Are you trying to plan a big family meal but don't want to actually do the cooking? By ordering a take out turkey dinner for a holiday or other family celebration you can have the best of both worlds. There are several places in Toronto where you can buy prepared meals for Thanksgiving, Christmas or other celebrations, and in Mississauga you can even get a full turkey dinner year-round.
Order in Advance
Unfortunately this can't be a last-minute fix when the grocery store runs out of turkeys on Christmas Eve Day. Different places have different cutoff days for ordering, but always assume you'll need to place your order a bare minimum of 48 working-day hours in advance.
Somebody Still Needs to Pick it Up
Remember that while this option is easier in many ways, someone will still need to be sent out on a holiday errand - possibly one that will involve standing in line for awhile.
Consider Doing a Little Cooking on the Side
If you're worried that ordering dinner will mean your family celebration is missing that special something, consider preparing additional vegetables or a dessert that's been a traditional family favorite.
Take Out Turkey Dinners Available Year-Round
Stage West Dinner Theatre
Mississauga
StageWest.com
Stage West has a turkey dinner available year round that you pick up hot and ready to serve and includes a nicely roasted 12-15 pound bird plus mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, corn, carrots, cranberry sauce and a dessert. That's the basic meal - which they say will feed 8-10 people and costs around $150 - but you can also add a ham, a second turkey, or more of any of the sides. You can also choose to handle sides yourself and order only a turkey or ham. Order online or by phone, and consider the gift certificate option as a unique gift.
Review Note: This is the one my family has used in the past with great results. The food isn't as fancy as many of the gourmet-inspired menus the other places offer, but that also means you're generally spending less money and have less chance of upsetting picky eaters.
Prepared Holiday Meals Available for Thanksgiving and Christmas 2011
Summerhill Market
Rosedale
SummerhillMarket.com
Located near Mt. Pleasant Road and St. Clair Avenue, the Summerhill Market regularly sells quality groceries, prepared foods and also does catering. For holiday take-out they offer sliced free-range turkey dinners for you to warm up at home that come with apple, onion and sage dressing, gravy, buttermilk mashed potatoes, orange cranberry sauce, maple roasted butternut squash and french green beans for around $25 per person. A beef tenderloin dinner is also available for about $10 more, and there are holiday-themed platters for entertaining. You need to order at least 48 hours in advance and if you need more food, Summerhill has uncooked whole free-range turkeys and cooked hams for you to heat at home available as part of their regular product line.
Whole Foods Market
Yorkville
WholeFoodsMarket.com/stores/toronto
The Whole Foods Market offers a wide menu full of options for your Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah or New Year's Eve celebrations. Build your own meal or order one of the dinner packages; choose to cook it yourself or pick one of the options you can reheat and serve. Whole Foods has a variety of vegetarian items as well and usually even offers a full vegan dinner. Explore the website for all the options. (There are also Whole Foods Market locations in Oakville and Mississauga).
Fairmont Royal York Hotel
Across from Union Station
www.fairmont.com/royalyork
Turkey dinner from the Fairmont Royal York can be ordered as a complete meal (with Canadian Maple Roasted Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Bisque, cranberry sauce, gravy, Herb Roasted Château Potatoes, Maple Glazed Root Vegetable Medley, and Home Style Pumpkin Tarts with Whipped Molasses Cream) or you can just get the turkey, onion sage stuffing and jus. In both versions you can choose between meals suited for 4 or 8 people. This means there's a big price range too - from $129 for four people sans veggies up to $295 for the full fixings suited for 8. For every "Turkey to Go" sold, the Royal York donates one turkey to the Daily Bread Food Bank. Visit radioroyalyork.ca for full details.
