Christmas Food - How much do you spend?

[Woodstocks]

Hi all,

How much are you budgeting for food for the Christmas period? With everybody at home all the time and then hosting and the big meal…?

We never did loads but I am really cutting back this year.

We don't get a turkey I get stuffed chicken thighs wrapped in bacon from the butcher here - less oven space and just as nice!

I usually spend about £50 - £80 ordering a few bits from M&S such as a nice desert and a couple of starter type / buffet things that we will have other days. I'm cutting that out this year. Rather than the £20 salmon en croute from Christmas ordering we will have a Lidl £7 one! Then just a couple of the normal supermarket nice deserts.

I get cashback through supermarket vouchers I order through work so that should cover the extra we will spend this month.

£27. For a Christmas meal for one to be delivered!

No.idea...only 2 of us this year and don't host at all. We always have plenty of alcohol in...neither of us like traditional Xmas food so I don't buy cake, mince pies, or loads of chocolate.
I don't cook meat either.
We eat well, socialise and go out all year round.... don't feel the need to do it specifically on 25th December.

It's hard to say because much of the spend happens early and I don't track it.

Eg I made the cake about a month ago. I bought maybe £30 of ingredients for it. But don't track. Similarly I bought the icing because I do a theme each year when decorating it. Maybe another £20.

Same with the puddings.

I then start to gather bits as I go.

I suspect the whole season costs about £500-700 more in food and drink but I could be way off.

I can't believe how much it has increased this year, I track it all on a spreadsheet as I'm quite careful budgeting, and this year for just the 5 days between the Saturday and Boxing Day (as we are away after that) we are spending £300. I used to spend that for the whole week including NYE. We do festive food to order and the variety of alcohol (which isn't all drank in a week) is what adds to it, but I haven't bought anywhere near the level of chocolate etc I usually would when we stay home for the full week.

We probably don’t spend much more that usual shopping week to be honest. As only the four of us.

Spencer - no, I don't think you can order Booths food on line, maybe some specific hampers? They did have a tie in with Amazon but not sure if that's still going. I love Booths too and have tried to research this.

Have you seen their Christmas Book - it's online, a work of art!

It's going to be expensive, as I am making a cake and pudding this weekend. I can see why I've just bought puddings before - it's an expensive business if you don't keep the type of alcohol in you need, and don't have a pudding bowl. At least the good thing is the one I'm making is quite big so the bowl will be a good small mixing bowl after!

I've probably spent £50 already on ingredients and alcohol and that's just for cake/pudding and gravy mostly!

The bronze turkey crown will be about £50-60, though I did spend £90 on a (massive) goose a good few years ago, so that seems reasonable.

I'm not in an Amazon fresh area unfortunately! @Ragwort