There's 100 days to go until Christmas Day and it's never too early to start organising, especially when it comes to the big feast. With some simple planning and a little work, you'll save time and hassle in the long run. We've got loads of hacks, ideas and recipes to help you, from sorting out your menus, smart shopping, freezing, inspired new recipes and gorgeous food gifts to make.

Everyone's cupboards have something lurking at the back, like out-of-date spices and pastes. Now's a good time to do some sorting. Get everything out, clean down all the shelves then go through exactly what you have, making a list of ingredients you've run out of or you'll need for the holidays. Wipe down jars and storage containers, and group together items such as dry goods, herbs and spices, cans, jams and preserves. Putting things in trays, in cupboards is a nifty tidying trick.

The bigger your freezer, the more you are likely to find unknown objects lurking at the bottom or tubs of ice cream with just a spoonful left. Your freezer is one of your best friends when it comes to the festive season so now's the time to get it organised. Cover the basics by making sure that it's the right temperature, re-arrange to optimise space and adjust the shelves to suit what you're storing.

Find more clever freezer hacks here

Start building up lists, recipes and ideas for your holiday menus. If you love a notebook, buy a smallish one so it's always to hand. Or you could create a Pinterest board with ideas, food you love the look of, recipe videos and so on. Evernote is a free app which is a super-organiser's dream and it syncs across all your devices. Add checklists, notes, to-do lists, videos, PDFs or reminders. It's a really clever digital notepad.

Check out the loveFOOD Christmas Pinterest board here

Getting ahead with your planning means you can order your turkey and other meats ahead of time, to avoid any last minute panics. Think about the size of the turkey you want. Does everyone love leftovers or is it just the one hit and it's out? A 5.5kg/12lb bird will feed up to 12 people so the maths is quite simple – calculate 450g/1lb per person or 675g/1.5lb if you want leftovers.

For fresh-from-the-oven bread whenever you need it, plan ahead. Fully bake your dinner rolls then bag them up for the freezer. Once the baked rolls are cooled, open freeze them for an hour or two – lay the rolls on a tray or plastic lid without touching each other, uncovered, in the freezer. This will prevent them from sticking when you then bag or box them up as usual. They will keep up to three months. When you want to serve, pop them into a medium oven until heated through.

Find our best home-baked bread tips here

Holiday season is pie time, whether it's sweet or savoury. You can really get ahead by blind baking pie crusts (baking the pastry case without the filling) and keeping them in the freezer. The trick is to blind bake, allow to cool, open freeze for an hour or two then carefully pack into a freezer-proof plastic bag. They'll be on standby for when you need to rustle up a dessert or hearty main.

As soon as fresh cranberries come into season, it's time to make your cranberry sauce or jelly. Cranberry sauce keeps perfectly in the freezer for up to three months and a cranberry jelly will keep for up to a year as long as you sterilise the jars correctly. Just allow the sauce to defrost in the fridge overnight and you're ready to reheat it as you need it.

Get the recipe for cranberry sauce with port and orange here

It's pretty certain there'll be at least one person who eschews meat& so make ahead a tasty centrepiece vegetarian option. A nut roast will freeze perfectly. You could also divide it up into small portions to cover you through the whole holiday season. It's easy to make it vegan too – just check your stock is suitable for vegans or make your own. 

Get the recipe for nut roast with a rich gravy here

Cornbread is a great side dish for festive turkey but did you know you can make it ahead and freeze it? Although it's not hard to whip up, it's a brilliant time-saver if it's already done.

Get the recipe for cornbread with tangy cheese and chorizo here

A great Christmas Day feast is won and lost with the gravy. Stock takes time to make even though it's hands-off and you don't need to leave it until the day to make your gravy. It's cheap and simple to roast off a big batch of chicken wings – it's the bones which add the flavour – then add water, vegetables and herbs. Once it's cooked, strain and reduce the stock so it's full of flavour. Cool and freeze in bags to save space. On the day, thoroughly reheat and add the juices from your turkey once the bird has rested.

Brining turkey has become more popular in the past few years. It involves soaking the bird in salt and water for at least 12 hours so the meat becomes moist and succulent without a hint of salt. If you're planning on brining your turkey this year, you'll need to make sure you have sufficient space in the fridge to store it, including a bowl or bucket large enough.

Tired of the usual desserts? Profiteroles could be the answer in your forward planning. Everyone loves these indulgent bites and you can make the choux pastry ahead of time and freeze it. Not confident at making pastry? Choux is made in a saucepan so it's very forgiving and much easier than you think. You can shape the pastry, open freeze the little spheres, then pack them into freezer bags. Bake from frozen. Serve with ice cream and chocolate or salted caramel sauce, or fill with whipped cream.

Get the recipe for profiteroles here

If you have the storage space, such as a garage or a large pantry, start buying wines, spirits and beers. Look out for deals and offers, and check online to see if some retailers have free delivery. It's a great way of spreading out the cost and helps you to avoid carrying and unpacking a heavy load back from the shops.

