‘Twas two nights before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

Well, that’s not actually true, because with Christmas round the corner, we’re all fighting against the snow to get those last minute presents, panic buying from the local supermarket and scratching our heads about how we’re going to serve up a feast on Christmas Day.

We might be a little late to the party on this one, as it is actually an advent calendar in its own right, but nevertheless, today we dive into the culinary delights of Waitrose.

Waitrose Christmas

Format

Android, iPhone

Price

free

Where

iTunes or Android Market

A free download for either Android or iPhone, there is quite a lot of on offer here from Waitrose. This is really all about food, planning and partying, of course with Waitrose ready and willing to sell you all the ingredients you’ll need. If you’ve been watching TV over this festive period, you can’t help but have noticed Waitrose’s advertising with Heston Blumenthal and Delia Smith. Yes, the one with the QR code the flashes up for a fraction of a second.

The chefs find their way into the app, offering up recipe suggestions. Easy to navigate and clearly laid out, you can dive into Delia’s vanilla cream terrine recipe and find all the ingredients you need, a detailed recipe and nutritional info (it’s Christmas, don’t even go there).

Aside from the token celebrity endorsement, you’ll find a range of different recipes broken down into categories and covering starters, mains, sides, all the way up to cocktails.

Aside from recipes, the app offers several tools and planners, including a turkey cooking timer and veg calculator where you just have to select the weight (for the turkey) or the number of mouths you have to feed to get the weight of veg you need. There is also a “Big Day Planner” which will see you up before the sun, peeling carrots and pre-heating the oven. 

Moving on there is a wine guide, suggesting that you might want a 2008 Meursault or 2007 Saint-Émillon Grand Cru with your main course (and several suggestions for each other course). We thought the suggestion of a 12-Year-Old Glenlivet whisky “To Finish” was particularly apt. 

It might be a little late to compose this year’s shopping list, but there are still plenty of ideas if you’re desperately seeking that perfect dish for Christmas or New Year.