Frugal Festive Favourites

Love cooking? Love a bargain? Then Christmas is your chance to shine. There are loads of ideas online to help you whip up a feast without spending a fortune. We’ve put together a mini menu of Christmas recipes for you to savour while you save. Read and enjoy!

Starters and snacks

Need a little something to keep the family from breaking into the selection boxes when the turkey’s taking longer than expected? This smoked salmon pâté works out to 70p per head. And you can make it for even less if you buy smoked salmon trimmings rather than slices. Or try Tesco’s recipe for Cranberry Camembert puffs for 88p per serving.

The main event

The traditional whole roast turkey can work out very expensive, especially for smaller households. These stuffed turkey breasts look great, and they’re just over £1 per serving. Or if you’re not a fan of turkey, try Jack Monroe’s Christmas ham for £1.53 per head. For vegetarians, Jamie Oliver’s very Christmassy nut roast works out to just over £1 per person.

Sides

It’s just not Christmas dinner without sprouts. But if your kids don’t agree, Jack Monroe’s Special Cabbage is a stealthy way to serve up extra veg for 15p per head. And if your cooking philosophy is that everything is better with bacon, try these Hasselback potatoes - they’re just 10p per serving.

Pudding

Homemade Christmas treats don’t get much more easy, affordable and traditional than homemade mince pies, especially if you find a jar of mincemeat at the back of a cupboard. You can make basic pastry for just pennies per pie. To make it extra special for Christmas Day, serve it with this brandy sauce for 20p per head. Or if you’ve always fancied yourself as a Bake Off star, this Mary Berry Yule log recipe works out to 30p per serving.

The twelve days of leftovers

The main reason Christmas food is so expensive is that we buy so much of it! Make the most of the inevitable leftovers by turning them into roast turkey salad - or even sprout and bacon pizza!

More tips

Shop around. The supermarket with a great deal on a turkey might not be the one with the best prices for fruit and veg: you can make big savings with a little research.

Try a potluck dinner. Feeding the five thousand at Christmas can be stressful as well as costly: if you have family visiting, why not ask them to bring a side dish or pudding?

If you've already decided that your New Year's Resolution for 2019 will be 'start saving for Christmas earlier in the year!', check out this guide to your options for Christmas saving on the Money Advice Service website.