Whether you’re providing Christmas lunch for the family (plus vegan friends, overbearing in-laws and tantrumming toddlers) or having friends round for nibbles and drinks, it can feel daunting to cook at scale.
From planning dishes to please a crowd to nailing your timings, there's a lot to consider when cooking Christmas dinner and treats. Like the party planner who throws Christmas dos for hundreds of people, someone who knows all about it is Hélène Darroze, chef patron at three Michelin-starred restaurant at The Connaught in London. Hélène serves up Christmas delights to hundreds of diners every December. Here she shares her experiences and words of encouragement with us.
"Our guests make their Christmas Day bookings very early and naturally they want to know what will be on the menu – so Christmas preparations start in July," reveals Hélène, 58, who lives with her daughters Charlotte, 18, and Quiterie, 16.
"At a fine-dining restaurant, nobody expects the traditional festive meal with all the trimmings, so you won’t find a Christmas turkey here. Guests come to us because they love our philosophy of food, so I work with the produce of the season, and we usually do some poultry, oysters, caviar, scallops and lobster."
"I opened Hélène Darroze at The Connaught in 2008 – it wasn’t something I had planned but when I visited the hotel I fell in love with it. I shared many of its values – elegance, a focus on the details and always looking to reach the best for our guests. Now, I get to cook in one of the most beautiful places in London.
"Christmas is a magical time to be at the hotel. It’s decorated beautifully, fires crackle in the hearths and Santa Claus is in the lobby giving out presents. It’s also the busiest service of the year."
Hélène's pro tip for Christmas dinner
The chef's table at the restaurant
"Rely on excellent-quality products that require minimal fuss and preparation to make them taste amazing," advises Hélène. "Top-quality poultry, good country bread, smoked salmon, thick cream… if the products are of high quality, that’s all you need to enjoy a wonderful meal."
Check out the woman&home Christmas food award winners for our top recommendations this year.
How we feed hundreds each day
"We seat more than 80 people for lunch and around 60 for dinner – mostly families and lots of repeat guests who come every year. My team of 25 cooks and serves as usual, but with the pressure turned up!
"On Christmas Day, we have to be more rigorous with our organisation – we can’t prepare anything in advance – but every person knows their job inside out.
"The most challenging part is timings. The lunch guests will often finish later and you can have early customers in the evening, so it can be a rush between the two services to reset the dining room.
"At the end of the day, we celebrate with a glass of champagne."
What I serve at home
The lobby of the Connaught at Christmas
After a busy Christmas service at The Connaught, Hélène says the food at home is a little more relaxed (though it still sounds stunning). "When I cook for my family on the big day, it’s a far less grand affair, possibly a capon and oysters or scallops, and we’ll play games and go for a walk on the beach.
"Growing up in a family of chefs, I spent many childhood Christmases in the kitchen of my family’s restaurant, L’Auberge Le Relais in the south-west of France, learning how to cook from my father.
"And when they were younger, my daughters Charlotte and Quiterie would also join me at The Connaught. They’d have lunch in my office, and I’d have some food with them and then take them to visit Santa Claus.
"But I thrive in the busyness of a Christmas hosting hundreds of people – the pressure is all just part of the fun!"
The main dining room at Hélène Darroze at The Connaught
We can't get enough of stories about inspirational women over 40, from women cooking for homeless and vulnerable people at Christmas, and volunteering at a food bank, to the woman who trains guide dog puppies and even the 'real' Riot Women gigging through menopause.
Find their stories and many more in our Inspirational Women pages, and in woman&home magazine.
This article first appeared in the December 2025 issue of woman&home magazine. Buy a copy or subscribe today.
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