NEWS COPY - By Emma Elsworthy
The average Brit rates their Christmas dinner making skills as a modest seven out of 10, a study found.
Researchers found a large percentage of the nation struggle to perfect turkey and all the trimmings, with getting everything done on time the biggest issue.
Around one in ten usually end up cremating the roast potatoes while the turkey is still raw, and one in 10 always forget to serve up gravy.
Other common festive faux pas include over-boiling the carrots, under-boiling the sprouts, and forgetting to cook pigs in blankets.
Just under half of those polled claimed they find the Christmas roast one of the most difficult meals of the year and 53 per cent say the more guests they have the harder it is to dish up a masterpiece.
It also emerged six in 10 cooks always feel stressed and overwhelmed in the lead up to luxurious lunch.
A spokeswoman for Aunt Bessie’s, which carried out the study of 2,000 adults via OnePoll.com, said: “For many of us Christmas dinner is the biggest meal of the year and one we want to get right.
“With all that added pressure and all those mouths to feed perhaps its inevitable mistakes will be made here and there.
“Of course, being with our nearest and dearest is the most important thing at Christmas – although tucking into lots of food is likely to be a close second.”
Accidentally leaving the giblets inside the turkey, forgetting to put the oven on and carving the bird to find out it is still raw inside also feature on the list of Christmas dinner disasters.
Six per cent of unfortunate respondents have even come to put the dinner on, only to realise the turkey wouldn’t actually fit inside the oven.
While others had to put up with the oven breaking down halfway through cooking, roast potatoes ending up all soggy, and burning the pigs in blankets.
Three per cent of adults have almost had to call the fire brigade after the Christmas pudding turned into a giant fireball upon lighting.
Eleven per cent of cooks have accidently ordered the wrong size turkey – ending up with one which was too small to feed the whole family or too big to go inside the over.
And 13 per cent have spent so long cooking while drinking at the same time, they’ve been too tipsy to perfect the food.
Three in 10 Brits said remembering every aspect of the meal is the most difficult thing about cooking Christmas lunch, while 23 per cent get stressed when it is time to serve everything up.
Maintaining a calm appearance for guests when you’re screaming inside, is a burden for 17 per cent of those polled.
Interestingly, while many would be most upset to over or under cook the turkey, a further 46 per cent would be devastated if their roast spuds were ruined and a third would hate to spoil the pigs in blankets.
TOP CHRISTMAS DINNER DISASTERS:
1. Lumpy gravy
2. Over-boiling the carrots
3. Dropping food on the floor while serving up
4. Under-boiling the sprouts
5. Forgetting to serve up the gravy
6. Cremating the roast potatoes while waiting for the turkey to cook
7. Roast potatoes ended up all soggy
8. Burning the pigs in blankets
9. Failing to put the pigs in blankets in the oven
10. Accidentally leaving the giblets inside the turkey
11. Realising the turkey won’t actually fit inside the over
12. Forgetting to put the oven on altogether
13. Carving the turkey to find out it is still raw
14. Oven stopped working halfway through cooking
15. Turning the Christmas pudding into a fireball when trying to light it
ENDS