Easy make-ahead Christmas recipes to wow your guests

Get ahead this Christmas with these easy brie and cranberry pies. Simply fill, roll, and pop them in the freezer in an airtight container until you’re ready to bake. You can’t go wrong with oozy brie and cranberry; it’s a Christmas classic combination for a reason!

Inspired by the retro party food classic, Tom Kerridge has given cheese and pineapple a makeover with these melty, mini pineapple and Cornish Cruncher Cheddar bites. Ready in just 10 minutes, you can prepare them earlier in the day and grill them when your guests arrive.

These chocolate apples, topped with our sweet and salty Very Merry Munch mix, are full of incredible texture. They’ll keep perfectly well in the fridge for up to three days and are a brilliant treat for the kids' table at any festive gathering.

This tear-and-share Christmas tree is a clever way to use up any leftover mincemeat. Our Collection Brandy and Clementine Mincemeat is bursting with festive spices and oozing with brandy, cognac, and cider for that extra boozy kick – it is Christmas, after all! Prep it the night before and let it rest in the fridge for an easy, ready-to-bake Christmas party treat. Serve with plenty of brandy cream for dolloping on top.

Pigs in blankets are what Christmas food is all about! In this recipe, they are loaded onto a pizza, tussled with lashings of camembert, blue cheese and mozzarella and generously dressed with cranberry and port sauce. Using our perfectly charred wood-fired pizza bases, this recipe will come together in no time. Add all the toppings, then store the uncooked pizzas in the fridge until you’re ready to bake. Be sure to prepare a couple – these won’t last long!

A genius concoction of dark, milk and blond chocolate, studded with dark chocolate cherries and milk chocolate pistachios, these tiffin bites are jaw-droppingly good. Ideal as a teatime treat, they can be stored in the fridge a day in advance, ready for those surprise guests over the festive period.

Forget the cheeseboard, meet the cheese ball! The ultimate shareable, make-ahead Christmas party canapé. Prepare it the night before and bring it to room temperature when it’s time to wow your guests. With three different cheeses, this tangy mix offers a variety of textures and flavours, so no two bites are the same. Delicious served with our White Mulled Wine.

Sausage rolls are the ultimate make-ahead party food. We’ve created three variations on the classic – one stuffed with sausage meat, ’nduja, and cheddar, another with hoisin duck, and a third with korma-spiced potato and pea – so there’s something for everyone. They last brilliantly when stored in an airtight container, so all you need to do is pop them on a baking tray and gloss with egg wash before baking.

A recipe you never knew you needed, ideal for using up any leftover cheese. Prepare it all in advance, pop it in the fridge overnight, then top with crunchy pecans and bake until golden. Cut into bite-sized pieces and get ready to share.

Using shortcut ingredients, these vol-au-vents are bound to impress. From pack to plate in just 15 minutes, they make an ideal last-minute canapé that will wow even the fussiest guests.

Perfect for vegetarians, these elegant canapés are filled with whipped goat’s cheese, flavoured with rosemary salt and thyme, then topped with freshly sliced figs and a drizzle of fragrant honey. Make the whipped goat’s cheese in advance – it would also make a fantastic addition to any cheeseboard.