To ask how much you will spend on Christmas Day meal

[UnicornsAndLizards]

Just that really. Last year was the first time we've ever had family over to ours on Christmas Day (we had recently moved to a large house) and we went all and spent a fortune. We're hosting again this year and whilst I want the day to be special I don't want to go overboard and spend heaps on fancy food. We will be 7 adults, 1 of which is a vegan and no children. What is a reasonable budget to set?

3 adults here - about £50. That's including a decent bottle or two of wine. But I don't do starters and evening food is leftovers from what I bake on Christmas Eve. I've made my Christmas cake and on Christmas Eve I make a selection of mince pies and savoury pies, plus scones and sausage rolls.

Depends. This year after much experience...i won't spend much more than I would a roast for mains. Maybe buy one more extra roasting beef, as only 4 of us.
And up the roast veg and steamed veg.

Like most other replies, we don't set a budget, in money, but we do think "Well, who is going to eat this?"

So, are the 7 adults couples that are visiting - say your sister and BiL or similar, who might bring "the pudding" or whatever? Or your grown dc who still live with you? As that makes a difference.

Then what time do you have Christmas dinner, and how 'overboard do your family traditionally go.
From previous threads on here, some folk are still sitting at the 'dinner' table at 4pm, in the case of which you really aren't going to need 'a buffet' in the evening.

If I've had a starter, a roast dinner and some pudding at 1pm and chocs and nibbles with sherry in the morning and more chocs in the afternoon then I don't want much more than either one sandwich OR a cuppa and a piece of cake in the evening.

Depends on who is invited - the odds are they will feel the same. I realise a 20 yr old might be ready for another meal, but a 75 yr old is unlikely to be.

So, when you write your list, be realistic about amounts - nobody is going to want all those puddings if they are just there for the day.

£20 per person is fine for the day imo.

2 adults and 2 children. One turkey crown (up to £20 from the supermarket) with roast potatoes and veggies (probably about £7-10, including the pancetta we use with the Brussels sprouts). Pigs in blankets, bread sauce, cranberry sauce, gravy... another few pounds. The usual Christmas desert in our house is Pandorro, which is about £4 from Lidl, we will have also a chocolate log and mince pies, altogether probably around £10-12. So about £50. Add the soft drinks and some wine, some crisps and chocolates, maybe some nuts, however I don't see us spending more than £75 altogether if we buy everything. But probably we will already have the chocolate and the crisps and the snacks (as chocolate bits keep ending up as stocking fillers and we usually come home with a box or two from the school raffles, probably we will be given some as gifts) so it will be less than this.

Slightly different as family are together for Xmas Eve, Xmas day and Boxing day...
8/9 adults 1/2 children. £500 ish No alcohol though

The Christmas breakfast is usually eggs and salmon and toast, and I like a snowball or two while the kids open their presents (but I usually have the ingredients in the house already), and we don't really care about eating much after the main meal (which happens quite late in the day), we are all full and if anyone is peckish, there are plenty of things to nibble on while watching TV. So yeah, probably putting together all the food and drinks for the day, it will be about £20/person

We were around £30 a head last year for 28 people. We don't do starters.

That said we commit the MN crime of everyone who comes chips in (viewed by many on here, plus BIL's GF as 'charging family'). It's only hosted here every year as we have the space, and people bringing puddings etc doesn't work because of the distance they travel.

We all split the cost too...

We have it in the same house every year, so we all pay!

I've never priced it up before but I just have and it comes in at just over £35. That's 3 adults and 2 DC.
It's just a glorified roast to us and as no one likes turkey it's just a large chicken. Roast potatoes, 4 or 5 veg, pigs in blankets and stuffing, bread sauce etc.
I have lots in all the time anyway, goose fat, cranberry sauce, stuffing ect anyway so that's not an added expense.
We don't do starters and dessert is usually Xmas pud or sticky toffee pudding or profiteroles. Maybe once you've added in salmon for breakfast and bucks fizz you'd be looking at closer to £50 but I think I have at least a third of the ingredients in already so it's nicely spread out.

I just did a rough tally up and for 10 of us , 7 adults & 3 children .
About £100 inc, cheese board just in case !
I also have plenty of turkey and ham left over for Boxing bday lunch with bubble and squeak.
Oh wine might put another £20 on top . 2 bottles and a pudding wine .

Make ahead gravy is a good one to do with.i made Jamie Oliver’s last year and it was gorgeous .

Probably about £70 for two of us and a toddler (who will probably just have pasta) we make a whole free range butchers turkey and a ham though and that feeds us for days and days so it's not just one meal.

