Christmas menu allergens: getting the festive menu right for all 14

Every December, kitchens that run a tight allergen system all year swap half the menu for three or four weeks. New dishes, new suppliers, agency chefs, party bookings of 30 with a list of dietary requirements on the back of an email. That's exactly when allergen mistakes happen.

The direct answer: treat the Christmas menu as a brand new menu. Every dish needs a written recipe, every ingredient needs a label or specification, and every dish must be mapped to the 14 allergens before it's served. Then make sure the people taking orders can find that information in seconds.

The 14 allergens, and where they hide at Christmas

The FSA's allergen guidance lists the 14 allergens that must be declared. Here's where they commonly turn up in festive dishes. This is a prompt for your checks, not a substitute for them: recipes and brands vary, so always go by your own recipes and the labels on the products you actually buy.

Three festive traps worth flagging to the team:

• Gravy and stock. One batch of gravy can carry gluten, celery and sulphites into every main on the menu. Know exactly what's in yours, including any bought-in bouillon.
• The vegetarian or vegan main. Nut roasts are an obvious tree nut risk, and vegan isn't the same as allergen-free. The FSA guidance asks businesses to be clear that vegan dishes may still carry a cross-contamination risk.
• Bought-in desserts and puddings. Christmas pudding, stollen and panettone often carry several allergens. Keep the supplier label for every batch.

How to update your allergen matrix for a Christmas menu

1. Write every recipe down

The FSA tells businesses to record allergen ingredient information in writing, for example on recipes, ingredient labels or specification sheets. For each Christmas dish, list every component: the turkey, the stuffing, the gravy, the sides, the garnish, the oil it was fried in.

2. Get labels and specs for everything bought in

Sausage meat, stuffing mixes, cranberry sauce, Christmas puddings, mince pie filling, crackers for the cheeseboard. Keep a copy of each label or specification with the recipe.

3. Map each dish to the 14

Go component by component and tick the allergens present. Do it once, carefully, with a second person checking. Our allergen matrix template has a layout you can copy, and there's a printable version for the pass.

4. Lock the recipe

Agree that no one changes a Christmas recipe without updating the matrix. The FSA guidance says to consider the impact on allergen information whenever a recipe changes and to keep all allergen information up to date. "Chef added a splash of Worcestershire to the gravy" is a recipe change.

5. Handle substitutions on delivery

December is when wholesalers run out and send alternatives. Check delivery labels against your specs as part of goods-in (see our food delivery checks guide). If the allergens differ, update the matrix that day or don't use the product.

6. Brief the whole team before the first booking

Agency staff, Christmas temps and the Saturday-only waiter all need to know the new menu, where the allergen information is, and that they must never guess. The FSA's guidance says written allergen information, supported by a conversation, works best for customers.

Christmas party bookings: capture allergies early

Party bookings are where the risk concentrates: big tables, pre-orders taken weeks ahead, a set menu served all at once.

• Ask at booking. Put a line on the pre-order form: "Does anyone in your party have a food allergy or intolerance? Please list names and allergens."
• Write it on the booking and the ticket. Not just "1 x nut allergy" but "Seat 4, Sarah, tree nuts".
• Re-confirm on the day. Guests change and the organiser forgets. Ask the table again when they sit down.
• Mark the plate. Make sure the dish made for the allergy is clearly identifiable from pass to table, and the server confirms it with the guest.
• Know when to say no. The FSA says if you can't avoid cross-contamination, tell the customer you can't provide an allergen-free dish. A busy Christmas kitchen frying battered starters and "gluten-free" chips in the same oil can't promise the chips are gluten-free.

PPDS: festive food you pack yourself

Natasha's Law covers food that's prepacked for direct sale (PPDS): packed on the same premises where it's sold, before the customer orders or picks it. It must have a label with the name of the food and a full ingredients list, with the 14 allergens emphasised in the list (in bold, underlined or a different colour, for example).

The rules apply across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and Scotland has its own regulations with the same requirement, in force since 1 October 2021.

Festive examples:

If you're planning a festive grab-and-go range, read our full guide to Natasha's Law and PPDS and our guide to food labelling and day dots.

Common Christmas allergen mistakes

1. Using last year's allergen sheet. Recipes and suppliers change. Start from this year's recipes.
2. Not checking the gravy. It touches every plate.
3. Agency chefs improvising. Brief them on the locked recipes and the matrix on their first shift.
4. Pre-orders with allergies lost between email and kitchen. Put them on the ticket.
5. "May contain" guesswork. If you don't know, say so and offer something you can guarantee, or nothing.
6. Boxed mince pies with no label. Boxed on site and sold on site means PPDS.

Christmas menu allergen checklist

• Every Christmas dish has a written recipe, component by component
• Labels or specs kept for every bought-in ingredient
• Every dish mapped to the 14 allergens and second-checked
• Matrix dated and replacing any old Christmas version
• Recipes locked; any change updates the matrix the same day
• Goods-in checks catch supplier substitutions
• Every staff member briefed, including temps and agency
• Allergy question on party pre-order forms; allergies on the ticket
• PPDS items labelled with full ingredients and allergens emphasised
• Phone and online orders give allergen info before purchase and on collection

Keeping Christmas allergens in ShiftComplete

ShiftComplete keeps your allergen information on the phones your team already carry. Every menu item is mapped to the 14 UK allergens and grouped by course, so you can add a "Christmas" set of dishes alongside your main menu. Front-of-house staff can search it from the floor ("does the nut roast have sesame?") instead of running to the pass, and only managers can edit it, so the matrix can't be changed by accident.

Add an opening check that says "Christmas allergen briefing done" with a named, timestamped tick, and use team announcements to tell everyone when a dish changes. It costs £1.49 per staff member per month, every feature included, with a free 60-day trial and no card needed. ShiftComplete helps you keep the records an EHO asks to see; the responsibility for accurate allergen information stays with you.