning.
Available from www.oxouk.com for £10

Gingerbread Castle Cutter Set (see main image at top of page)

Ok, I know this isn't an essential utensil for the kitchen but it could be the most fun! The Tala Originals Gingerbread Castle Cutter Set includes stainless steel castle cutters, 30cm icing bag, coupler, No.2 and 4 writer nozzles, No.30 star nozzle. Use your imagination to make, bake and decorate a beautiful gingerbread fairytale princess castle or a mediaeval fortress. The castle or finished product is approx 23cm square by 23cm high when assembled
Available from www.talacooking.com

Nut Cracker

The tool of choice for shelling a selection of festive nuts and tackling seafood, OXO’s Nut Cracker has a sturdy zinc construction and soft grips absorb pressure while you squeeze. Ideal for serving nuts or preparing your Christmas starter.
Available from www.oxouk.com for £12

Poultry Lifter

Savour the flavour and drain juices from your turkey with complete ease using OXO’s Poultry Lifter. Don't risk dropping your freshly cooked Christmas turkey on the kitchen floor while you attempt to lift it with a fork and spoon, this sturdy stainless steel handle can lift a bird up to 20lb in weight without placing strain on your wrists. Best of all you can easily tilt your bird to drain excess juices when adding to gravy and sauces.
Available from www.oxouk.com for £10

Lua Salt and Pepper Mill

Foodies feast your eyes on this design-led salt and pepper mill set. A stylish and functional way to season any meal, each Lua Mill offers five different grind settings from fine to coarse, as well as bags full of kitchen to table appeal. As the grind mechanism is at the top not the bottom, they won’t leave a mark behind on your clean tablecloth either.
Available from www.oxouk.com for £25

Tri-Ply Copper Pans

These great value copper pans, available in a range of sizes, not only look the part but will revolutionise your cooking. Heating up faster than conventional pans and distributing heat evenly there will be no more burnt or separated sauces.
Available from Aldi from £19.99

Cheese Knife Set 4pc

Serve your Christmas cheese course on this great-value four piece cheese knife set - available in 3 stylish designs and suitable for hard and soft cheeses.
Available from Aldi from £5.99

Self-Basting Roaster

This self-basting roaster does all the hard work for you, making Christmas lunch preparation easier than ever. Suitable for all conventional ovens up to 250°C – you can choose from an oval or round roaster, available in blue, black or white.
Available from Aldi from £9.99

Christmas Tea Towel set, 3 pack

With all the extra cooking and baking comes all the extra dirty dishes. You'll be needing extra tea towels to cope with all that washing up. I like this pack of festive towels which bring a seasonal touch to your kitchen.

Available from Aldi for £2.99

Dexam Make & Bake Christmas Tree Cutters

Create a different look every time with this mix and match Christmas Tree Cookie Cutter Set. Easy to use and a great way to get children involved in the kitchen. Use the large cookie cutter to make a Christmas tree biscuit base, then use the smaller bauble shape cutters to cut accessories from fondant icing to decorate it. Set comprises: 1 Large Christmas Tree Cutter, 5 Small Bauble Shape Cutters (Stocking, Star, Bell, Candy Cane, Bauble.)
Available from www.tesco.com for £7.95

Dexam Stars Cookie Cutters

These brightly coloured star shaped cookie cutters are ideal for making biscuits and decorating cakes of all sizes, great for Christmas or any occassion. slightly rounded edges mean they are safe for children to use too.
Recipe Ideas: Make an edible Star Cookie Christmas Tree as pictured or using the same recipe you can make great Christmas decorations, place a skewer through the centre before cooking, then when iced hang as edible tree baubles.
Available from www.potterscookshop.co.uk for £1.99