Large Xmas teatime spread on a budget?

[Tigerblue]

Can anyone give me some ideas for really cheap food for a good spread? I'm not into baking, so things that can be bought, put together cheaply please. Looking at feeding 3 families.

Normally go to my BIL's, but feel it's our turn. Only thing is they put on a massive spread covering the whole table, then have 2/3 puddings with a choice of cream, icecream, custard. Being polite, both families coming, eat a lot more than us so need to fill them up. Moneywise, we just can't compete with it. We only have to take what we'd like to drink, so can't ask them to bring anything.

Things like big quiches, chicken drumsticks, cold meat can be bought and frozen if you can pick up a couple of things every week then its less noticeable to your budget. Maybe you could do lots of jacket potatoes with a slow cooker stew?

If you have space in your freezer try picking up a couple of extra bit's every time you go shopping to spread the cost.

How many people?? 12 -15 ish????
Pate tubs 60p in lidl or tesco.
Pork loin (£8 approx) slow cooked with BBQ sauce. (Sliced up pork)Or chicken drumsticks £3. X 12
Crusty bread - salad - coleslaw. Use TESCO Mayo 40p fresh cabbage & carrot, onion.
Sausage rolls crisps & dips.
Small finger rolls & chipolatas.
Iceland do ready cut cake for £5. Buy ready pastry case fill with sweet mince & grated apple top with crumble.
With a bit of thinking you can do it for approx £20.

If you can make box cake, Betty crocker are 2 for £3.50 in TESCO. Make them into cupcakes.it goes further.

Over Christmas, by the time people get to ours a big chilli is welcome with rice and wedges.

What about a curry with sides. Cheap and easy.

Jacket potatoes with different toppings (tuna, cheese, beans, left over cold meats).

Coleslaw and salad as sides.

Vanillia ice cream for pud with different toppings (Apple compote, chocolate sauce, blueberry sauce (use frozen ones as lots cheaper), serve with warmed waffles or those caramel Dutch waffles (I have got them in lidl).

As you are hosting, it's an opportunity to do it your way. I wouldn't try to replicate a buffet spread on a budget Better to big and generous on a smaller selection
Chilli (bulked out with veg and beans), plus lots of filling sides like rice and wedges. If you have or can borrow slow cookers to keep it hot, so much the better.
Crusty bread and a couple of generous lumps of cheese for those still hungry - a whole camembert, chunks of cheddar and stilton.
Fresh fruit salad and a large homemade baked New York cheesecake with raspberry sauce.

If you have Lidl or Aldi, that will keep the cost down.

Thanks for your replies (so far) - they have got my mind ticking. The only one I probably won't use is jacket potatoes as I've done these recently for one of the families. I've got a feeling Lidl do some crusty bread for baking cheap - that will be a good filler with whatever.

If everyone comes, they'll be seven adults and five teenagers who I'm sure will eat like adults.

We actually like Tescos value peanuts and tortillas, for one of each it's less than £1 and will give you a couple of bowlfuls to put on the table. My daughter actually likes cold rice, so maybe that's another option for a bowlful to put out. You might not want to spend so much, but Tescos do kids chicken nuggets for £2, these could be put out as chicken bites.

Puddingwise, you could serve a couple of cans of value fruit in a big bowl and leave icecream on the side. Maybe with some cheaper mincepies from somewhere like Aldi/Lidl.

Big pot of taco mince, bowl of grated cheese, bowl of pink sauce and chips
Big pot of chicken curry, rice, and aforementioned chips, some naan breads

meringues filled with low fat greek yogurt and some sliced peaches/mandarins from a tin

Brownies
Popcorn

I would do Greek food to make it different

Make a Large moussaka ( or two)
Tzaiki
Houmous
Pitta bread
Large Greek salad

Then add Lots of mince pies and some cream.

What do you like at a get together & apart from that what do you know others eat.
My oh likes a curry, but dsis & DS don't so do battered chicken & sweet & sour.DM only eats plain meat & salad.
Think about the suggested choices & your time as well.

What about seeing if you can get some large beef/gammon joints from your supermarket cook and slice yourself, and do cold meat, salad and crunchy bread. With snacky bits.

I think at Christmas people get fed up with 'rich' food and like plain and simple food.

I think the ice cream pudding idea is brilliant.

We regularly have this number.

I do a homemade quiche,
Pot of chilli, (Stagg tinned 'garden' chilli is veggie and cheaper/easier than buying a ton of mince)
Sausages baked in honey and soy sauce
Baked potatoes
Coleslaw (homemade is far cheaper and nicer, one white cabbage, grated carrots and a bit of onion and mayo).
Greek salad (or a cous cous salad with roasted veg and a bit of feta).
Green salad
Crusty bread and pate.

I agree with everyone else, Aldi and Lidl are great.

Just been in asda,
large pork loin £7 or beef £8. Minced beef 5% fat £5 /750g which will go miles with 3 tins tomatoes some beans & spices. As will the joints. £20 you'll have a mega spread.x

Get loads of sausages - different flavours and sizes - and some foil roasting trays. Quarter lots of onions and put them in the roasting trays with the sausages, some cheap sunflower oil and herbs like sage or rosemary if you happen to have them. Quartered sweet peppers are good here too. Put the lot in a low oven so the sausages roast slowly and the veg gets melty. Stick them out on the table with loads of wraps/rolls/french bread from Lidl/aldi and ketchup/mustard/mayo/etc so people can help themselves. It looks generous with so many sausages but it's a cheap way to buy meat. Any leftovers are easy to use up too. Although I have never known any of this to be left. Better yet - no washing up! I second everyone who said Aldi above - their frozen desserts are lovely and their gold-topped xmas pud is the best I have ever had.

If you have a chinese super market near you

spring rolls
dim sum

Cheese straws - ready roll puff, rolled out to twice the size. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese on half (not too much - scant handful is enough). egg wash other half. Fold over in half. lightly roll again. Egg wash again, cut into strips. Cook til golden brown.

Dips - houmous (tin of chickpeas, squeeze of lemon, slug of olive oil, tahini if you have some, pepper salt & garlic - all in a food processor. Blitz)
Pea - cooked frozen peas, dollop of creme fresh, s&p, mint - blitz
butter bean - like houmous or use an orange for variety instead of lemon.
Sour cream dips - add any dry cooking rub (eg fajita seasoning ) to sour cream. Stir.

I like the sound of that pea dip Un - do you use fresh mint or will dried do?

Either or mint sauce from a jar. Whatever is in the cupboards.