M&S did loads of veggies for 49p I think it was last year. Potatoes, Brussels, carrots etc. Some other supermarkets were even cheaper, Asda was something like 29p.

Last year, 5 of us, £300 but it was definitely too much.

I spend about £300 for my whole Christmas shop ( inc New Year). How on earth do people spend so much on one meal? I usually have about 9/10 on Christmas day, this year just DH and I, but I spend maybe £100 at most. We don't scrimp, and no one starved and we have a Boxing day buffet also. No alcohol though as we save up in a wine club every month.

I'm likely to spend around £200 (excluding drinks) but that will feed 16 people

Like others say get people to bting different things. One group can do desserts, other drinks, nibbles for later. Whilst we do tend to go overboard in our family the food and nibbles lasts several days so I just think of it as an expensive weekly shop.

15....it’s going to be about 490. And no bugger will offer ant cash and 1/2 of them are dh’s ex’s family. I may need a separate thread.

We’ve done the ridiculous spending in the past and realised how daft we were. There is a limit as to how much anyone can eat at one meal. Yes we buy good quality food but it is at the end of the day a roast dinner.

Just done my m n s order. £141 but that includes a Brie en croute for Xmas eve and a beef joint thing for Boxing Day.

No alcohol in that, I am well stocked in wines and spirits so will need beer and Buck’s Fizz for breakfast. Need veg to make soup; cheese from the cheese shop; fresh bread and part baked rolls; and something for breakfast. Usually fruit, fresh ok and pancakes with syrup or similar.

Probably about £200 in total for four but there will be leftovers so it will do a few days.

£400 for 4 people?!? How the hell can you spend a hundred quid per person on food for one day?!?

I'm feeding four again this year. Turkey joint in a tinfoil tray (can't be doing with legs and leftovers) is about £8 max, gammon joint about the same, a tonne of veg, couple of puds, box of crackers and a couple of bottles of wine. £50 max for dinner. Nibbly bits for tea and boxing day probably the same but only because we treat ourselves to real pringles and quality streets.

My entire budget for Christmas is £600 - ludicrous to spend so much just on food

You can spend a reasonable amount. Or you can spend a fuckton.

Have done both. I now do reasonable. By shopping mainly at Aldi. Which is half the price or more of M and S and just as nice, if not nicer.

Write a list. Plan your menu. Tick off as you buy stuff. Turkey crown and gammon go well together, look at the suggested serving size and don't go mad with sizes.

Veg, work out your portion sizes. Sprouts are cheap, as are carrots and parsnips from Aldi. Red cabbage is very easy to make fancy. I do mine in the slow cooker to save stove space.

Garlicky mushrooms, pate on toast, homemade soup or homemade prawn cocktail are all a fuckton cheaper than the fancy readymade starters and much nicer.

Buy normal desserts, and fancy them up with fancy plates or extra trimmings. But again Aldi has nice showstopper puds for half the price of m and s.

Ask guests to bring desserts and wine and any other booze.

I don't do Christmas day dinner for anyone other than us, but NYD I do a big, fuck off fancy dinner for 10 adults and 4 kids. Meat usually costs about £50, veg about £20, £20 on naice stuffing and piggys, £20 on 2 different starters and then £10 on pudding as guests all bring something. So £120 for 14, 3 courses. It's enough, and my guests all love my NYD dinner. It's grown over the years and I have a waiting list of people who would love an invite if any of our regulars drop out. We just can't fit any more in.

Just write down what you'll all be eating with drinks. We usually have 2 different meats, 2 puddings, also an evening buffet. Then work out the cost.

For Christmas Day this year we’ve got an £88 order at M&S and £25 at Cook for side dishes. My brother will buy the wine and spend around £50 or so. There are four of us this year. But if I added in all the meals around Christmas and snacks and treats I’d say we’d be spending around £100 more.

£15 for a turkey crown. Few quid for sausages and bacon for pigs in blanket. Rice pudding for dessert. 6 of us.

Nothing extravagant. I make a roast dinner every week so its nothing big and extra.

We have pre-ordered our meal but will have a few bits to pick up in store. For 4 adults 3 kids it is about £85, I would expect to be paying £120-140 for 7 adults. Pate starter £14 (including bread), Turkey £45, £50 for sides, £15 for mince pies, xmas pud and chocolate cake. This is at Waitrose too so you could get it cheaper elsewhere I imagine.
Evening I would get pizza (£8), left over turkey sandwiches and cheese and biscuits (£20). I can't imagine people will be that hungry after a 3 course meal.
Ask the guests to bring the booze.