R39 000? How convenience can come at a shocking price

WHETHER you're hosting Christmas Eve dinner or a traditional Christmas lunch, you know there's going to be a whole lot of cooking involved.

- GERRY CUPIDO

All the plates on the stove are finally getting a turn, the oven is permanently set to 180, and the air fryer you bought on Black Friday is working overtime.

But even with Boney M blasting and a glass of wine in hand, your "clean as you go" system is failing. You've lost track of how long the leg of lamb has been in the oven, and you slowly start to unravel, having those fleeting thoughts of "We should have booked a restaurant."

Sometimes you just want to wake up on Christmas morning and have everything done.

To be fair, many grocery stores are going out of their way to make Christmas meal prep easier than ever.

With so many ready-to-serve dishes on offer, it's very tempting to toss a Malva pudding into your trolley and call it a day.