Christmas in Shanghai can be tough for expat ‘orphans’ stuck in the city over the holiday period and far from family and friends. If you’re looking for a way to recapture that traditional Christmas dinner you remember from home, but not sure where to start, here are a few tips to get going.

The first thing that folks look out for when they are planning a Christmas ‘do is the bird (and not the rude kind employed by cranky motorists). If you want to cook your own, you can get a frozen American turkey delivered to your door from City Shop from RMB 78 per kilogram if you don’t feel like venturing out. They’re also a good bet for your cranberry sauce (RMB 56) and bread roll (RMB 2 each) needs.

Web: www.cityshop.com.cn

If, like most people in Shanghai, you don’t have an oven or just can’t be bothered with such extreme DIY, then you might be looking for a more cooked version of a turkey. There will be plenty of options available from hotels around town (see It’s a Date on page 54 for more), as well as restaurants like Malone’s, who will be offering cooked turkeys and stuffing with gravy and honey roasted hams to take away (for RMB 800 each).

Malone’s, 255 Tongren Lu, near Nanjing Xi Lu. Tel: 6247 2400 and 2F, Thumb Plaza, 199 Fangdian Lu, near Dingxiang Lu. Tel: 5033 6717

Our pick for the easiest way to have Christmas dinner at home has to be Party On Catering, who deliver roast turkey (RMB 980 for a 6 to 6.5 kilogram bird complete with gravy and cranberry sauce), maple glazed boned ham (RMB 950, serves 12), and roasted beef strip loin (RMB 659 for 1 kilogram) as well as trimmings such as chestnut stuffing, creamed green beans, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, and more – all delivered to your door piping hot. A 15 per cent discount is available if you have ordered through Party On before, or get organised and order at least 14 days in advance.

E-mail: [email protected] for a full menu and price list

Another important festive element for any Christmas dinner is the booze, and this year it will be easier than ever to have the world of fine wine and spirits at your fingertips. Yangjiu.com is basically an online gourmet store that delivers all over Shanghai for free. Much of its menu is made up of very well-priced wines and spirits (often more than RMB 100 cheaper than the same bottles in Shanghai’s physical wine shops), but they are now also expanding their areas of expertise to include gourmet food products like Fauchon chocolates, coffee, biscuits, jam and French mustard.

In a pinch, we have called Yangjiu with wine emergencies and they have been able to deliver within hours, but it’s best to pre-order before the big day so your guests don’t get thirsty.

Web: www.yangjiu.com

More traditional sweet things can be found at Paul’s bakeries around town. The Paul Yule log cake comes from a French tradition of families collecting logs together for their Christmas fireplaces. The longer the log burned, the luckier the family would be in the New Year. The cakes come in flavours such as white chocolate and passion fruit, black chocolate and praline, chocolate and pear, raspberry and vanilla as well as strawberry and pistachio from RMB 25 each and make for great Christmassy desserts.

Web: www.paul.fr/paul_china (for list of locations)

WIN A CHRISTMAS DINNER!

To be in the running to win a free turkey delivery, complete with stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry chutney and gravy from Party On Catering, tell us who you would love to have at your Christmas dinner and why? Email your answers to [email protected].