Defrosting the turkey at 6am, followed by hours spent on veg prep, making gravy and whipping brandy butter.
And don’t even mention the military operation of shopping for all of this.
Christmas dinner may be a joy to eat, but almost half of us say cooking it – which takes, on average, six hours – is one of the most stressful things they do all year.
So you might be forgiven for wanting to cut a few corners and get in some ready-made dishes to get things moving quicker.
But where does that leave you if you’re trying to avoid ultra-processed foods (UPFs)?
These prepared products are made with thickeners, flavourings and preservatives that a growing body of experts fear could be harmful to health – increasing the risk of everything from diabetes to heart disease and even cancer.
And ready-made Christmas fare from supermarkets can be packed with them.
The good news is that there are some smart swaps you can make while shopping that will save time in the kitchen – without the hidden UPFs.
Read on to find out…
Gravy
UPF: Morrisons The Best Turkey Gravy Granules, 200g, £1.90
UPF ingredients: Flavourings, ammonia caramel, hydrolysed vegetable protein, soya lecithin
Bisto Favourite Gravy Granules, 190g, £2.80 from Tesco
UPF ingredients: Maltodextrin, palm fat, ammonia caramel, monosodium glutamate, disodium 5’-ribonucleotides, soya lecithin
It may be convenient but ready-made gravy can be a UPF minefield, with flavourings added to enhance taste and colour.
Gravy granules are also likely to contain soya lecithin – an emulsifier. These compounds prevent liquids and solids or oils separating, and are found in almost half of UPFs.
Experts have raised concerns about the impact of emulsifiers on the gut, with some claiming they may even be linked to the rise in cancer cases among young people.
UPF FREE: Taste The Difference Chicken Gravy, 450g, £2.75 from Sainsbury’s
Swap granules for fresh gravy that won’t contain as many – if any – flavourings or colours.
‘They may be slightly more expensive, and some may still contain caramel colouring, but they’re likely safer than gravy granules,’ said Dr Duane Mellor, a dietician at Aston University in Birmingham.
Roast potatoes
UPF: Aunt Bessie’s Roast Potatoes, 720g, £2.50 from Morrisons
UPF ingredients: Palm oil, dextrin, natural flavouring
Tesco Roast Potatoes, 800g, £1
UPF ingredients: Dextrin, dextrose
Dextrin is an ultra-processed type of starch often used in batters and coatings to make fried foods crispier.
It is also used as a preservative, thickener and fat substitute. It’s added to most frozen foods as it helps to prevent ice crystals forming.
It can be made from almost any starch source, including corn, wheat or potatoes, and comes in powder form. It’s also used to make glue.
UPF-FREE: Waitrose Roast Potatoes, 450g, £3.25
Roast potatoes found in the chiller cabinet rather than the freezer are less likely to contain UPF additives, so may be a better option. Or buy peeled potatoes and add oil at home before sticking them in the oven.
Bread sauce
UPF: Colman’s Bread Sauce Mix, 40g, £1 from Iceland
UPF ingredients: Potassium chloride, flavourings
Waitrose Christmas Bread Sauce, 300g, £3
UPF ingredients: Dextrose, ascorbic acid
To keep the rich taste, minus the calories, many store-bought bread sauces use salt alternatives and flavourings in lieu of salt and butter.
Potassium chloride is one such low-sodium salt replacement that often appears in the ingredients list – and is also used as a flavour enhancer, flavouring agent, stabiliser and thickener.
Dextrose is an artificial sweetener made from corn or wheat.
UPF-FREE: Morrisons The Best Bread Sauce, 300g, £2.50
Cook With M&S Bread Sauce Mix, 70g, £1.15
Not all bread sauces contain additives, however. Both Morrisons’s and M&S’s mix are completely UPF – and sugar – free.
Beef wellington
UPF: Iceland Luxury Perfect Beef Wellington, 1.08kg, £26
UPF ingredients: Modified maize starch, maltodextrin
Taste The Difference British Beef Wellington, 1kg, £40 from Sainsbury’s
UPF ingredients: Potassium sorbate
Many beef wellingtons you can buy contain preservatives and emulsifiers added to the pastry and mushroom mixture to extend shelf-life. ‘The flours and fats in the puff pastry often need an added stabiliser to stay fresh and crisp,’ said Dr Mellor.
Potassium sorbate is one such preservative. It’s also commonly used in eyeshadow, lipstick and moisturiser.
UPF-FREE: Morrisons The Best Beef Fillet Wellington With A Mushroom Duxelles, £35
Frozen beef wellingtons tend to have fewer additives as they require less stabilising, according to Dr Mellor. However, Morrisons The Best Beef Fillet Wellington has no UPFs at all and doesn’t need to be defrosted.
