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?

I do Christmas dinner most years for 4 people including all the other Christmas bits (buffet in the evening, wine, cheese etc) I’m usually looking at c£150 - £200.

Also I’ve varied where I shop - so last year m&s, the year before Lidl and it still seems to come to the same amount oddly.

Even staples like mince pies? I buy those but we don't usually have them on Christmas Day.

Will be away from home

Xmas day lunch booked at pub

Boxing day lunch booked at hotel

May buy a small cake & a few nibbles

It's worked ok for the last few years

I make mince pies using a Mary Berry recipe. They are so much nicer than shop bought. I make all pastry (sausage rolls, cranberry and brie turnovers, bacon and egg pie, cheese scones) the day before and keep it in the fridge and then just put it all together and bake on Christmas Eve, whilst drinking lots of sherry and singing seasonal songs.

Anything leftover from Christmas dinner goes into a pie on Boxing Day (bung it in a casserole dish and put a suet based lid on it). We have very little waste.

For the meal itself we do. In case it helps no starter as it's just too much!

Breakfast is bacon rolls or croissant or something (vegetarian options for anyone who we know would need it) with prosecco or Buck's Fizz or just orange juice and tea or coffee

Vegetarian versions of below or a specific options can be made for anyone who wants if we know in advance but the basics are

Meat joint of beef or turkey
Stuffing made with sausage meat and sage and onion
Yorkshire puddings
Kilted sausages (pigs in blankets)
Gravy
Mint sauce
Roast potatoes
Cheesy potatoes (like gratin but with cheese sauce and sometimes onion)
Roast parsnips
Roast Brussels (normally has bacon in them)
Steamed Green beans
Steamed or roasted Broccoli
Steamed Peas
Roast Red cabbage (sometimes with onion)
Wine or prosecco or cider or juice etc
If someone fancies a specific different veg or mash potatoes etc one year it gets added.

Massive break!

Pudding later on in the evening.
Normally a bought cake or gateau
Or cheese and crackers depending on what people want

Then the next day all the left over veg and potatoes become my evening meal! They all get put in the oven and become roasted lovelyness! (My favourite meal of the year)

Sorry I should add that the meat and some of the veg also get turned into a pie or other meal for everyone else the next day too so no waste here either.

We are very traditional with our Christmas day, it's just what we did as a young child at home. Three courses, 2 choices for a starter/turkey & trimmings/3 puddings & a buffet in the evening Couple of bottles of wine to share, with Christmas lunch ( + vodka martini for me ) beers/wine for evening. We're a family of 5 ( 4 adults, 1 teen ) Our Christmas food shop + alcohol is usually between £220 - £260.

I went for dinner with friends one year, and they bought an organic bronze turkey. It didn't taste any different to the butter basted cheap frozen turkey I normally buy. I do grease mine with a pack of butter though. We never do a starter, and have Christmas pudding with cream and home made brandy butter, or sometimes home made pavlova instead. The rest of the day we pick at sausage rolls and mince pies, maybe a turkey sandwich in the evening, and chocolates. It is the one day when I don't do shop bought sausage rolls or mince pies. Home made are better, and I like making them on Christmas Eve. I also don't do frozen roast potatoes. Even though there are just the two of us I like to make the effort and make things special. Potatoes cooked in goose or duck fat are gorgeous!

5 of us, the meat will be about £40, the veg all in for under a tenner (supermarkets do sprouts and carrots for 20p at Christmas, no doubt. Extra trimmings a tenner. Pudding/s and cream/custard another tenner.

I went for dinner with friends one year, and they bought an organic bronze turkey. It didn't taste any different to the butter basted cheap frozen turkey I normally buy

I normally do a Turkey roast at some point over the xmas period because i like the leftovers (beef on The Day though). One year the fridge it was in (in the shed) broke without me realising and it went off this was our usual locally raised organic one. In a panic i drove to Lidl and bought a frozen one. Cooked it a couple of days later and it was just as nice!

Only 4 of us, so not much really.
We like those 3 birds together things, and ith a bit of veg, xmas pud/yule log, pigs in blankets and stuffing (which i make myself) it's not a huge amount, don't know how much though.
We tend to spend more for boxing day and have 7 all together.
I make most of this though, including the desserts.

