Hosting Thanksgiving in the UK can be tricky and stressful if it’s your first time. What used to seem daunting while in the US, now feels like a herculean effort while living in the UK. Decorations can be difficult to find and hosting a flawless traditional Thanksgiving menu is as reliable as the weather. But not keeping up with this American tradition or starting a new one, aren’t options on the table. Here’s what to do, where to find, and ideas to host a Thanksgiving in England.
Tips For Hosting Your First Thankgiving In England
1 – Make It Festive
Even though Thanksgiving decorations are nowhere to be found in local stores in the UK, you have one of three options: order online, make your own or go straight to Christmas.
Personally speaking, we always wait till the day after Thanksgiving to put up the tree, stockings, and Christmas decor. Decorations are a fast turnaround between Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, but totally worth it if you have kids.
Regardless of whether you set up your own, buy new, or decorate for Christmas, make sure to have thankful cards for every guest to fill out. It’s a great way to share one thing each person is grateful about that they can share with the group before or after enjoying Thanksgiving dinner.
Kids can easily make these thankful cards by tracing a real leaf on construction paper and cutting at least one out for everyone. Have pens handy and leave by a table or entryway as guests arrive. Or get really festive and tack an orange ribbon across a doorway or mantle for guests to paperclip their completed thankful note.
2 – Craft A Thanksgiving Cocktail
While guests are waiting for the big turkey debut, warm them up with a fun Thanksgiving-themed drink. My husband creates a new concoction every year or two, which always gets everyone in the spirit…literally.
Or go chic and simple. Add a few real cranberries to a glass of prosecco. British guests will love it!
3 – Plan The Thanksgiving Menu In Advance
While some Thanksgiving menu items, like mash and sweet potatoes or warm bread rolls, are easy to find in the UK, others aren’t. Plan your Thanksgiving meal ahead to give you plenty of time to find or order what you need.
4 – Where To Find A Turkey
Thanksgiving isn’t Thanksgiving without the turkey. But the problem is finding a turkey in November or really any time other than December.
The only time British grocery stores have fresh turkeys available is at Christmas. Or you can buy a frozen one at Tesco Extra. The downfall with a frozen turkey is that there aren’t many and if you’re looking for a nice size to host Thanksgiving for a large group, buying just one might not be enough. And with a British-sized oven, two turkeys aren’t really an option.
The best option for finding a turkey for Thanksgiving in England is to order a fresh turkey from a farm. A couple of great options in St Albans:
Fresh farm turkeys are more expensive and may include parts you’re not accustomed to in the US, but you are guaranteed a turkey to host your Thanksgiving dinner.
5 – Where To Get Thanksgiving Stuffing
Typical stuffing you’ll find in most UK grocery stores isn’t at all what Americans know stuffing to be like. Instead of a typical Stove Top breading to stuff the turkey with, the Brits have Paxo Stuffing. And this stuff isn’t really marketed to stuff the bird with at all. The mixture gets molded into small balls and served alongside the main. It’s the closest thing to a stuffing in England.
If a trip to Williams Sonoma overseas isn’t in your deck of cards (they have the best stuffing!), visit ocado.com to find the best alternatives available without breaking the bank. Otherwise, you can buy traditional Stove Top on amazon.co.uk for £8 a box if it’s in stock.
6 – The Green Bean Casserole
If it weren’t for those crunchy fried onion toppings that French’s introduced in the 70s, green bean casserole could totally be removed from the menu if it were up to me. But there is something about French’s that undeniably screams “Thanksgiving” whether you like this green dish or not. It’s not even up for discussion in our household as to whether or not it’ll make the Thanksgiving menu year-after-year.
So, what do you do if French’s crunchy fried onions can’t be found anywhere in the UK?
You make it anyway with a substitute: Waitrose crispy fried onions.
French’s green bean casserole recipe is available online and similar ingredients can be purchased at Waitrose or ocado.com.
7 – Bring On The Gravy
You can’t host Thanksgiving dinner in the UK without the gravy. Regardless of how dry the turkey might be or how mushy the green beans come out, the gravy just makes everything better. Luckily, if there is one thing that is easy to find in the UK, it’s gravy. Gravy for Sunday roasts, gravy for mash, gravy for chips, gravy for biscuits…you get the picture.
And since gravy is totally personal, it’s entirely up to you. Look for Schwartz gravy packets in any grocery store to keep on hand if the homemade turkey gravy from the drippings goes wrong!
8 – What About Cranberry Sauce?
Were you ever in charge of the cranberry sauce as a kid? All it would take to make was a can opener and a knife to slice. Molded on a plate the same exact shape as that Ocean Spray cranberry sauce we ate as a kid, this is one holiday tradition I’m thankful we don’t have to repeat in the UK.
If Ocean Spray is your tradition, then go for it. Amazon happily sells it for under £10 when in stock. And Waitrose sells an Ocean Spray glass jar version as well for under £2.
This is one part of Thanksgiving our household doesn’t mind leaving in the States. If we were to add it onto the menu, it’ll be replaced with the real thing, such as Fortnum’s Cranberry Sauce by Fortnum & Mason.
9 – Did Someone Say Pumpkin Pie?
Though multiple desserts are essential for Thanksgiving, like warm homemade apple or pumpkin whoopie pies, pumpkin pie is required to host Thanksgiving dinner in the UK.
There are two places to find pumpkin puree to make this all-time Thanksgiving staple:
- Sainsbury’s
- Ocado.com
Buy the pumpkin puree as soon as you see it available! It’s not always stocked in England.
Final Tips For Hosting Thanksgiving In England
For a fun group activity, download Heads Up. Always fun after a full Thanksgiving dinner and a couple of signature drinks. 🥂 Especially after washing all those dishes!
To recap the essentials for your first Thanksgiving dinner in England:
- Order your turkey at least two to three weeks in advance
- Shop early so that you can avoid last-minute panic or exorbitant prices.
- And if you order your turkey from a local British farm, make sure to put in a special request to remove turkey parts you prefer to not see, feel or eat.
No matter how your first UK Thankgiving dinner turns out, make sure to go around the table to give thanks. 🦃
Looking for more expat life resources? Try these.
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