Christmas will be a very different this year, with more importance placed on spending quality time with our loved ones and spending less money.
Christmas dinner is the big event, often laced with pressure and expectations, so I want to share how you can treat your family to a slap-up meal on a budget.
Every year I try to keep the costs down of Christmas dinner and I did think that this year would be a challenge with food costs significantly higher than last year.
I have set a budget of £25. This includes three courses and bottle of Aldi fizz (and some freshly squeezed orange juice for a mimosa).
The starter is a fresh tomato and olive bruschetta, main course is turkey with all the trimmings and the dessert is fruit and chocolate mousse pots.
Both starters and desserts were inspired by recipes on BBC Good Food Website that I have adapted to save money and time.
Starter: Bruschetta with fresh tomatoes
Going vegetarian for my starter keeps the costs down. This is a lovely fresh zingy starter to get those tastebuds going.
I chose essential cherry tomatoes from Aldi at 57p per 250g. The recipe says ciabatta, but instead I used panini cut in half as it was cheaper.
Ingredients
- Tomatoes 500g
- Extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp
- 1 medium shallot or small red onion, finely chopped
- 1 squeeze of lemon or 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- Salt and fresh ground black pepper
- Ciabatta
- Black olives 40g
- Cost of ingredients £2.36 or 39p per person
Method
- Chop the tomatoes into half, then quarters and chop into small bits and add to a bowl
- Chop the small red onion into small pieces, add to bowl
- Chop up the olives, add to bowl (leave out if you don’t like olives)
- Add the squeeze of lemon and the 2 tbsp of olive oil and salt and pepper
- Mix ingredients together in bowl.
- This can be made in advance the day before; the tomato mixture tastes nicer when left to stew for a day
- Cut three panini in half and half again to create little squares of bread. Pop into grill until crispy and serve the tomato mix on top
Main: Turkey with all the trimmings
It has to be roast turkey with all the trimming for the main event - and this amount of food easily cooks six very full plates of food.
I bought a small frozen turkey from Aldi for £13.49 - but from actually cooking the bird, I know that there was plenty left over after six people devoured it.
This could make turkey curry and sandwiches for the next day. For purposes of my budget, I included three quarters of the cost.
The vegetables are mostly from the Super Six offer at Aldi.
Ingredients
- Roast turkey 4kg
- Roast potatoes 750g
- Brussel sprouts 500g
- Carrots 500g
- Parsnips 500g
- Cauliflower cheese 500g
- Pigs in blankets x12
- Cocktail sausages
- Bacon x3 slices
- Stuffing balls 12
- Yorkshire puddings makes 12
- Eggs x2
- Flour 80g
- Milk 125ml
- Cranberry sauce
- Vegetable oil
- Gravy granules 100g
- Pinch of salt
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Cost of ingredients £15.04 or £2.51 per person
Method
Christmas dinner is a meal with multiple levels of time, temperature, and complexity of cooking.
I always write all the stages for the cooking part with oven temperatures and timings to stop myself getting too stressed out.
Turkey: Pop in the oven according to the packet instructions. I cooked this well in advance of the rest of the food as I needed the oven space.
Then on to the "on the day" prep...
It took around one hour to prep all the vegetables, make the stuffing balls, and the Yorkshire puddings with the help of my youngest son who did all of the veg peeling.
Stuffing balls: Add the dry mixture to a bowl, add the water, butter if you choose. Mix up then form into 12 balls. My youngest loved this job.
Pigs in blankets: Cut the streaky bacon into slices and wrap around the cocktail sausages.
Yorkshire pudding mixture: I make this in advance and leave it to settle in jug in the fridge for 30 to 60 minutes before cooking. In a measuring jug, add two eggs, on my jug this comes to 125ml, then I add 125 ml of milk (the same amount), then I add enough flour to get to 375ml in total. This is 80g of flour in weight. Add a pinch of salt and mix with form or whisk until no lumps.
Then... start cooking! Remember, the turkey is already done.
- Roast potatoes peeled and parboiled for 10 minutes. Drain and shake in a saucepan to fluff up the potatoes.
- Then put onto baking tray, add some vegetable oil, for 50 mins at 200 degrees.
- The cauliflower was frozen and went into an oven-safe bowl. 180 degrees for 45 mins (as per packet instructions)
- Peel and roast the parsnips and carrots and roast together in tray with oil 30 mins at 200 degrees.
- Cook the pigs in blankets. 170 degrees 30 minutes (or according to packet instructions)
- Cut in half, season, and oil the Brussel sprouts. Cook in roasting tray 180 degrees for 25 minutes
- Cook the stuffing balls drizzled with oil. 200 degrees for 25 minutes.
- Preheat the Yorkshire pudding tray with bit of oil in each hole. After 5 minutes add the mixture to make 12 puddings. Place in oven at 200 for 15 minutes. Do not open the oven whilst these are cooking!
- Add the juices from the cooked turkey to gravy granules and water as per packet instructions.
Serve everything in beautiful and unmatching table wear.
Enjoy with Aldi sparkling wine (4.99 a bottle) and orange juice to make a mimosa (dash of freshly squeezed orange juice), or just orange juice for the children.
Pudding: Chocolate and berry mousse pots
My youngest pre-made this dessert the day before the drama of cooking Christmas dinner.
It keeps on the fridge for three days. I used this recipe to make this bargain, light and delicious dessert.
Ingredients
- Dark chocolate, 70% grated 100g
- 6 tbsp low-fat yogurt
- Large egg whites x3
- 3 tsp caster sugar
- Berries 350g (try frozen summer fruits mix)
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Cost of ingredients £1.91 or 32p per person
Method
- Break the chocolate up into small pieces and melt in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Once melted, let it cool down for 5 mins then stir in the yoghurt.
- Whisk the egg whites until stiff, then whisk in the sugar and beat until stiff again. Fold the whites of the eggs into the chocolate mix. Carefully fold keeping as much air in the mixture as possible.
- I chose to serve in whiskey tumblers. I popped in a few frozen pieces of fruit to half fill glass, then a layer of mousse.
- Chill in the fridge until set. Easy.
Total cost for Christmas dinner including the fizz... £24.90 or £4.15 per person
As you can see from the pictures, I served a feast to feed six people with plenty of leftover for less than £25.
The total would come to less than £20 without the fizz.
Enjoy the cooking ideas, the festivities, and the time with your loved ones.
