I’m a budgeting expert – here’s how to cook a full Christmas feast for less than £3 a head
A BUDGETING expert has told how Brits can beat the cost of living crisis this festive season by cooking a full Christmas dinner for less than £3 a head.
Frugal blogger Fiona Hawkes has come up with a super thrifty festive feast which comes in at less than £3 per head and serves four people three courses each.
The menu also focuses on eliminating food waste which can often prove costly.
There is no leftover turkey left to go dry at the back of the fridge and every part of the carrots and parsnips gets used up in a tasty soup starter.
Fiona, who runs , has also focused on reducing the cost of cooking Christmas Dinner since energy bills have increased so much this year.
And using a small amount of turkey instead of roasting a whole bird means the oven can be on for less time and some elements, such as the parsnips, can be cooked in an air fryer.
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Here she takes The Sun through her super saver dinner...
Starter - Vegetable Soup with Parsnip & Carrot Crisps
When prepping your vegetables for Christmas, there can often be a lot of waste.
Throwing all the ends, peels and wonky bits into a pan with some stock to make soup is a great way to both save on food waste and bag an extra dinner course for next to nothing.
Shopping List
Turkey Mini Fillets 250g £2.80 (Sainsbury's)
20 Value Frozen Sausages £.1.36 (Tesco)
Streaky Bacon 275g £1.25 (Tesco)
Potatoes 1kg £1.00 (Tesco)
Parsnips 500g 62p (Tesco)
Carrots 500g 25p (Asda)
Sprouts 500g 89p (Aldi)
Stuffing Mix 85g 25p (Asda)
Gravy 200g 32p (Asda/Tesco)
Cranberry Sauce 200g 55p (Aldi)
15 Yorkshire Puddings 48p (Sainsbury's)
Value Christmas Pudding 400g £1.95 (Asda)
Value Custard 70g 20p (Asda)
Total: £11.92
Price Per head: £2.98
All Prices are correct as of 02/12/2022 and are for the full product
Storecupboard ingredients:
Cooking Oil
Salt & Pepper
1 Chicken or Vegetable Stock cube
1 teaspoon turmeric (optional)
Add 1 tsp of turmeric for a bit of extra flavour (optional) or any other herbs you already have in the cupboard.
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Save some of the parsnip and carrot peel and place them in the air fryer for a few minutes to create vegetable crisps to go on top of the soup and add some texture.
Main Course - Turkey Ballotine with all the trimmings
One of the easiest ways to reduce the cost of Christmas Dinner is to reduce the amount of meat used.
Turkey mini fillets are much cheaper than buying a whole turkey joint, there’s less waste, the fillets cook more quickly and they don’t dry out - so no worrying about a dry bird!
Making your own pigs in blankets and choosing value items for dry goods such as stuffing mix and gravy granules means you’ll still have that Christmassy feel without breaking the bank
Turkey Ballotine
To make the ballotine, flatten the turkey mini fillets using a rolling pin and then fill them with a combination of sausage meat from the frozen sausages (which will need defrosting beforehand), stuffing mixture and some cranberry sauce.
Roll up, wrap tightly in cling film and leave in the fridge overnight as this will help them keep their shape.
Simply pan fry until hot all the way through and slice at an angle to serve.
If you prefer chicken breast then it can easily be substituted for the turkey.
Pigs In Blankets
Homemade pigs in blankets are easy; simply wrap one slice of streaky bacon around one sausage - these work out much better value per 100 grams than buying the mini ones from the supermarket.
Sausagemeat Stuffing and Cranberry Wreath
These often retail for around £6 each but making your own is much cheaper and means you’ll have something that can be used as a centrepiece.
Mix together the remaining meat from the sausages (remove the skins) and the rest of the dry stuffing mix.
Spoon some cranberry sauce into a greased mould (Fiona used a copper jelly mould but a round cake tin with a ball of foil in the middle would work too) and cook for around 45 minutes.
Christmas Vegetables
There should be a couple of slices of bacon left, so chop up and use these to add extra flavour to the sprouts.
A vegetable steamer can be a great way to cook several vegetables at once while only using one space on the hob, while parsnips and carrots could be roasted in the air fryer if you’re looking to save space in the oven.
Tips to save more money
When it comes to Christmas Dinner, supermarkets do their best to convince us that we need to buy luxury products, but this menu goes to show that you can still have an amazing meal, even when shopping the value ranges.
While it usually pays to shop early or buy products when they’re on offer, it’s best to wait until Christmas week to buy vegetables as often the supermarkets reduce these to 20p per pack - meaning this three-course dinner could cost you even less.
And don’t forget to pop back between Christmas and New Year when supermarkets often give away surplus veggies for free!
If you’re worried about not having enough food for everyone, stock up on cheap but filling extras such as roast potatoes and stuffing balls.
You could also roast a small chicken (which costs around £3.50) to go alongside a joint of beef or turkey and you might find children actually prefer this leaving more of your main joint for the adults.
Save on energy costs by utilising your slow cooker and air fryer where possible which should reduce the time the oven needs to be switched on.
Look out for yellow stickers, especially on party food which can be frozen until needed.
Finally remember, you can have a delicious Christmas Dinner even when sticking to a very tight budget!
Finishing Touches
Yorkshire puddings may not traditionally be served with turkey but most people, (and especially children!) love them and they can easily be included even when sticking to a very tight budget.
Then, of course, there is the gravy.
If you’re concerned about the gravy lacking flavour due to there being no meat juices, you could try adding a stock cube and using water from the boiled sprouts and carrots.
Finally, finish with some cranberry sauce.
Dessert: Christmas Pudding & Custard
A Christmas Pudding that serves four can be picked up for under £2 in most supermarkets.
Microwave in small portions rather than steaming while everyone eats dinner to save on energy costs.
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Don’t like Christmas pudding?
There are plenty of other options that come in at under £2 for four people including frozen Cheesecake for 85p in Tesco and a Yule Log for £1.95 in Asda.
