6 expert tips to save money on your Christmas dinner

‘Tis the season to rein it in (Picture: Getty)

Christmas is just around the corner and with the cost of living crisis continuing to bite, many of us will be looking at ways we can cut back on costs, while still enjoying some festive cheer.

Christmas dinner is one aspect of the festive period that can wrack up some hefty costs, especially with food prices and energy bills on the rise.

So how can you save money on your turkey and trimmings?

Here’s all you need to know.

Choose a vegetarian alternative to turkey

Research conducted by meat substitute company Quorn found that the average price for a large turkey dinner to serve a family of four with leftovers, complete with trimmings such as pigs in blankets, sprouts, potatoes, carrots, stuffing, and gravy, ranges from around £42 to £70.

In comparison, food experts at Quorn told Metro.co.uk that the average price of a meat-free Christmas Dinner using a Quorn Roast is £20.04, a saving of 71% on the most expensive meat-based meal.

As well as swapping turkey for a meat-free alternative, further savings can be made by using vegetarian sausages and bacon for pigs in blankets.

Vegetarian options are often cheaper than their meat counterparts (Picture: Getty)

Buy frozen food instead of fresh food

Buying frozen vegetables can save you heaps of cash in the lead-up to the big day.

Quorn’s experts told Metro.co.uk that the average cost of a packet of frozen roast potatoes was £1.39 compared to £1.75 for a packet of Maris Piper potatoes to roast yourself – saving customers 26% at the till.

Buying pre-made frozen Yorkshire puddings can also be a great way to cut costs.

Quorn found that frozen Yorkshire puddings are one of the least expensive elements of a Chrimbo dinner – costing on average, 69p a packet – much cheaper and time-friendlier than buying flour, eggs, and milk to prepare your own from scratch.

Buying frozen veg is much cheaper than buying it fresh (Picture: Getty)

Use an air-fryer

Using an oven to cook Christmas Dinner can be extremely costly, especially with energy bills at record highs.

A standard oven uses around 68p per hour, meaning that to cook a 5kg turkey for three hours, it would cost £2.04.

However, turkeys can instead be cooked in an air fryer, many of which even have a roast setting.

Air fryers cost around 34p an hour to run and take a much shorter time to prepare.

This means that you could cook a turkey for as little as 75p using an air fryer – a saving of 63% compared with a traditional oven, Quorn found.

Air fryers use far less energy than traditional ovens (Picture: Getty)

Cook vegetables in the microwave

Using a microwave to cook vegetables is another great way to cut down on energy costs whilst making Christmas lunch.

Carrots, sprouts, and peas can all be cooked in under three minutes, with the cooking costs working out at around 3p, Quorn told Metro.co.uk.

This is a 79% saving on using an electric hob, which would cost around 14p, and a 96% saving on roasting veg in the oven, which would cost around 68p.

Microwaves are much cheaper to run than traditional ovens (Picture: Getty)

Only buy what you know you will eat

It can be tempting when food shopping for the festive period to go wild and buy a mountain of food that ends up going to waste.

Make a list of exactly what you need before going to the supermarket – and make sure you stick to it.

Plan ahead what you will lose leftovers for – for example, turkey sandwiches or a curry – don’t buy too much food that has a short shelf life, and leave the sprouts in the shop if you know nobody is going to eat them.

Split costs between friends and family

There’s no need for one person to be lumped with the burden of buying, preparing, and cooking everything this Christmas.

Split costs between friends and family members and have each guest bring a different dish along to dinner.

Not only will this help to split costs, but it will also spice up the meal as everyone will bring their own festive flair to the table.

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The festive period has well and truly begun .