Where To Order Christmas Food

It’s the most wonderful time of the year – if three long days in the kitchen is your idea of fun. It's ours, but we appreciate (begrudgingly) that not all those who love food necessarily love cooking it as much as us, and once you layer on the various veggie, vegan, coeliac, halal, et al diets that may feature among your family and friends, well a little help can go a long way. So for those who haven’t already prepped their colour-coded kitchen optimisation spreadsheets for the big day, here are the best ways to buy your way out of Christmas cooking stress...

Fallon & Byrne's everything

Whatever kind of cavalry you might feel the need to call in can be found at Fallon & Byrne, whose absurdly extensive range runs the gamut of soups, desserts, pre-prepped trimmings, and every main imaginable from your traditional turkey and ham, to porchetta, lamb, wagyu beef, duck, goose, guinea fowl and even the Champagne of chicken that is Poulet de Bresse – and it's far from that you were rared. You’ll rack up quite a bill with this build-your-own basket, but at least it’ll land in a very calm kitchen.

Lotts and Co's sides, snacks and cheese

From Fallon to colcannon, the battle of the fancy groceries is on – if Lotts and Co can’t quite compete with its rival’s impressive array of main events, its sides certainly have a convincing edge, with green beans almondine and a bacon and cabbage bake quick to catch our eye. As opposed to Fallon they’re keeping things classic where the main event is concerned, but their brimming cheese and charcuterie board boxes look like a great way to spare yourself the stress of starters or late-night nibbling (and their cheese selection is consistently one of the best in the city).

Morton’s platters, meats and festive drinks

Dessert, snack, and starter platters are a major draw at Morton’s, as well as festive quiches – if you wanted to knock a course or two off your list in a jiffy, you could do a lot worse. The full feast is of course on hand if needed, with a solid selection of sides to accompany the (optionally, if expensively, pre-sliced) turkey and ham. Some very tempting flasks of cider, eggnog and mulled wine might just find their way into your basket too.

Donnybrook Fair's full feast

If even all that picking and choosing business sounds like too much to handle, make for Donnybrook Fair, where the only decision to be made is whether it’s mushroom or vegetable soup to start. For €395 you’ll have an all-in five-course feast for 8-10 people with reheating all that’s required. There’s add-on options of a Christmas wine box or spirits of Christmas gift set too – don’t mind if we do.

Sally Ann Luykx's Christmas boxes and canapés

Christmas comes but once a year, so why not really lose the run of yourself and turn to caterer Sally Ann Luykx. Her Christmas All Wrapped Up boxes start at €480 for six people with all kinds of mouth-watering add-ons that could easily see you to three figures a head if you’re careless – or just a Christmas glutton. Standalone canape platters are a less spenny way to get a helping hand.

Cornucopia's veggie mains

Juggling everything in the kitchen is challenge enough without having to stress about nailing a second set of mains for veggie guests too – when you don’t want to take your eye off the turkey, there’s no better bet than Cornucopia’s mains. From the more traditionally-inclined Seitan ballotine with chestnut stuffing, to the left-field choice of tofu fillet on peanut polenta, these four options (all €14.50pp) should keep your plant-based pals from feeling short-changed. But hurry, two of the four have already sold out.

Old Street's desserts

Malahide’s Old Street have taken a step back from the full Christmas dinner feast package for the first time since the pandemic this year, but they’ve decided to continue slinging desserts. You can book a signature Christmas pudding (€26) or chocolate and orange yule log (€36) for collection and ensure your work is done once mains are on the table. A bottle of their boozy mulled wine (€29) is an optional add-on - go on, really put your feet up.

Velvet Café's Rudolph cake

Who has the time for piping chocolate icing in the midst of all the madness? Velvet Café have cooked up the cutest Rudolph cherry chocolate fudge cake so you can make a festive impression, without making a festive mess. Now there’s a shortcut to a centrepiece to remember. They’re taking orders over WhatsApp.

Bread Naturally's biscuits and panettone

If a Christmas Eve collection from Bread Naturally in Raheny sounds like a smart way to get ahead of things, you’re not the only one to think that – five of their festive dessert options have already sold out. The Florentine biscuit box set (€17.50) and mini panettone trio (€16) are still available, and we’d be pouncing on them quick if we were you.

Cakes by Emma's Krispmas Tree

We'd be pointing this out for the pun alone even if it didn't look half as pretty at this. Balbriggan-based home baker Emma O'Hanrahan has these genius bakes available for collection all the way up to Christmas Eve. An extra-indulgent festive twist on a Rice Krispie cake, it's layered with Mars caramel, topped with Maltesers and milk chocolate, and polished off with pops of Christmassy colour.

Farmhouse Cafe's chocolate biscuit puddings

Now here's a festive dessert that's really dressed to impress. Farmhouse Cafe's chocolate biscuit puddings really look the part with their crisp shell drenched and dribbling in white chocolate ganache, topped off with glacé cherries and green glints of mint. Inside, there's layers of Belgian dark and milk chocolate with chunks of Digestives and Mars bars. No you're drooling.

Pera's custom Christmas cakes

A Turkish mangal might not be a natural first port of call for Christmas cakes, but if Pera's confections taste half as good as they look (and as all the savoury stuff we scoffed on our visit) you'll be well on your way to delicious dessert. They're happy to customise any of these to suit your needs, the better to make it look like you did it yourself. We won't tell, promise.