Did you know that the cost of Christmas dinner for the average family this year has risen to £93?
This is my Christmas meal plan. It’s going to help my family over Christmas, and I hope it helps yours.
If you take into consideration that one third of this food could end up as food waste, a little forward planning could save you a fortune!
My savvy five day Christmas meal plan starting on Christmas Eve includes mince beef, one turkey, plenty of vegetables, homemade pudding, cranberry and bread sauces, plus lemon and thyme stuffing. Yummy!
Tips for an affordable 5 day Christmas feast
1. Plan five days’ meals in advance (or just follow my simple five day meal planner here)
2. Write out a shopping list (or print off the one below) and check it twice – once in your larder at home and once as you shop in the supermarket.
3. Make your own cranberry sauce, bread sauce and stuffing – it’s all cheaper and definitely more delicious.
4. Don’t hoard food – a shop close to you will be open on boxing day.
5. Store food correctly to avoid waste.
This is my Christmas meal plan. It’s going to help my family over Christmas, and I hope it helps yours.
About our family meal planner
This week’s family meal planner
Shopping list
About our family meal planner
All the meals included in our weekly meal planners are child friendly, form part of a daily balanced diet, and will provide nutrients from each of the food groups (proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals), says Sian.
They include plant and animal protein such as red meat, white meat, fish, and eggs along with cheese, chickpeas, nuts and seeds for meatless days. Sian says the secret to stress-free, low-cost healthy meals is to plan what you’re cooking to make sure you have the right ingredients in the right amount in your kitchen ready cook.
Every week, Sian puts together five easy recipes for the week’s family meal planner. You can choose to make them on whichever day of the week suits you best. She also puts together a shopping list (below) that you can print out and take with you to the supermarket.
This week’s meal planner
With very little effort, we can all dine in style this Christmas and more importantly within our means. Planning in advance, buying only what you need according to your list and never shopping when you or the children are hungry will help immensely.
I have already added double the amount of vegetables into the list to use as leftovers on Boxing Day and in the broth. The turkey in the list is big enough for a family of four for the main Christmas dinner and two leftover meals.
If you use turkey for sandwiches then a bigger turkey may be required.
All that’s left is to wish you and your family a truly wonderful and delicious Christmas!
Christmas eve:
Christmas day:
- Leek and potato soup
- Roast turkey and gravy
- Roast potatos and vegetables
- Champ
- Brussel sprouts with pancetta and chives
- Cranberry and port sauce
- Lemon and herb butter stuffing
- Traditional bread sauce
- Christmas sticky toffee pudding
Boxing day
27th December
28th December
Shopping list
Baked Products
Baking soda – 1 tsp
Breadcrumbs – 310g
Beverages
Brandy (optional) – 3 tblsp
Port (optional) – 1 tblsp
Sparkling water – 200 mls
Cereal, grains and pasta
Corn flour – 3 tblsp
Plain flour – 1-2 tblsp
Spaghetti dry – 120 g
White self raising flour – 275 g
Basmati rice – 2 cups
Dairy and egg products
Butter or Flora (green tub) – 350 g
Eggs – 2
Milk – 825 mls
Butter (unsalted) – 50 g
Single cream – 120 mls
Fats and oils
Olive oil – 2 tblsp
Fruits and fruit juices
Pineapple – 1 tin
Fresh cranberries – 300 g
Lemon – 4
Orange – 3
Mixed fruit – 250 g
Legumes and legume products
White beans – 1 can
Beef products
Lean minced beef – 350 g
Pork products
Pancetta (or 4 bacon slices) – 200g
Poultry products
Turkey – 4 kg
Soups, sauces, and gravies
Vegetable stock – 1 litre
Turkey or chicken stock – 1 litre
Tomato sauce – 5 tblsp
Spices and herbs
White wine vinegar – 1 tblsp
Mixed spice – 1 tsp
Nutmeg (ground) – 1/2 tsp
Whole cloves – 15
Bay leaves – 6
Black peppercorns (optional) – 14
Fresh thyme – 2 bunches
Small stick cinnamon – 1
Fresh rosemary sprigs – 3-4
Turmeric powder (optional- for colour) – 4 pinches
Mixed herbs (e.g. thyme/parsley) – 1 bunch
Parsley – 2-3 sprigs
Chopped chives – 1
Sweets
Sugar – 140 g
Demerara sugar – 250 g
Vegetables and vegetable products
Onion – 9
Tomatoes (canned, in tomato juice) – 1
Cabbage (optional for broth only, use leftover brussel sprouts instead) – 1/8th
Carrots – 11
Parsnips – 5
Leeks – 500 g
Brussel sprouts – 1kg
Red lentils – 6 tblsp
Spring onions – 11
Potatoes (peeled and cut into even chunks) – 5 kg
Don’t forget to add store cupboard breakfast and lunch ingredients.
Sian is a home economist with over 25 years experience as a secondary school teacher and now running her own private cookery school with a focus on meal planning. After years of seeing people struggling to provide healthy meals everyday for their families, she created her own meal planning system at Siansplan.com.
