🥂 Nytårsmenu to-go: ready-made festive sets and pre-order deadlines

New Year's Eve dinner in Denmark increasingly looks like this: instead of standing at the stove all day, the family picks up a pre-ordered festive set, reheats it according to the instructions and calmly waits for midnight with a glass of champagne 🍾.

The nytårsmenu ud af huset / take away format is a ready-made menu of 3-4 dishes that is picked up at a strictly designated time on 31 December (sometimes on the 30th) and then just needs to be finished off and beautifully served at home.

This article is a concise guide: what is usually included in New Year's sets, what are the price levels, when you need to place your order, and what you must have at home to avoid stress on 31 December.

🍽️ What is nytårsmenu to-go and who really benefits from this format

🧊 What is hidden behind the phrase nytårsmenu ud af huset

Essentially, nytårsmenu to-go is:

• a pre-assembled set of several courses (usually 3–4: appetiser, main course, dessert, sometimes small snacks to accompany the Queen's speech and sweets for midnight);
• the dishes are almost ready: they need to be either reheated or brought to the right condition according to step-by-step instructions;
• the menu is calculated strictly ‘per person’ (for example, the minimum order is for 2 or 4 people);
• delivery takes place at a fixed time slot on 31 December (sometimes there is an option to pick up part/all of it on the 30th).

Several menu options are often available:

• 🎯 classic (meat, fish, traditional side dishes),
• 🥦 vegetarian/vegan options,
• 👨‍👩‍👧 children's portions,
• 🍷 separate wine sets or pairing recommendations.

👨‍👩‍👧 Who is this a workable solution for?

This format is especially convenient if:

• you are working on 31 December or arriving in Denmark in the afternoon and don't have the energy to cook;
• you are hosting guests in a small flat and the kitchen is not designed for hours of cooking;
• you have a diverse group of guests: some eat meat, some don't — it's easier to get several types of menus and not cook separately;
• you are an expat or tourist and want a ‘Danish New Year's dinner’ but are not ready to spend a week studying recipes and shopping at several stores.

In essence, nytårsmenu to-go is a compromise between a full-fledged restaurant and a classic home-cooked dinner:💡 restaurant-quality food + home comfort and freedom of time.

🧾 How New Year's sets are organised: structure, types and price levels

🧩 Typical menu structure

Most often, a New Year's set looks like this:

• 🥂 Appetisers: a plate for the royal speech (pâtés, small canapés, mini appetisers), light cold appetisers (fish, seafood, tartare, salads).
• 🍖 Main course: baked meat (beef tenderloin, veal, duck, sometimes fish), sauce, side dish, vegetables, potatoes in various variations.
• 🍰 Dessert: mousses, cakes, chocolate or berry desserts, sometimes with a New Year's ‘wow effect’ element.
• 🥐 Extras (not always): bread, butter, dips, mini kransekake or midnight sweets, snacks to accompany champagne.

Almost always, the box contains detailed instructions: ⏱️ what to heat, at what temperature and for how many minutes, in what order to serve, how best to cut and serve.

💸 Price guidelines

The price range depends heavily on the type of supplier and the level of cuisine. It can be roughly divided as follows:

The following are almost always charged separately:

• 👧 children's menu — significantly cheaper than the adult menu;
• 🍷 wine sets — a fixed set of bottles to accompany the menu;
• 🎂 additional options — cheese platters, larger desserts, midnight cake.

It is important to explain to yourself and your guests:

➡️ Cheaper does not always mean worse — a supermarket set may be ideal for a group that just wants a ‘normal dinner’.

➡️ More expensive usually refers to the quality of ingredients, the complexity of dishes and the brand, rather than ‘more food’.

⏰ Pre-order deadlines and delivery time slots: where everyone usually ‘fails’

📅 When pre-orders close

The main mistake beginners make is thinking that they can order ‘at the end of December, when everything is decided’. In practice:

• many suppliers close orders on 26–28 December,
• popular and premium sets sell out before Christmas,
• and once the portion limit is reached, sales simply stop, even if the deadline has not yet formally passed.

Therefore, the working guideline is: 👉 at least 1–2 weeks before 31 December, and for premium sets — ‘the sooner, the better’.

🕒 How delivery works on 30–31 December

Standard scenario:

• delivery on 31 December in one or more time slots (e.g., 10:00–13:00, 12:00–15:00);
• sometimes pickup on the 30th is available if there are many ‘fully ready’ items on the menu;
• each menu ordered is tied to a specific window; delay → queue and nervous waiting.

