A merry convenient Christmas!  

There are all types of Christmas lunches, from the traditional to the modern. Whether you’re hosting family, the whole clan, or a few friends — or it’s just the two of you — it’s always an event.  

However, the happy day can also be a cause of great stress and anxiety for some, and it doesn’t have to be. To quote Dame Mary Berry, British celebrity chef and baking legend, “Who cares if you didn’t make it all from scratch?”

There are so many options nowadays to make Christmas lunch less time-consuming and stressful. The cleanup will be a breeze as well, with everybody still having some energy to help. Most importantly, your family and friends will have a bit more time to spend together on this day.   

Where to start, you ask? At your local grocer, of course. You can also shop online and have it all delivered. We’ve rounded up some offerings.    

Ready-to-eat starters 

The cheesy pesto croissant wreath from Pick n Pay is a savoury pull-apart wreath that you heat and eat. It’s great when paired with its Crafted Collection burrata and Crafted Collection exotic tomato selection and basil leaves.

Get the Crafted Collection charcuterie to round off the setting. Woolworths has a DIY kit for a Christmas olive-and-rosemary wreath in a box that’s perfect for those who still want to make the starter, as well as other ready-made products such as a relish and chutney selection and a hummus selection. Checkers offers a plethora of sweet, savoury or healthy platters for any occasion. 

Deli-delicious mains 

I’m a huge fan of the deli at the grocery store, which has saved the day many times. Here you can get frozen pastries, meat dishes, and custom cakes, among others. It is important to remember to find out how many days in advance you can order dishes and what is readily available.

At Pick n Pay, you can choose from turkey, gammon or pork belly at the hot deli as well as sides such as roast vegetables, roast potatoes, mash, and savoury rice. You can also order Christmas doughnuts that can be picked up in store, as well as individual trifles, among various desserts.

Checkers’s Forage and Feast range has a great selection of pre-packaged meat and gravy. It’s lovely fully cooked meat selection includes a 1kg gammon, whole beef tongue, and a 1.5 kg three-bird roast, which is whole deboned duck filled with chicken breast and turkey fillets — perfect for a main. Woolworths has great easy-to-cook options, such as frozen salmon and potato dauphinoise. There are also free-range slow-cooked confit duck legs and seafood paella with arborio rice, prawns, hake, calamari, mussels, and peas. 

Decadent desserts 

Once again, you are spoiled for choice. Pick n Pay has a decadent chocolate croissant wreath that you simply heat and eat. Top it with berries and serve with ice cream. 

Checkers has gluten-free mince pies for dessert and a Malva pudding suitable for lacto-vegetarians. You can also get a peppermint-crunch dessert, which is layers of caramel mousse, peppermint crisp, and crushed biscuits.   

Woolworths has a great selection of desserts and some fabulous Christmas-cake selections, such as a Christmas brandy fruit cake and a Christmas cherry Genoa cake, best served warm and drizzled with thick custard. 

Drinks for everybody 

All three retailers stock selections from local wineries as well as highly acclaimed international offerings. Woolworths comes through with its house wines and can also help with a mocktail recipe or two. And that pairing problem you have? It has a quiz you that will land you with the perfect pair.

Pick n Pay has deals galore and bonus points if you’re a Pick n Pay Wine Club member, because you get amazing discounts, while Checkers’s famous Odd Bins range offers limited quantities of vintage releases from well-known wine brands. Each wine is carefully selected by a panel of experts, relabelled with a unique bin number, and sold at a fraction of the price. My top pick to toast 2023 is the J.C. Le Roux Le Domaine, which has the panache and mouthfeel of sauvignon blanc.