Stuffing
UPF: Morrisons Caramelised Onion Stuffing Balls, 360g, £3.25
UPF ingredients: Sodium nitrite, potassium nitrate, hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose, diphosphates, triphosphates, sodium metabisulphite
Tesco Finest Pork Apple, Honey & Sage Stuffing, 350g, £3.25
UPF ingredients: Bamboo fibre, tetrasodium diphosphate, disodium diphosphate, sodium metabisulphite, sulphur dioxide, caramelised sugar syrup
Stuffing mixes bought from the shops often contain emulsifiers, such as hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose and tetrasodium diphosphate. The latter is also used in water softeners, dental products and in the manufacture of metals, paints and fragrances.
Sodium metabisulphite, meanwhile, is a preservative that can also be found in disinfectants.
UPF-FREE: Shropshire Spice Wild Sage & Roast Onion Stuffing Mix, 150g, £2.87 from Butcher’s Sundries
M&S Chestnut and Cranberry Stuffing, 300g, £5.75
‘More traditional stuffings are drier and therefore have fewer emulsifiers,’ said Dr Mellor. ‘Those with pork in them also tend to be emulsifier-free, as the meat naturally contains some of the fats needed for a doughy, moist stuffing.’
Pigs in blankets
UPF: Morrisons Pigs in Blankets, 210g, £2.75
UPF ingredients: Triphosphates, diphosphates, sodium metabisulphite, ammonium carbonates, sodium nitrate, sodium nitrite
Tesco Finest Pigs in Blankets, 210g, £3.25
UPF ingredients: Calcium lactate, tetrasodium diphosphate, disodium diphosphate, sodium metabisulphite, bamboo fibre, sodium nitrite, potassium nitrate
‘Pigs in blankets is a food that is never going to be UPF-free,’ said Dr Mellor. ‘Bacon and sausages usually contain preservatives known as nitrites, which are added as part of the curing process and which have been linked to an increased risk of bowel cancer.
‘In general, it’s not the healthiest food and is definitely something to be eaten in moderation – regardless of the additives.’
UPF-FREE: M&S Handcrafted Sausage Roll Garland, 630g, £10
If you want a truly UPF-free Christmas, then pigs in blankets may be off the menu. But these sausage rolls contain uncured pork, which does not contain nitrites or nitrates.
Prawn cocktail
UPF: Waitrose No.1 Prawn Cocktail, 180g, £4.20
UPF ingredients: Guar gum
Watch out for guar gum – it’s added to marie rose sauce as an emulsifier and preservative.
Aside from often being found in ultra-processed foods, it’s used in textile dye, in the process of making paper and in explosives.
UPF-FREE: Exceptional by Asda Prawn Cocktail, 200g, £3.40
Morrisons The Best Prawn Cocktail, 200g, £3.50
Luckily, many prawn cocktail dips on the market are guar gum-free – such as these from Asda and Morrisons.
Christmas pudding
UPF: M&S 12-Month Matured Christmas Pudding, 907g, £14
UPF ingredients: Anthocyanins, E471, E472e
Waitrose No.1 Christmas Pudding, 400g, £7.50
UPF ingredients: Palm oil, vegetable glycerin, plain-caramel colouring, anthocyanins
Requiring anywhere from a week to a year of rest to allow the dried fruit to ferment and its quintessentially nutty taste to emerge, making your own Christmas pudding takes a whole heap of effort.
But store-made versions contain emulsifiers, colourings and preservatives. Many also contain palm oil – a factory-made oil that’s a UPF used in vegetable suet, swapped in place of beef suet – a fat used in traditional recipes.
Palm oil is around 50 per cent saturated fat – the highest of all liquid oils. It’s also been linked to inflammation, certain cancer risks and type 2 diabetes.
UPF-FREE: King George Christmas Pudding, 907g, £36.95, from Fortnum & Mason
For an additive-free Christmas pudding, try this handmade pudding which is made with beef suet. Or look for ones with minimal UPFs.
Mince pies
UPF: Morrisons The Best Deep-Filled Mince Pies, £2.75 for six
UPF ingredients: Modified maize starch, potassium sorbate, acetic acid, diphosphates, sodium carbonates
Tesco Mince Pies, £1.25 for six
UPF ingredients: Glycerol, glucose-fructose syrup, palm oil, potassium sorbate, sodium metabisulphite, sulphur dioxide, disodium diphosphate
As with Christmas pudding, a UPF-free mince pie can be very hard to find. Many contain phosphates, which are added to food to extend the shelf-life and enhance flavours.
Phosphate is derived from phosphorus, a key ingredient in fertilisers. They are used in animal feeds as well as cosmetic and beauty products.
UPF-FREE: Organic Mince Pies, £12 for six, from Daylesford Organic
Some organic mince pies are totally UPF-free – but come with a hefty price tag. This might, however, encourage you to eat slightly fewer, cutting down on the Christmas sugar and calorie overload.
