What are they eating at Christmas?

Many of us have been waiting all year to get a taste of our favorite holiday treats.

Christmas dinner can look very different for every household; However, for professional football players, this is still the time to focus on conditioning and rest for matches.

Private chef Tommy Cole prepares meals for Premier League players at big clubs including Fulham, Chelsea and Brighton throughout the year.

When it comes to the main Christmas meal, he takes a traditional approach but makes it “a little boujee-r” and healthier.

“With fries, for example, it’s about trying to get them nice and crispy while being careful not to fry them in too much oil,” he tells BBC Newsbeat.

“Also things like your fillings, be careful about the amount of oil you cook them in.”

He also tries to stick to slightly leaner cuts of meat.

“Turkey is very popular at Christmas, so we’ll use the breast, not too much of the dark meat, which tends to be a little bit more fatty, and then we’ll try to get plenty of vegetables,” the 33-year-old explains.

Tommy works with club nutritionists to ensure players get the most from their meals.

“We communicate with the players themselves and get their likes and dislikes,” he says.

“Then we basically build a menu around that information and try to feed them really delicious food.”

The Christmas period is a particularly busy time for some football clients, so he needs to make sure they get the fuel they need to stay at the top of their game.

“We will see fixtures become a little more frequent, especially with those playing games over the Christmas period,” he says.

December is known to be extremely busy for big clubs. additional Premier League matchesextra European fixtures and cup competitions such as the Carabao Cup and FA Cup.

Clubs like Chelsea and Arsenal will play more than 15 matches in December and January.

It has long been talked about by players and managers who complain about brutal football fixtures, injuries and short waiting times between matches.

Tommy says they need to eat more carbs to maintain their energy due to the increased schedule.

“So more potatoes, pasta and things like that. We’re just increasing those in their meals,” he says.

They’ll also try to include plenty of veggies in their diet for added nutrients and have some tricks to sneak them in for those who aren’t the biggest fans.

“We can make veggie dips,” he says. “A very popular and delicious one is making katsu sauce.

“I make the base of the sauce with carrots, onions, garlic and things like that.”

When it comes to helping players recover, oily fish, nuts and seeds are at the top of the menu.

Tommy’s cooking videos have racked up millions of views on TikTok, fueled by a mix of curiosity and fascination with the diets of professional players.

The mystery behind who is cooking the meals also draws people in, but she tells Newsbeat she keeps that secret to herself.

It’s part of a growing industry dedicated to cooking lavish dinners for the rich and famous.

But Tommy admits that he wasn’t initially planning to enter the culinary world.

“Being a chef was never a big dream or aspiration of mine,” he says.

“I got into this because I went for ski season, I just wanted to have a good time, and I ended up cooking.”

After catching the cooking bug, he trained as a chef.

Thanks to his work in luxury chalets and hotels, he cooked for many celebrities and Premier League players, and one thing triggered another.

But throughout his eight years of chef experience, Tommy has had some strange requests.

“I found people just wanted hot dogs,” he says. “This is the most average thing.

“Of course you give the players what they want, but it’s nice to do something a little more polished.”

Boxing Day matches are a long-standing tradition in English football, but only this year One will be played in the Premier League.

For Boxing Day, Tommy leans towards tradition: “It’ll just bubble and squeak, there’ll be lots of veggies in there, all that good stuff.”

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