A British mother has revealed why she cooks her Christmas meals an entire month in advance of the big day.
Claire Gillies, 45, from Harpenden, already prepared everything she needs bar the turkey for Christmas Day so she can spend as much time as possible with her loved ones, Daily Mail reports.
Claire explained: "It started when my husband and I got our first house, we had a very small kitchen, and I didn't have enough space to cook everything on Christmas Day - then I just realised how much easier it made my life."
She revealed she's made and frozen her gravy, potatoes, carrots, parsnips, homemade cranberry sauce, as well as pigs and blankets and even mince pies.
It's a tradition she's been following for a while.
While people question how good her potatoes would be cooked from frozen, Claire has found it makes absolutely no difference to their quality.
"It's the same kind of concept as when you have triple-cooked chips. You stop the cooking process when you freeze them. I can't tell the difference between roast potatoes that I have done this way and those I've made on the day."
The mother, who helps others meal plan through her business Delicious and Real, said: 'When the children were little, it meant that I wasn't tied to the kitchen - I could be there opening presents with them and we could go for a dog walk on Christmas morning.
"I've been cooking Christmas dinner in this way ever since I began entertaining at Christmas.
"With the exception of the turkey, everything else I literally just heat up so there's no peeling, chopping, or boiling, so there's less washing up to do as well at the end of Christmas too."
