For most people, Christmas dinner or lunch is the meal of the year, and the one for which the host and hostess, family and friends reserve the highest hopes and the greatest of expectations.

It is your privilege and responsibility to plan the preparation, cooking and presentation of the meal with meticulous precision, leaving nothing to chance.

Christmas lunch or dinner causes stress for many people, especially if you're not adept in the kitchen or are having more than your normal number of people to feed.

There's an expectation of the food to be fabulous and tasty, but often this can put more than a little stress on the cook for the day.

Often it's not so much the amount to be done but the uncertainty of when to do it so that you're not spending the whole day in the kitchen and therefore not with your guests, but rather, that it all comes together at the same time.

Timing for many cooks is a big issue.

My Christmas Lunch or Dinner Guide and Runsheet will show you firstly how to do each step of a fabulous yet simple Christmas meal and secondly, what can be made in advance so that you're not left in the kitchen all day by yourself on Christmas day.

There are also podcasts with food and cooking experts and chefs with fabulous hints and tips to make the tasks even easier.

I've broken Christmas up into stages leading to the big day and given you the recipes you can make at each stage in readiness.

I've also created some twists on some of the traditional Christmas recipes using a new Spice Pack we've created in conjunction with Herbies Spices. The Spice Pack is available through our new Shop and if you order now, you'll have it in plenty of time to do all your Christmas cooking.