No starter, just crisps and drinks. Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, using nice little joint from farm shop. Meringues, cream and raspberries, my sister makes the most delicious meringues. My partner prefers pudding so I purchase an individual one and make him custard. Mum and I will share a bottle of fizz and I have already some bottles of fizzy apple and grape juice, bought when on offer. So maybe £40. Four adults eating, not too bad.

Not much more than the usual Sunday roast really.

There'll be 8 of us (there's 5 or 6 on a normal Sunday).

Slightly bigger gammon joint, a small turkey crown and something nice for dessert is what we normally do.

I just checked out my Morrisons More points and I've got nearly £65 saved.

Oh I forgot carrots and very occasionally when dh or one of the kids want mushrooms.

Our Christmas meal is so different - a ham, salted salmon, smoked salmon, a variety of pickled herrings, beetroot salad, potato casserole, swede casserole, carrot and rice casserole, liver and raisin casserole (the latter two I can do without but OH likes them), special bread. I am dreading the cooking already.

Average turkey from Tesco. Lots of veg- 4 or 5 home made. Home made stuffing using stale breadcrumbs and garden herbs. Home made cranberry snd orange sauce, made in advance and frozen. Home made bread sauce. I also made trifle and ginger ice cream at home, but offer shop mini Xmas puddings if people want one.
We have wine and sherry plus soft drinks. Occasionally port but often not.

To be frank I doubt we spend over 100, and feed 7 or 8 minimum.

See people are being snobby about how much everyone spends (trying to show off) but no one is calling out the horrendous supermarket meat.

You can save a quid a week and buy an animal that has been raised and killed humanely you know. Surely Christmas is the one time of year you don’t purchase cheap meat?

I eat meat. But I shoot it myself or know exactly how it’s died. Supermarket meat is eating shite tasting torture,

We don't work to a budget for food but we buy what we know everyone will like and what will actually get eaten on Christmas Day without (much) waste;

For six of us we typically get/spend the following for Christmas dinner;
Meat from butcher's - £75 (Ham/Turkey)
Potatoes/Vegetables- £20
Butcher's gravy/sausages etc- £10/£15
Locally made Pavlova/Trifle- £25
M&S Party food- £40
Drinks- £60 roughly

We always have loads of meat left, which is used the next day for sandwiches typically and the party food doesn't go to waste either. Drinks wise none of us drink wine, so we buy 3 bottles of spirits for Christmas day, vodka, whiskey, gin and mixers.

Not a lot. We only have 1 extra person, that makes 6. My brother and I are veggie so I leave it to dh to decide what meat he and the dcs are having. He says chicken this year so not expensive at all. We have a fairly normal roast with a few extras like homemade stuffing, pigs in blankets, cauliflower cheese. Also a Christmas pudding and something chocolatey. Maybe £40?

Similar to littlehappyhippo but I'll see which take away is open.

Upwards of 250 but that includes booze and meat which is the biggest expense

I don’t spend that much personally, just have additional things on my weekly food shop. Probably between £60-£100. My DM however spends up to £500! This includes quite a lot of alcohol, party food and food to order from M&S and such like. There’s only 4 of us at the meal so it’s very excessive but it’s what makes her happy!

@WagtailRobin £20 on veg/potatoes!? I get a sack of potatoes from a farm for £6 which will last 2 months.

Im really 😨 at how much people spend on food.

Watched one of those programs on how a family spends £££££ on Christmas and they swapped it’s of stuff for Aldi & Lidl produce, no need to break the bank.

Start purchasing crackers, table decs, nuts chocolates, now & put away ready for the big day.

Prepare all the vegetables yourself instead of getting ready prepared, do this on the Monday evening and put in water, prep the cabbage dishes and Brussels dishes - lots of great recipes.

Then weigh up how much meat you need and perhaps cook a ham on the Sunday to make a turkey crown go further

Don’t forget to make bubble and squeak for Boxing Day and Friday with cold meat & pickles which covers another 3?’eals at least and reduces the bill for shopping Christmas week

@WagtailRobin £20 on veg/potatoes!? I get a sack of potatoes from a farm for £6 which will last 2 months

Good for you! It would be nice if this thread could be slightly non judgemental though.