Christmas can be a notoriously pricey time of year and the ongoing cost of living crisis has posed further difficulties for families trying their hardest to stick to a budget. Thankfully, you don't have to spend a fortune to serve up a decadent feast this December 25th, and a few swaps and changes can make all the difference.
With this in mind, Chef Mickael, a Michelin-star trained private chef at HOMETAINMENT, has offered up their top tips for whipping up a truly luxurious Christmas dinner while keeping costs down. From wine choices to the pudding, Chef Mickael has shown how you can cut back on the pennies, while keeping all the flavour.
Swap a whole turkey for turkey thighs
The turkey can be the most expensive part of your Christmas dinner, and many tend to cook more than they actually need. Chef Mickael, therefore, advises opting for turkey thighs instead, using your usual stuffing, seasoning and garnishes to keep all the flavours you know and love.
According to Chef Mickael: "Whereas the average turkey thigh joint comes in at much cheaper and can easily be sourced from your local butchers which offer better quality and value than the supermarket.
"One turkey thigh can feed up to four people, but I'd go for two just to make sure there's enough. Try not to buy bad quality/cheap meat as this can make or break the Christmas dinner, if you have to buy less meat then bulk up the dinner with more vegetables and stuffing."
Bulk up on veg, and make sure to buy loose
Bulking up a plate with veg is relatively inexpensive and, when seasoned correctly, can be absolutely delicious. Chef Mickael cautions against buying ready-prepared Christmas vegetables in trays or packets, advising shoppers that buying them loose is a far cheaper option.
They explained: "Ready-prepared vegetables are usually around £2.30 from a supermarket, and usually you have to buy two for four people, costing £4.60.
"However, you can pick up better alternatives from your local grocer, such as five loose potatoes for £1 (0.21p each), four carrots for 28p (0.07p each), and four parsnips for roughly 80p (0.19p each). And that’s double the quantity you’d get in pre-packaged bags."
Chef Mickael also cautions against buying out-of-season veg, warning that this will go off quickly and 'taste awful' by the time it's on your plate, making it a waste your money.
Go for a cheaper wine and blend it
Chef Mickael suggested: "You don’t have to buy expensive wine, even at Christmas. If you're drinking the wine, a really fun trick is to buy a cheaper bottle of wine and blend it to enhance the flavour. It might sound crazy, but blending the wine (also known as hyper-decanting) allows it to breathe, creating a mellower and fruitier-tasting wine."
Cheap wine can be used for both drinking and for your gravy, and Chef Mickael suggests having a look around speciality wine shops which offer a 'great selection' and will usually have offers on.
Swap the Christmas puding for something a bit different
Although we do tend to opt for tried and tested festive favourites when it comes to Christmas desserts, there's nothing stopping shoppers from swapping the classic Christmas pud for something both thrifty and tasty.
Chef Mickael's suggestions include lemon posset, jelly and custard, mince pies and pear and apple strudel, as well as their personal favourite, apple pie.
They added: "Apple pie, which is my favourite! Apples are inexpensive and you can buy ready-made pie pastry. Add some festive spices, cinnamon, clove, 5 spices, and star aniseed and use more than one variety to enhance the flavour."
Do you have a Christmas dinner tip to share? Email us at julia.banim@reachplc.com
