(image from guardian.co.uk)
The fab folk on MSE forums posted a link to an article in the Guardian from the end of November, where our national treasure, Delia Smith, had put together a Christmas lunch menu for under £5 a head, to include a starter, main course and the pud, as well as Christmas cake and mince pies.
The recipes are mostly there but they do send you on to Delia's website for a few of the more basic ones.
I'd love to hear if anyone has any cheaper ideas! I'm sure that some of the super scrimping tightwaddy people out there have some other ideas - let's share?
7 comments:
As recommended by Margeurite Patten in her Wartime Cookbook, I put a grated carrot in my pud and in my cake [and reduce the dried fruit by 4oz]
My teetotal forbears always replaced the brandy with strong cold tea [usually some left in the teapot after each brew- fill up a jug in the fridge]
I don't have dill in the garden - but do have chives.
And If you have a wide band of ribbon [or pretty Christmas wrapping paper] you need only 'top ice' the cake, and leave sides plain.
Is a starter absolutely essential for Xmas dinner? we do not usually bother! I think I might do something cheaper - maybe a pate and melba toast, or perhaps homemade soup - going all cheffy and serving a tiny portion in my little coffee cups.
Saturday I shall post my tightwaddy homemade cracker tutorial
blessings xx
I have to agree - we don't usually have a starter for Christmas Dinner either. I like the idea for the cake, too, and since I don't think I have got enough roll-out icing, I may just do that...but then I would have to find ribbon somewhere - decisions, decisions!!
Thanks for your ideas, Ang - hope you are feeling better xx
What I liked about the Delian meal was that you could prepare so much in advance.
I do serve a starter on Christmas Day, because then I feel that I can 'simplify' the main course a little by cutting out some of the side dishes. This year I'm serving mini croissants filled with ham and cheese and warmed through, with a herb salad on the side. I bought the croissants from the reduced section (32p for twelve). Three packs are in my freezer, waiting to be used.
@Andrea - love the idea of the filled croissants - sounds scrumptious. I think I need to be in the shops at the right time to get such bargains as these, as I don't seem to come across them any more.
I know what you mean about the starter allowing you to pad out the meal as I did that once when I had people coming to Sunday lunch and I had to do it all with basic stuff I had in the fridge/freezer/storecupboard and they ended up with a starter of some kind [I can't remember now], sausage plait with veg and gravy and then a fruit crumble and custard and they all went home really full, and didn't notice that they hadn't had the traditional Sunday roast at all.
Thanks for joining in x
I'm afraid we are totally untraditional on Christmas day - and have curry! A home made prawn and chicken version with rice, parathas and salad. Easy to make the day before so no stress! Nobody likes turkey here so it is definitely off the menu :)
I do a big roast (lamb) and all the trimmings on Boxing day and have my mum and brother round for a feed. The lamb usually stretches to 2 roast meals and a huge pot of broth to get our moneys worth :)
@Susan - and why not? I think we should all do what our families like and not be bound by tradition. Last year we had beef, although the YFG didn't like that and insisted on turkey so she got a turkey drumstick! This year I have a four bird roast from Aldi, which I won't be able to eat, so I may have a lamb steak.
This is our first year of plant-based eating so we're having mushroom and nut Wellington. We didn't have a starter last year as we had guests and I couldn't come up with anything that all of us liked. It actually eased the pressure as it was my first year of having a mini-oven with 2 rings on top as my only means of cooking.
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