Yes, perhaps predictably the first tip to plan Christmas food without spending a fortune is to ACTUALLY plan! Planning involves looking at everything you need, not just the main meal.
If this is something you find hard, drop me a message and I can send you a link to some further tips.
Yes, turkey is traditional, perhaps with a ham and pigs in blankets on the side BUT you don’t have to do turkey. Chicken is much cheaper, quicker to cook (saving on fuel) and it is easier to fit in the oven.
You don’t have to do chicken though but look at the cost of both the meat and the cooking time.
Many supermarkets have selected vegetables on offer for Christmas. They often include potatoes, carrots, parsnips and sprouts. These are versatile veg so you could use these in other meals too.
Root veg store well too so if you have a cool space to store them, they should keep a while too – best to take them out of their plastic wrappings.
Have you noticed, it’s the extra things which often make our shopping trolley more expensive?
We don’t have to take them all out but just think about the ones your really want/need. Shops are very good at enticing us to buy more than we need.
Christmas is busy so making your own might not be possible but it could be an activity to do with the family.
Pinwheel, gingerbread and mince pie making at the ready!
It can be really hard to judge how much everyone will eat at Christmas and as plans change it’s easy to be left with food. Choosing a menu where leftovers can be frozen can be one way to navigate this, or having meals which are based mainly on tins is another way. If you need more help with planning, do get in touch – and remember general meal planning tips apply here.
How long will it take?
I would allow an hour to plan it all
And trust me, the planning is worth it as we try and have time to enjoy Christmas and enjoy time focussing on the things and people we really want to at Christmas.