The following format is often used:

• 🎫 15-minute window for a specific name/order number;
• 🚚 optional delivery with an interval of 1–2 hours (more expensive, but saves those who do not have a car or who do not want to stand in line).

⚠️ Typical risks and failure scenarios

• ‘We thought we'd have time to order after Christmas’ → everything is sold out.
• ‘We chose the 12:00–14:00 slot, but the guests are coming at 15:00’ → we didn't have time to prepare and reheat.
• ‘We chose a slot too late’ → you arrive, stand in line, get nervous, everything gets delayed.

Simple conclusion: 💡 consider the main deadline to be not 31 December, but about a week before — then you still have a choice and adequate time slots.

🧠 How to choose a New Year's set and stay within your budget

📌 Main selection criteria

When choosing a menu, it is important to look not only at the price, but also at the ‘big picture’:

1. Composition and volume of the menu: how many courses are there really; are there appetisers for the royal speech and sweets for midnight; does the set include bread, butter, snacks — or do you need to buy all this separately.
2. Degree of readiness of dishes: 🟢 almost ready: ‘heat and serve’ — minimum stress; 🟡 requires participation: brown, cut, assemble sauces; 🔴 many steps and parallel actions — can turn into full-fledged cooking.
3. Surcharges and hidden costs: delivery vs. pick-up; separate wine set order; children's portions; additional appetisers/cheeses/desserts, without which the menu may seem ‘incomplete’.
4. Company composition: are there children → is a children's version needed or will a smaller adult portion suffice; are there vegetarians/vegans → clarify whether there is a full set for them, not just ‘remove the meat’; guests who do not like ‘too complicated’ cuisine → it may be better to choose a simple, understandable option in terms of taste.

💶 Mini-matrix for yourself

Before ordering, it is worth answering a few questions honestly:

• How many of us will there be and who (children, guests with special diets)?
• What is our real budget ‘per person’, including drinks and small items?
• Do we want a ‘wow effect’ from the cuisine or is a relaxed atmosphere more important?
• Do we have the resources for reheating and serving, or do we need the simplest format possible?

💡 How to optimise costs

• Choose a mid-range set and buy/make some of the items (appetisers, cheese, dessert) yourself.
• Choose a mass supplier (supermarket, butcher's) for the ‘base’ and add one or two premium items: a good dessert, quality fish or champagne.
• Divide the tasks: one person is responsible for ordering and reheating, the second for drinks and serving, and the third for music/decor.

This way, you can stick to the idea of a ‘dinner without fuss’, without turning 31 December into a quest in the kitchen and blowing your budget sky high.

🏡 What you need to prepare at home: what to add to the set and how to organise the evening

📦 List of ‘must-haves’ for the ready-made menu

Even if you've ordered the most advanced set, some of the tasks are still up to you. Minimum checklist:

• 🥂 Drinks: champagne/sparkling wine for midnight; wine or non-alcoholic drinks for each course; water on the table (still and sparkling).
• 🍽️ Tableware and serving: enough plates for the number of courses (so you don't have to wash up between each one); glasses: for champagne, wine, water; cutlery for each course (forks/knives/spoons, dessert forks).
• 🍞 Basic extras: bread/rolls and good butter; coffee/tea with dessert; sugar, cream/milk, if important to your guests.

🎀 Optional ‘atmosphere enhancers’

To avoid the feeling of ‘we just picked up a delivery’:

• 🕯️ candles, small arrangements, tablecloth or table runner;
• 🎶 pre-made playlist (background music before and after the royal speech);
• 🧀 a small cheese plate or fruit after dessert — to prolong the evening;
• 🍫 small candies/chocolates with coffee.

You can mentally divide the scenario:

🎇 Conclusion: how to turn nytårsmenu to-go into a strength rather than a compromise

A New Year's set to go is not a ‘lazy substitute for a normal dinner,’ but a planning tool: you buy yourself time, peace of mind, and budget predictability. The key to success is simple:

• 🗓️ order in advance, not in the last few days;
• 🔍 read carefully what is included in the menu and how ready it is;
• ⏰ choose a convenient pick-up time slot, leaving time for reheating and serving;
• 🥂 think in advance about drinks, tableware and atmosphere.

Then 31 December will cease to be a marathon at the stove and become what it should be: an evening with the people you want to celebrate New Year's Eve with — and the kitchen will work according to a pre-written script, rather than in panic mode.