Christmas is just around the corner, three weeks today to be precise!

Don’t panic, there’s no need to start waking up in cold sweats thinking about the obligatory Christmas eve supermarket dash for your sprouts, sausages and supersized turkey.

With frozen you can start buying now and spread the stress – and the cost – so that Christmas eve can be saved for what it’s meant for – frantically wrapping presents whilst the kids are distracted.

Follow our simple buying guide and you’ll have a stress free(ish) run up to Christmas in 2013.

Week 1 (5^th December)

Now is the time to get your Christmas bird. No we’re not crazy, there’s nothing worse than fighting over the last skinny turkey on Christmas Eve. If you buy your turkey now from the freezer aisle, it will be deliciously fresh on the big day and you won’t have to brave the shops at the same time as everyone else.

The turkey is usually the biggest Christmas dinner item – buying in advance means you know exactly how much room you’ll have left in the freezer – there’s nothing worse than stocking up on vols-au-vents only to find they won’t fit.

Just don’t forget to plan your defrosting ahead – check out our tips on safely defrosting your turkey here.

Week 2 (11^th December)

Time to get the vegetables in. With supermarket frozen ranges evolving you can get everything you need from the freezer aisle – from parsnips to the dreaded sprouts, and even herbs for flavouring your turkey.

What’s more, research shows that frozen vegetables ‘lock-in’ their goodness much better than their fresh counterparts, so you can be sure the kids will get all the nutrients they need to offset all the selection box goodies. And frozen vegetables are usually pre-prepared saving you precious time and reducing your kitchen waste!

Week 3 (18^th December)

Party time! With just a week to go it’s time to get raiding the fantastic party food ranges on offer in the supermarkets.

From the famous prawn ring and traditional favourites like mini sausages and sausage rolls, to more exotic flavours like Indian snack selections and mini pizza, there’s something for everyone in frozen party food.

Our only advice is to get as much as you can fit into the freezer – it will always come in handy when you have impromptu visitors over the Christmas period and anything you don’t use will keep for the next time you need some party food.

25^th December

On the big day – all you have to do is eat it – once you’ve cooked it of course!