As the big day begins to creep every closer, Christmas dinner must be on everyone’s minds. After all, it’s a very important part of the day! Whether you have chicken or turkey, pigs in blankets or Yorkshire puddings, the food is one of the best bits. But, if you have the whole family round for the big day, then your Christmas Dinner could suddenly become quite expensive.
Here are some tips on how to do Christmas Dinner on a budget:
- Have chicken instead of turkey. Chicken is a cheaper meat than turkey and you can generally get a much more suitable portion. Unless you have over ten people to feed, chicken could be a much better budget option.
- Make your own. If you want nibbles and canapés before the main event, then it can be much cheaper to make your own than to buy boxed ones. Homemade mackerel pate with toast or some home roasted spiced nuts can really help to bring the cost down.
- Watch portion size. There are always going to be leftovers from Christmas dinner, but by watching portion size it can help. Think about how many things each person might eat and go from there. For example, if everyone has approximately 4 sprouts, and you have 6 people going, then cook 25 sprouts (for one extra). No point just throwing things out!
- Have a small starer. When we’re at my parents for Christmas dinner, like we are this year, my mum always does something light for starters. Why not have a slice of melon wrapped in parma ham for a starter? Tasty, but light. You can get some really good parma ham that’s not expensive, in Aldi or Lidl.
- Don’t go overboard with options. Do you really need every type of vegetable going? Or have lots of different condiments and sauces on the table? Probably not. Simplify your Christmas dinner table; the more options there are, then the more expense incurred, plus probably more waste at the end.
- Make your own gravy. Instead of buying ready made gravy in a pouch, buy some gravy granules and make it using the meat juices. It will be much more tasty and definitely cheaper.
- Check out Approved Food in case there are items you can use. They have food reduced because it’s near it’s sell by date or just past it. Lots of items could be used here for Christmas dinner!
I love Christmas Dinner, with the crackers at the start. It is just a better version of Sunday dinner, which is one of my favourite meals. I also LOVE Christmas pudding, along with white sauce. I don’t like rum sauce or brandy butter, so my mum makes some white sauce for me. Yum 🙂
What’s your favourite part of Christmas dinner? Are you in charge this year?
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A favourite nibble for us is some white bread, cut with pastry cutters and put in patty tins, painted with garlic butter and then slow cooked to light brown – they come out like pastry cases – then a smear of pate and a sprinkle of crumbled crispy smoky streaky bacon (or pancetta if you are pushing the boat out!) on top. Yum
Great tips! Planning really helps not to overspend and to avoid food waste this Christmas. I have planned the food we’re having and made sure it’s budget friendly and what the family wants to this occasion.
We usually have Christmas dinner at our house every year. I try to plan something festive yet a little unconventional. This saves time and money. I usually plan the menu the week of Halloween! Then I usually buy the meat the following week and put it in the freezer. I then start squirreling away the things that will not go bad. I usually shop at Aldi and Walmart. This usually helps us. But, as you can see I have dropped by looking for some great saving tips! Thanks!