Christmas Dinner on a Budget

Preparing a Christmas dinner for six people in the UK on a budget requires strategic planning and a keen eye for deals. The festive season can be expensive, but with a careful selection of ingredients and comparing prices from major supermarkets like Morrisons, ASDA, Tesco, and Aldi, it's possible to create a memorable meal without breaking the bank. 

Tips for Cost-Saving

Set a Budget: Determine your total budget for the meal. This helps in making cost-effective choices.

Plan Your Menu: Decide on the dishes you want to prepare. Traditional items like turkey, stuffing, roast potatoes, vegetables, and Christmas pudding are often expected.

Compare Prices: Look for the best deals across supermarkets. Don't hesitate to mix and match items from different stores. Tools like the Trolley extension are perfect for tracking price differences when shopping.

Buy Frozen: Consider buying frozen items like turkey or vegetables, which are often cheaper and can be stored until Christmas. You can also buy yellow-label foods and freeze them until you’re ready to cook them. Check out our article for more tips on saving with reduced-section foods.

Homemade vs Pre-Made: Evaluate the cost of making dishes from scratch versus buying pre-made ones. Sometimes, homemade can be more economical and unique.

Limit Luxury Items: Focus on essentials and limit the number of luxury items or expensive cuts of meat.

Utilise Leftovers: Plan for meals post-Christmas using leftovers to get the most out of your budget. Turkey sandwiches with cranberry sauce were always a staple of Boxing Day in my family. For more information and tips, check out our article on how meal planning can save money. 

Supermarket Deals

Morrisons: Known for its price cuts on festive items, has cut the price of 58 popular festive items and is committed to keeping prices low until the end of the year. Morrisons offers affordable options for critical ingredients like cranberry sauce, stuffing, and cream. The store's commitment to keeping prices low on popular items can help the budget.

ASDA: ASDA offers a complete frozen Christmas dinner for six at just £25, which is about £4.17 per head. This includes a turkey crown and seven sides. Some of the individual items include Asda Frozen Medium British Turkey Crown (£16), Maple Pigs in Blankets (£2.25), Yorkshire Puddings (£0.98), and Frozen Parsnips (£1.25).

Tesco: Tesco provides a range of unique festive foods. And are supposedly cutting the prices of 100s of Christmas foods. They have affordable and premium options, allowing for flexibility in menu planning. The additional Tesco Clubcard points are a welcome addition and a great way to save, which we get into in more detail in our supermarket reward scheme article. They also price match with significant budget competitor Aldi.

Aldi: Famous for its budget-friendly options, Aldi has introduced a 'price lock' on essential Christmas dinner items, including turkeys, vegetables, and puddings. It is keeping them at the same prices as in 2022, so you won’t spend a penny more than last year on some of the critical components of a Christmas meal. 

Our Shopping List

Much like our article comparing the cheapest supermarkets, I have created several shopping lists of similar products from five of the most popular budget-oriented supermarket stores. In the list, I include popular and traditional items you would often find at the Christmas dinner table. The list consists of Turkey, Yorkshire pudding, various vegetables, potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing mix, pigs in blankets, Christmas pudding and brandy sauce. All prices are correct and checked at the time of writing. 

Final Thoughts

Each supermarket has its strengths, with Morrisons focusing on popular items at reduced prices, ASDA offering a complete dinner package, Tesco providing a range of unique festive foods, and Aldi locking low prices on essentials. Budget-conscious shoppers in the UK have various options, ensuring a festive and affordable Christmas dinner for up to six people.

With smart shopping, taking advantage of supermarket deals, and creativity in the kitchen, you can serve a delightful Christmas dinner for six people in the UK on a budget. This approach saves money and adds a personal touch to the festive celebration. Remember, the essence of Christmas dinner lies in the joy of sharing a meal with loved ones, not in the extravagance of the dishes served. 

If you’re wondering which of the above supermarkets has the cheapest weekly grocery shop for vegans, check out our article on the subject for a detailed comparison.