Rich kid horrified when cash-strapped family cook £15 Christmas dinner in deep fat fryer to save money on electricity

A TRUST fund teen was left horrified by how a struggling family cooked their £15 Christmas dinner in a deep fat fryer to save money on their electricity bills.

Appearing on the most recent episode of Channel 5's Rich Kids, Skint Christmas, April, 18, swapped her parents' £9m mansion in Buckinghamshire to stay with the Burke family in Merseyside.

The family-of-five - made up of mum Lindsay, dad Alan, and kids Clayton, 16, Wyatt, 11, and four-year-old Trinity - have a weekly budget of just £160.

And when it comes to their Christmas dinner, the family have just £15 to spare which means they have to keep the cost down where they can.

Instead of buying a pricey turkey, Lindsay and Alan cook a chicken instead and use a deep fat fryer because heating up an oven for hours on end can ramp up the electricity bills.

After realising the family's plans to deep fry the meal, April said: "We've never had a fried Christmas dinner before. I don't think there's actually anything in our Christmas dinner that is fried."

Alan replied: "They're good for the roast potatoes and that, as if you put them in the oven they take quite a long time and electricity - so cost a fortune."

When April told him that she only ever pan fries her food, Alan added: "You want to invest in a fryer, it's easier."

But after polishing off the meal, April reflected: "I don't think I'll be putting a deep fat fryer on my Christmas list.

"I mean, the chips were good but I'm not a fan of really fried food."

April's father's flourishing IT business means the 18-year-old lives a life of luxury.

The teenager has five wardrobes bursting with designer clothes in the family mansion, including countless pairs of £400 trainers and a Cartier watch extremely similar to Meghan Markle's.

Not to mention the family's own bowling alley, gym, bar and sauna which is tucked away in the back of the mansion.

Unlike Lindsay and Alan - who have to take out an £800 loan every Christmas - April's family doesn't have a budget for the festive season and can spend anywhere between £5,000 and £10,000 on presents.

April said: "It's only once a year so you have to go all out."

But Christmas hasn't always be such a financial hardship for the Burke family - before suffering several strokes and a severe throat condition, Alan was a children's entertainer earning up to £800 a week.

When her husband was forced to leave his job, Lindsay also had to quit her job in catering to care for Alan and their three children full-time.

In comparison, April has been able to set up a successful vintage clothing business at the age of 18 thanks to her father's financial support.

The family's rent is paid and they receive £160 of benefits a week which leaves them only £145 to spare after the food shop.

Ahead of April's arrival, Lindsay said: "I think the rich kid will pack their bags and run as they're used to having a big luxury Christmas and they're not going to get that here."

When April arrives on the doorstep, the Burkes are going about their day in darkness as they have run out of electricity.

In order to challenge the teen, Lindsay and Alan asked her to be in control of their Christmas meal and allocated her £15 to spend on food for six people.

A far cry from her family's private chef who cooks their meal every year, April confessed: "It's definitely going to be difficult. I think it's a very small budget. Especially for Christmas dinner."

Luckily, Clayton was on hand to help April navigate his siblings' fussy eating habits.

The teen manages to stick to the tight budget by buying turkey drummers, chicken thighs, potatoes, chips and frozen vegetables.

Lindsay said: "Well done, love. You're getting good at this, your mother is going to love you."

It soon dawned on April how privileged she is to spend money so freely on clothes and the teen broke down in tears when she realised her £400 Gucci trainers would pay for the children's Christmas presents.

She said: "When they said that your trainers could pay for all three of their Christmases, I felt quite bad."

To say thank you to the family, April treated the Burkes to a day out at a Christmas market - and Alan and Lindsay said they were pleasantly surprised by April's attitude.

"You surprised me actually," he told the teen. "When I asked you to do something, you didn't hesitate and you just did it. It changes your opinion on rich children."

Summarising her weekend with the family, April added: "I will be grateful for it as I always thought that maybe everyone has a big Christmas dinner and you'd just save - but I guess it's not possible on a budget."

For more horror stories, this Rich Kids Go Skint heiress forks out £1.5k on taxis every month and is scared to drink tap water.

And this pampered student who spends £400 a month on coffee broke down in tears after visiting a food bank on Rich Kids Go Skint.

Plus this trust fund kid told a teen mum she’d have an abortion if she got pregnant & advised they cut back on Rich Kids Go Skint.