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If you're the designatedChristmas dinner cook in your household, you know how stressful it can be. With a crowd to feed, and multiple dishes to get ready, it can quickly spiral from fun to frantic.

However, there are some ways you can minimise the stress ofChristmas Day and all it takes is a little bit of organisation. A good way to keep Christmas Day from getting out of control is to begin your prep now. By making dishes ahead of time and freezing them, you can save yourself alot of stress.

Food hygiene expert and director of business and strategy at Virtual College, Jamie Ashforth, has shared seven Christmas dinner classics that can handle being made and frozen.

The first treat that handles freezing well is pigs in blankets. All you need to do is prep them raw and freeze them before you cook in an airtight container.

Jamie said: "You can cook them up to three days in advance of eating them, but the more recently they're cooked, the nicer they will taste. If you do cook them in advance, cool them quickly and store in an airtight container in the fridge. When reheating, make sure it's steaming hot all the way through, which means it should be at least 75°C."

Maple or honey roasted carrots and parsnips can also be made a day ahead of time and kept in the fridge with a very low chance of sickness. He said: "You can fully honey or maple roast carrots and parsnips up to one day ahead of eating to maintain freshness. Just make sure to cool the veg before refrigerating it, but overall, there is a very low risk of becoming ill when storing these for a while."

Brussel sprouts with bacon and chestnuts is a Christmas classic and can be cooked and cooled up to two days before the big day. Jamie said: "Cool the cooked sprouts, bacon, and chestnuts within one hour, transfer it to an airtight container, and store in the coldest part of the fridge (ideally 4°C or below)."

When you reheat it, make sure it reaches 75°C.

If you're planning on making dauphinoise potatoes, then these can also be prepped ahead of time. You can make these up to two days ahead of time and then let them cool for an hour or two.

Cover the dish tightly with foil or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate. When you reheat it, make sure to cover it with foil so the sauce doesn't dry out and make sure it's piping hot all the way through and the cream is bubbling.

When it comes to puddings, there are three which can be cooked ahead of time. Yule logs, mince pies and Christmas puddings are all great options to cook before the big day.

In fact, Christmas pudding is traditionally made up to a year ahead of time. Jamie said: "Its ingredients, cooking method, and storage environment make it very inhospitable for bacteria, mould, and spoilage.

"The dried fruit, sugar and treacle content bind water so tightly that microbes can't access enough moisture to grow, while the alcohol added acts as a preservative, slows bacteria growth and prevents mould. It needs to be stored properly, though, so in a cool, dark cupboard and tightly wrapped after it's fully cooled before to prevent mould growth from condensation."

For mince pies, if they are unbaked they can be frozen for up to a month. However, once baked they will keep for up to four days at room temperature in an airtight container. They can last a week in the fridge.

Yule Logs can be made a couple of days in advance but their creamy filling means it can only be made one to two days in advance - and make sure you keep it in the fridge to avoid the cream spoiling.