Last-minute Christmas lunch ideas

This has to be close to the ultimate rescue kit. The best chefs from QT Hotels and Resorts - including Canberra's own Josh Smith-Thirkell from Capitol Bar and Grill - have put together a feast for you to finish off at home. The easy-to-follow meal kits have been expertly crafted for simple assembly and include helpful and quirky instructions for cooking. You won't find any directions to place your meals neatly in the oven here; Christmas by QT at Home encourages home chefs to cook with a flourish and a generous pinch of holiday fanfare including a specially curated Spotify playlist to accompany each dish.

The 15-dish Christmas menu includes everything from Sonoma bread and Pepe Saya butter, prawns and oysters, smoked salmon and caviar through to a whole slow-roasted chicken, a glazed leg ham and roasted butternut pumpkin. Desserts include a pavlova, a steamed pudding and fruit mince pies. You can also add in luxury items such as a roasted turkey roll, suckling porchetta or a whole lobster for an additional price.

If diners overindulge a food coma recovery guide is included in every box with helpful instructions on how to aid digestion. Circular tummy rubs in an anticlockwise direction and afternoon siestas facing westward, are fervently encouraged.

The packs start at $590 and will feed four to six people. Orders must be made before December 17 and pick-up is available December 23 and December 24.

Christmas is the first instalment of the new QT at Home, offering six menus starting from $55. All meals are nearly ready to eat with finishing touches easy enough for novice home cooks.

Home-delivered ready to bake goodies from Three Mills were a highlight of the year, from the croissants to the chicken and leek pies which got us through winter.

They've got Christmas sorted - I'm thinking the perfect Boxing Day brunch - with the Entertainers' Box. It includes two sourdough baguettes, a four-pack of the new roast tomato tarts slow roasted in a doshi stock with honey and white soy, four of the new "sausage sizzles" (handmade sausage and caramelised onion wrapped in lattice pastry) and a four-pack of mini quiche of your choice. For dessert there's a four pack of passionfruit curd tarts and four chocolate tarts. All this for $110, home delivery and pick up available.

Three Mills also has two Christmas hampers available, sweet or savoury (from $75); Christmas puddings ($25); mince pies ($15); and keep an eye on the website for Gingerbread kits which sold out in a hurry but we're told more are on their way.

Whether you're after a ham from the Smokehouse or a free-range turkey roulade Pialligo Estate has you covered. There's also a range of hampers, from the Full Stocking Hamper ($199), which includes a ham, turkey breast, smoked salmon, ham glaze, bacon jam, a pudding, and a couple of dessert sauces; to the Sparkling Pialligo Hamper ($59) which includes a regional sparkling pinot noir, smoked salmon, smoked chicken breast and salmon gravlax. Hampers require three days notice. You could finish the table with a selection from their heat and eat range, there's a selection of delicious sides, from Paris mash to polenta.

Clement Chauvin was a restaurateur who pivoted well during lockdown offering takeaway dinners you could finish off at home and feel as though you'd cooked a gourmet meal even though he had done all the hard work. His Christmas dinner for two includes a freshly baked baguette, smoked tomato butter, house duck liver parfait and house goat cheese boursin to start, with either house-smoked salmon slices charcuterie. With the main you have to finish the cooking - he supplies an information card and link to an instructional video - choose between duck with cherries, pickled red cabbage, pistachios, cherry jus and salad; beef wellington salad, roasted potatoes and red wine jus; or turkey roll with sage and apricot stuffing, cranberry sauce, salad and roasted potatoes. Choose two desserts from a French cheeses plate; Buche de Noël, slice of black forrest cake; or profiteroles, custard-filled choux pastry, peanut crumble and hot chocolate sauce.

Dinner for two for $150.

Tony Lo Terzo and Andrew McFadzean opened up The Italian Place Providore and Bottega, in Braddon in October. It's a deli and market selling traditional Italian fare, from olive oils, canned fish, tomatoes, specialty drinks, and a range of dried pasta in all shapes and sizes, among many other things. For Christmas think some of their ready to heat meals from the market, many of which are on the menu of The Italian Place restaurant next door; or a curated selection of cheese and charcuterie. Christmas hampers, from $60, are also available but get in quick as they sold out pretty quickly when they did them from the restaurant last Christmas.

This Canberra-based digital deli launched in November, bringing fresh and gourmet local and imported Mediterranean produce to your front door. Think cheese, freshly sliced cold meats, antipasti, European groceries and more from our online pantry, or let them do all the hard work with a range of deliciously fresh antipasto and grazing boxes.

Karina D'Ambrosio has always been passionate about creating elegant flower and confectionery arrangements for friends and family and they convinced her to start a business doing the same. She'll make something special for any occasion but at this time of year we're loving her wreaths which she can colour-match to suit your theme. Full of baubles and chocolates, these would make a great centrepiece and dessert is sorted. From $59.99.

In collaboration with Balzanelli Smallgoods, Oohlala has curated a not-so-traditional Christmas hamper. Alongside half a leg of premium Australian pork, sustainably sourced from the local region, are all the ingredients and instructions to create your very own glaze. Locally made Black Horse Fine Foods dark whiskey marmalade acts as the naughty and nice base ingredient, along with oranges from Ziggy's Fresh, Dijon mustard and cloves. The glaze is bold, rich and sweet and perfectly complements the salty smoked ham. $140 with complimentary delivery.

If you're planning to leave it to the very last minute there's a one-off special Christmas Capital Region Farmers Market on Christmas Eve. On Thursday, December 24, from 7-11am you'll find fresh seafood, a range of meats for Christmas lunch, fresh fruit and vegetables, bakery favourites and sweet treats for the season, along with fresh flowers and more. Customers are encouraged to pre-order as some stallholders will be offering pick-up only at the Christmas Market. The market will then be closed for a break and return in 2021 on Saturday, January 9.

If you've ever enjoyed lunch in the Kitchen Garden cafe at Rodney's nursery out at Pialligo you'll be pleased to know that Emma Toll and Nathan Kleinig have opened up the Pialligo Food Emporium in the grounds. Offering a curated selection of cheeses, cured meats, local wines and fresh pasta, there's also a great range of goods to fill a hamper with. Grab one of their beautiful baskets and go shopping.

Now what to drink with your fabulous feast? Fran Marshall, from the Food and Wine Marshall, is my go to girl when it comes to all things bubbly. Here are her top 12 suggestions for local sparkling wines for Christmas, and an ideal food match would be. Try and buy local wines this season, or at least Australian wines, it's been a tough year for everyone.

Gallagher Blanc de Blanc: to drink on one's own with a plate of french fries after everyone's gone home

Sapling Yard Entrechat: soft cheese and fresh Granny Smith apples on a cheese platter

Lerida Estate Brute Noir: Nigella Lawson's sticky gingerbread or Nan's pud

Gundog Estate Sparkling Shiraz: Christmas ham

Kerralee Sparkling Merlot: prawns and homemade Marie Rose sauce

Quarry Hill Sparkling Shiraz: plates of air dried bresola and jamon

Poachers Pantry Pinot Chardonnay: smoked chicken sandwiches on white bread

Mount Majura Silurian: oysters with vinaigrette

McKellar Ridge Sparkling rose: smoked salmon and caviar blinis

Pankhurst Sparkling Merlot: glazed ham sandwiches with home made chutney

Lark Hill Pet Nat: pavlova with fresh strawberries and raspberries

Ravensworth Sparkling Riesling: leftover chicken and prawn salad