Unique Ideas for Christmas Lunch in Melbourne

Fire up your Christmas lunch and take your cooking confidence to the next level with fun Christmas party ideas in Melbourne your tastebuds won't be able to resist! Learning how to cook delicious food at cooking courses will help you to feel calm and collected when you begin organising Christmas food for your loved ones this holiday season 2024. With thousands of cooking classes in Melbourne to discover, you’ll spend quality time with friends and family while learning new tips and recipes to make your Christmas lunch in Melbourne a success. 

Although Christmas is all about slowing down and getting ready for the holidays, many people find it a stressful time. Perhaps you’ve left it to the last minute and you’re trying to juggle buying Christmas gifts in Melbourne while making trips to the supermarket? If so, take a load off and truly enjoy this festive season! It doesn’t matter if you’ve been given the task to cook for two people or 10 people, take time out and learn new recipes to surprise your loved ones with a Christmas lunch in Melbourne to remember. 

With thousands of cooking classes to discover (from cuisines all over the world!), you’ll feel inspired to add something a little different to this year’s feast. Whether you’re looking for healthy vegan Christmas lunch ideas, Christmas cake ideas or you're looking to improve your barbeque cooking skills, we’ve got something for everyone! 

Here are some popular Christmas party ideas in Melbourne to get your creativity rolling so that you can pull it all off with a bang!

Get behind the grill at a BBQ cooking class

Most Aussie families spend Christmas around the barbeque, whether that’s at the beach or at home. If you’ll be manning the barbeque and you could do with a few tips from an expert (rather than having your family trying to take over and show you how it’s done) a BBQ cooking class is a wonderful way to boost your confidence. 

Taught by a local BBQ chef, you’ll learn how to smoke meat properly, learn about temperature and timings as well as how to marinate meat to perfection. Sip on a beer or a glass of wine during the hands-on class and meet like-minded people who are also looking to brush up on their cooking skills. You might like to bring friends or family with you to create a fun-filled day full of special memories that will stay with you forever. When the big day comes around, you’ll feel relaxed and confident in your ability to provide an epic BBQ for your friends and family. 

Looking for creative classes that are suitable for large groups? Cooking classes and creative workshops make effective team building activities, especially for end-of-year office parties or Christmas events! Check out our favourite group activities to help you celebrate Christmas in Melbourne with your team.

Fill and fold dumplings

Looking to add Asian food to your Christmas lunch in Melbourne this year? Why not try a dumpling cooking class and learn from some of the best local Asian chefs? Mix things up and add some special dishes from around the world into your festive feast this year. The perfect place to start? With one of the most loved Asian dishes – dumplings!

Head over to North Richmond where you’ll be taught by the team at OTAO Kitchen for a fun hands-on dumpling cooking class. In this two-hour cooking class, you’ll learn how to make dumplings from scratch and feel confident enough to make them again when you get back home. 

Learn how to make delicious fillings inspired by Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese recipes. This is a fun and entertaining class for beginners who might have never cooked dumplings from scratch before. It’s also a great option if you’re looking for fun team building activities and office parties you and your colleagues will love. Bring your friends or family and get into the Christmas spirit by learning new recipes together. 

Make fresh pasta or gnocchi like an Italian

Bring a taste of delicious Italian food to your Christmas lunch feast this year. Your family will be totally impressed with your cooking skills, especially when you casually tell them you made the pasta from scratch! 

Make mouth-watering potato gnocchi with 48H Pizza e Gnocchi Bar in South Yarra or sip, sup and learn the basics of making pasta with Marina Totta of Pasta Journey in Moonee Ponds. Learn all about how to match flavours to create restaurant-worthy Italian dishes your friends and family will love. Bring friends and family along to make a day of it and relax in the class and enjoy learning new recipes to grow your confidence in the kitchen. 

Make special memories, learn to cook from scratch and bring a new element of fun to your Christmas lunch in Melbourne with an Italian cooking class!

Spice up Christmas lunch with Mexican street food

Looking for more unique things to do in Melbourne for your next Christmas lunch? Make prepping and cooking for the family a breeze with this Mexican cooking class and learn how to make fiery Mexican street food.

Guided by an experienced chef, you’ll learn how to cook tacos and make tortillas from scratch, as well as some flavoursome sauces and Ceviche con Tostadas! More like a party than a class, this Melbourne experience will work perfectly for your end-of-year office event, where you can expect loads of team bonding over tastebud-tingling food

Learn how to cook a Greek feast

Add delicious Greek food to your Christmas lunch this year and it might kick-start a new healthy diet. If you’re unsure where to begin with making classic Greek food, why not try a Greek cooking class in Moorabbin? 

Learn how to add more healthy Mediterranean food to your diet and live a long life filled with delicious food. In this Greek cooking class taught by The Hellenic Odyssey, you’ll learn how to prepare traditional Greek dishes you might not even find in your local Greek restaurant.

This is a beginner's class, so you’ll be surrounded by like-minded people as you learn from a local Greek chef. Greek food is all about passing down recipes to future generations in the family, so why not make it a part of your own tradition too? Share family-owned recipes with your nearest and dearest and recreate these time-honoured dishes every holiday season. Expect to learn how to make cretan bougatsa, cheese parcels made with filo from scratch, and dolmades, which are delicious rice-stuffed vine leaves, both of which would be fantastic side dishes for your Christmas BBQ.  

At the end of this Greek cooking class in Melbourne, enjoy an epic Greek feast with other like-minded people from your local area. Bring friends and family and start new Christmas traditions while supporting local chefs and makers.

Savour a soul-soothing Indian feast

If you're eager to learn how to make a dish that bursts with flavour in your mouth, an Indian cooking class will be right up your alley. Head to Heavenly Morsel in Berwick, enter their kitchen and be greeted with expansive views of the sky—the perfect inspiration for getting creative in the kitchen. At one of their Indian soul food masterclass', you'll spend a few hours learning how to make authentic regional Indian dishes, combining the hypnotically delicious food from Chef Tanya's childhood with the pristine seafood and prime produce of Australia.

An Indian cooking class is perfect if you're in need of unique Christmas party ideas in Melbourne, and suits all kinds of groups from corporate teams to family get-togethers. The explosion of flavours and aromas will encourage plenty of insightful conversations and smiles all around the dinner table.

Melbourne is bursting with a wide variety of cooking classes just waiting for you to explore. It's the perfect opportunity to bond with your loved ones during the festive season. Plus, why not get a head start on your New Year's resolutions by discovering how to create delicious and nutritious meals right from scratch? So go ahead, treat yourself and your family to a memorable and educational experience this Christmas!