Dukkah is an Egyptian spice mix made with hazelnuts, coriander seeds, cumin and sesame. It's easy to make and is a fabulous topping for vegetables such as carrots, cabbage and of course, sprouts. You can also sprinkle it over salads, and grilled meats and fish. It's so versatile and the best thing is, it will keep in a large sealed jar or container for months. Feel free to play around with different nuts, seeds and spices too.

Get the recipe for dukkah here

Have a batch of plan-ahead canapés in the freezer and you'll always have something on standby to serve. These ham and cheese tartlets are a winner and best of all, they use ready-made shortcrust pastry so only require 15 minutes of hands-on time. After they're baked and cooled, open freeze then bag up.

Get the recipe for ham and cheese tartlets here

Whether it's to serve after dinner or to make as a gift, limoncello is easy to whip up and lovely to drink. It needs to be made around two months ahead of time. Heat and dissolve 200g/7oz caster sugar in 200ml/7fl oz water, and allow it to bubble for a few minutes to slightly thicken. Cool, then put it into a large sterilised jar with the peel and juice of five large lemons and a 75cl/25fl oz bottle of vodka. Give it a good shake then store in a dark, cool cupboard, shaking occasionally. Strain into pretty bottles for gifting.

It can be easy to get caught up planning for Christmas Day but don't forget you'll need food for the days in between, when you just want to put your feet up. Time to get out the slow cooker. We suggest doubling up on this slow-cooked beef chilli recipe so you have a good stash in the freezer for whenever you need a hot meal.

Find more of our favourite freezer-friendly recipes here

Pretty fancy to serve homemade crackers with your cheeseboard, don't you think? Don't tell your friends but they're so easy to make. Roll the dough into a sausage shape and wrap well for your freezer. Then thaw a little and cut rounds before baking.

Get the recipe for oatcakes here

We bet you never thought of being so organised that you've made pecan pie ahead of time? This holiday favourite can be prepared a month beforehand, cooled, then frozen. To serve, remove from the freezer for an hour, then heat through gently in a medium oven before serving with lashings of cream or vanilla ice cream.

Get the recipe for pecan pie here

Italian biscotti are those lovely, crunchy biscuits served at the end of a meal with coffee or a glass of sweet dessert wine. They are twice-baked and very simple to make. They'll keep for two weeks in an airtight container so why not try making them for a gift paired with a bottle of dessert wine or some top-quality ground coffee. 

Get the recipe for pistachio and rosemary biscotti here

Beef wellington is a real showstopper and a great dish to add to your festive repertoire if everyone's a bit tired of turkey or for a special dinner during the holidays. You can leave it in the fridge for two days or freeze it completely, then add around 20 minutes to the cooking time.

Get the recipe for beef wellington here

A succulent, glazed joint of ham is a must for any festive table. Rather than soaking it to remove excess salt, bring it up the boil in a large pan of water for 15 minutes then remove and discard the water. You can cook the ham up to four days ahead before glazing, or freeze it then thaw fully before glazing. Use the stock for a soup.

Get the recipe for festive ham here

Make gravadlax – cured salmon – ahead of time and you'll always have an easy snack or canapé on standby. Simply pack a side of salmon in salt, dried dill, white peppercorns and sugar, and leave in the fridge or a cold place for 48 hours. It's then coated in mustard and cured for another 24 hours. Gravadlax will keep well for two weeks in the fridge. It's great sliced and served on rye bread with capers and red onion.

Get the recipe for gravadlax here

Have breakfasts ready to go with a jar of homemade granola. It'll keep in the freezer for up to three months or for two weeks in an airtight container. You could also make a batch to give as a gift in a pretty jar, tied with a ribbon. If breakfast bars are more your thing, make a batch of these peanut butter and banana oat bars and keep in the freezer to have a ready supply to grab and go.

Get the recipe for granola here

When pumpkins are at their best, it's just the time to do some preparation. Pumpkin pie is a holiday staple so when the bright orange squash start appearing in shops, ready your pumpkin purée. It freezes really well and if you've also frozen your blind baked pastry case, it'll just be an assembly job when you want to whip up a pie.

Get the recipe for pumpkin pie here

While you're thinking about advance preparation, why not make a gorgeous carrot cake to go in the freezer? Once baked and cooled, wrap well then store for up to three months. We'd recommend you make the icing while the cake is thawing as cream cheese frosting doesn't freeze so well, though you can make it up to three days ahead and keep in the fridge. Allow it to come to room temperature before decorating.

Get the recipe for carrot cake here

Homemade fudge knocks any of the shop-bought stuff out of the park and it makes a lovely gift. It will keep for a couple of weeks in an airtight container.

Get the recipe for salted peanut chocolate fudge here

Florentines – light and crispy, chocolate-dipped biscuits – are the perfect sweet treat to have around the house at Christmas, and make a brilliant edible gift. Place in a cellophane bag and tie it up with ribbon for extra presentation points. Our recipe is laced with chopped crystallised ginger, sliced almonds and a hint of orange zest, and dipped in white and dark chocolate. They'll keep in an airtight container for a couple of weeks.

Get the recipe for Florentines here