Christmas food help please!

[SomebodySaveMe]

I've never hosted Xmas before and this year we have PIL over on Xmas day so 4 adults and 3 under 5s. On boxing day we have 6 adults and 2 under 5s. I was thinking of a buffet for boxing day but no idea what to include and I'm stumped for Christmas day dinner.

What can I do that is not ridiculously expensive?

How much is not ridiculously expensive?

A large free range chicken instead of Turkey will set you back about 15, veggies and potatoes less than a tenner.

How about a buffet the next day? Baked potatoes, lots of fillings, big giant cheeseboard, left over chicken.

Is everyone looking for traditional Christmas dinner? For Boxing Day you could do leftovers and pork pies, sandwiches, cheeses etc. for the main event you could do Beef instead of turkey, prepare as much as you can the day before, last year I boiled my potatoes for roasties on Christmas Eve. Could PIL's provide pudding? Get yourself Good Housekeeping next month, or their Christmas recipe magazine. Loads of ideas, and the recipes are foolproof. I hosted Christmas dinner last year and that is what worked for me, oh and I didn't give a time for food, it was ready when it was ready, and the children were happy snacking as a treat ( on Christmas day only).

We always have homemade salmon en croute new potatoes and greens on boxing day. Yum and you can usually find an offer for a whole salmon for a tenner and get it filleted. Cheaper than a buffet I'd have thought

For boxing day I do a ham, I buy it any time now when there is an offer on and freeze it. With it we have salad, coleslaw, pot salad, pickles and par baked bread rolls. I lay it out as a buffet, no effort and not expensive, but still really tasty. It's nice to have salads to break up the stodge you eat over the christmas week.

Then a cheese board and whatever desserts are left over from christmas day. The ham takes time but not effort, and the rest you can buy all ready to go, or if you are inclined make yourself in advance.

Christmas day you could make a salmon terrine to start, or a soup.
Main doesn't have to be turkey, or you could just get a turkey crown and dessert of triffle and christmas pud.

I also think buffets work out more expensive and more time consuming than a proper meal.

I've started cooking and freezing for the Christmas period as I'll have a newborn and Nigella's Christmas is great for sides that you can freeze. I've got a gratin and a red cabbage dish in the freezer and am picking up a gammon at the weekend. I'll get it in its marinade then bung that in the freezer. And that's Boxing Day ready to go and paid for out of Octobers food budget.

I'd make stuff to freeze for boxing day. Things like chilli, curry, lasagne etc to have with jackets, salad etc. Easier to prepare than sandwiches etc & if you have the freezer space, can be made ages in advance.

Lots of dippy things, potato salad, Waldorf salad etc? I need ideas too!

I thought for the buffet I could do cold meats, salad, eggs, jackets, pasta etc.
The budget is £150 ish I think but I don't know how much turkeys and things cost. DP wants to try goose!