A cook's dozen: Stephanie Alexander's Christmas tips

Ham sliced from the bone, steamed pudding and brandy sauce, trifle spooned from a great crystal bowl - Stephanie Alexander's enthusiasm for the trappings of Christmas is obvious. Yet Christmas Day is a small celebration with daughters Lisa and Holly, and Lisa's partner. But come Boxing Day, this kitchen doyenne can be found preparing a slap-up party for close friends and a growing tribe of children. "That's really the major Christmas focus for me, because I provide what is hopefully a very nice buffet lunch for somewhere in the region of 35 to 40 people."

Here, then, are Stephanie Alexander's 12 tips of Christmas:

1. Keep it simple

Maximum impact, minimum effort is Alexander's Christmas menu mantra. "I try to do one or two things that are interesting and that will satisfactorily feed a lot of people, including kids. It's often things like a Chinese-style white-cooked chicken or some sort of big noodle salad," she says. "A simple potato salad will just be small potatoes with olive oil and parsley on them and nothing more elaborate. And I put the barbecue on before people arrive and grill a huge number of eggplant slices and scatter them with preserved lemon."

2. Make a list, check it twice

Alexander has masses of lists to keep Christmas running to plan: what to serve, what to buy, when to order, when to pick up and what can be made ahead and frozen. "When people are pouring themselves a glass of wine and leaning on the bench talking to you, it can be hard to remember exactly what you were going to do."

3. Do it ahead

If she's planning to make stuffing or pudding, Alexander stockpiles fresh breadcrumbs (made with the ends of loaves) in the freezer. She also makes and freezes brandy butter for the pudding. On the day, she chops ingredients and stores them in plastic containers "as soon as I think they can stay in the refrigerator without coming to any harm".

4. Side with salmon

Alexander usually serves smoked salmon with chopped capers. "It's very easy and people love it. I buy a whole side that's pre-sliced rather than those dinky packets. It is an extravagance but it's lovely."

5. Make mayonnaise

A big bowl of home-made mayonnaise - to dress potato salad, beans or to turn into sauce tartare - ticks the maximum impact, minimum effort box. "When I'm making a lot, I would do it unashamedly in the food processor."

6. Bone up on ham

A whole ham on the bone is a must for Alexander's Boxing Day buffet. About three days after Christmas, when everyone's had their fill, she debones the ham, freezing great chunks of it (double-wrapped, first in plastic wrap, then in foil) for late January lunches.

7. A whole turkey's for the birds

Rather than roasting a whole turkey, Alexander prefers a turkey roll - a deboned and pre-stuffed bird. "It comes in a 'stocking' and you just baste it, put it in the oven and cook until it's still a little bit moist, then strip the stocking off before you carve it.''

8. Kids' stuff

"I find that most kids are very happy with a slice of ham and a bit of bread, particularly if they're four or five, so I don't feel the need to create different food for kids. There's always enough nice things for them to eat."

9. It's never too late for cake

Purists might say the Christmas cake should have been made months ago but Alexander says there's still time to bake. Keep it moist by lining the cake tin with two layers of brown paper and pouring over a splash of brandy while it's still hot from the oven.

10. You can't overcook a pudding

When her guests are starting to arrive, Alexander puts the pudding in a deep pot of boiling water on the stove. A trivet or saucer at the bottom protects it from direct heat.

11. Bring back trifle

Every year, Alexander drags out her big crystal trifle bowl to uphold a family tradition. "It's a bit of a nostalgia thing because my mother and my grandmother used to make good trifles. Everyone's got their own thing, but I make a custard that's got a tiny bit of cornflour in it so it's got a thicker consistency - not just plain runny creme anglaise that soaks right through the sponge." She also likes a layer of jelly made with strawberry or cherry juice dribbled over home-made genoise sponge, which she's soaked in dry marsala or muscat rather than sherry, to line the bowl.

Recipe: Stephanie Alexander's Christmas trifle

12. Get smart with leftovers

Alexander isn't a fan of reheated leftover turkey. Instead, she makes turkey and chutney pasties (the recipe's in The Cook's Companion). There's seldom any pudding left but in years past, Alexander squashed it into really good vanilla icecream and froze it in little pudding moulds to serve as icecream Christmas pudding.

The Cook's Companion App for iOS or Android is available from the App Store or Google Play. The first section is free and more sections or bundles can be bought for around $9 each, or the complete set of eight for $49.99.