How do you stop your food from going cool?

Every year I make Christmas dinner (just for two) it always ends up being a little cooler than I'd like by the time we sit down to eat!

How do you keep it all warm? By the time the roast has been carved, the veg neatly served and the yorkies and gravy added it starts to cool! I must be doing something wrong - or paying far too much attention to presentation

Any tips?

Re: How do you stop your food from going cool?

The very main thing for me is that the dinner plates are roasting hot. That makes a difference in itself. Cold plates are horrid.

Re: How do you stop your food from going cool?

Do you serve on very hot plates ......?

Re: How do you stop your food from going cool?

Yes always heat the plates (not too hot) and keep the veg and things in serving dishes with lids, just serve the meat on the plates and the gravy boat etc on the table....then help yourselves to the hot food from the dishes.

Re: How do you stop your food from going cool?

The hotter the better, my dins stay hot to the last

Re: How do you stop your food from going cool?

A roast for two doesn't sound that difficult so how do you usually manage to keep your food hot when it isn't Christmas,, and what are you doing differently?

Re: How do you stop your food from going cool?

I'd say it's all about timing, for instance, I cooked my roast and around 35 minutes before it was done I added goose fat roasties to the oven as they take 45 minutes which gives the meat time to rest before carving. I put the veggies on 20 minutes after the roasties

I then carved the meat,made gravy using some of the veggie water and added worcester sauce and just before the gravy was done I dished up the veggies and dinner was served!

Re: How do you stop your food from going cool?

Did dinner for a few more than two we kept putting the plates back in the oven as we loaded them up, and the microwave came into use too !

Re: How do you stop your food from going cool?

Azz I think your dinner will probably be delicious and you're too hard in yourself. Christmas dinner with all the trimmings are delicious, but they're a dinner like any other. Don't be too hard on yourself.

Re: How do you stop your food from going cool?

Hot plates and the vegetables put in hot serving dishes helps

I have the opposite problem when I do a family lunch, the food is too hot for the children to eat