I’m a savvy single mum – here’s how to cook a 3-course Christmas dinner with all the trimmings & bubbly for £4 a head
A SAVVY single mum has revealed how to cook a three-course Christmas dinner for just £4.05-a-head - and she's even budgeted for bubbly.
Lynn Beattie, 44, from Knebworth, Hertfordshire, is mum to three boys aged 14, 12 and nine.
She's cooking for six people on Christmas Day and has worked out how to do it for just £24.32 - without sacrificing on turkey or all the trimmings.
Lynn knows all too well that Christmas dinner is laced with pressure and expense.
"She says: "Yes, in the past I have spent a small fortune on a huge turkey (from the butchers) with ready prepared vegetables in oven ready trays.
"But not this year. I am determined to do Christmas dinner on a budget, and I have set that budget at £25.
"I've even squeezed in a bottle of Prosecco and orange juice for that - so the kids can have OJ and the adults Mimosa.
A 2020 survey by Moneysupermarket found half of Brits planned to spend between £5 and £20 a head on Christmas lunch, while a third would fork out between £30 and £60.
Here's how Lynn kept costs staggeringly low with Aldi bargains...
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Starter: Roasted veg soup with bread & butter
Lynn says: "I love a vegetable soup and the Christmas vegetables are the star of this recipe - which I invented myself.
"This creates a lovely thick soup, with very generous portions for six to eight people.
"There will be leftovers - so pop them in the freezer for an easy January lunch."
Cost: £1.67 (28p per person)
Ingredients:
500g bags of roasted Brussels, carrots & parsnips - 19p each under Aldi's Super 6 offer for Christmas vegetables
2 vegetable stock pots: 35p
1 lemon: 14p
2 tbsp oil: 5p
Half a loaf of Bloomer bread: 50p
Butter: 7p
Method:
- Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees.
- Peel the carrots and parsnips, roughly chop and place into roasting tray.
- Cut the brussels sprouts in half arrange on a separate roasting tray.
- Drizzle both trays in vegetable oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Roast the carrots/parsnips for half an hour and the Brussels sprouts for 25 minutes, removing from the oven when they're starting to crisp.
- Transfer to a large saucepan. Add two vegetable stock pots and 1.5 litres of water. Bring to boil and simmer for five minutes.
- Blitz with a food processor. Add lemon juice and mix.
- Serve with Aldi's Bloomer bread and unsalted butter.
Main event: Roast turkey with all the trimmings
Lynn says: "This easily cooks six very full plates of food, I've already tested it and had two leftover dinner plates for me, as well as turkey and veg which I blitzed into more soup.
"I keep the costs down by buying a 2.5kg frozen turkey from Aldi - costing £3.45 per kilo. The vegetables are mostly from the Super 6 - 19p offer.
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"I have added in stuffing balls, pigs in blankets, cauliflower cheese, cranberry sauce, gravy and (controversially) homemade Yorkshire puddings.
"It took me about an hour to prep all the veg, Yorkshires and stuffing."
Cost: £14.28 (£2.38 per person)
Ingredients:
: £8.63
500g bags of roast potatoes, Brussel sprouts, carrots & parsnips: 19p each
Head of broccoli: 47p
: £1.59
: £1.79
: 29p
: 23p
Vegetable oil: 11p
100g gravy granules: 28p
Yorkshire pudding batter: 2 eggs (22p), 80g flour (2p), 125ml milk (6p)
Method:
- Pop the turkey 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.
- Add dry stuffing mixture to a bowl, then water and form 12 balls.
- Make Yorkshire pudding mixture in a measuring jug - with two eggs, then 125 ml of milk and enough flour to get to 375ml in total. Add a pinch of salt and mix with a whisk until no lumps. Leave to settle for 30-60 minutes.
- Oven cook the cauliflower cheese, roast potatoes and pigs in blankets according to packet instrutions.
- Peel and roast the parsnips and carrots together, with oil, at 200 degrees for half an hour.
- Cut in half, season and oil the Brussel sprouts. Cook in roasting tray at 180 degrees for 25 minutes.
- Cook the stuffing balls, drizzled with oil, at 200 degrees for 25 minutes.
- Preheat the Yorkshire pudding tray with bit of oil in each hole. After five minutes, add the mixture to make 12 puddings. Place in oven at 200 for 15 minutes. Do not open the over whilst these are cooking.
- Boil the broccoli in a saucepan for five minutes.
- Add the turkey juic to gravy granules and water as per packet instructions.
Enjoy with a glass of Aldi Costellore Prosecco (£4.99 a bottle) and orange juice (69p).
Dessert: Lemon posset
Lynn says: "I made this the day before to keep cooking the actual dinner as stress-free as possible.
"I used the , which keeps for three days - but served with digestive biscuits rather than homemade shortbread - it was cheaper and easier."
Cost: £2.69 (45p each)
Ingredients:
600ml double cream: £1.70
200g golden caster sugar: 27p
Zest of three lemons, plus 750ml juice: 41p
Packet of : 31p
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Lynn says: "I served it in old fancy brandy glasses. Probably the first time I’ve ever used them."
Lynn is a personal finance expert and founder of Mrs Mummypenny. She is the author of and you can follow her on .