Cheaper alternatives for your Christmas dinner

Forget ‘grey is the new black’, this year, pork is the 'new beef', according to Waitrose.

With beef inflation soaring an eye-watering 27%, it’s no wonder so many people are swapping steak for something a little easier on the wallet.

Waitrose’s annual food and drink report shows recipe searches for “lasagne with pork mince” have doubled, while “pulled pork nachos” are up 45%. Pork-mince sales overall have jumped 16%, as home cooks tweak their dishes to fit tighter budgets.

So it got us thinking… what swaps could you make for a cheaper Christmas dinner without losing the fun, the flavour or the festive magic?

Here are some ideas for an economical Christmas feast, without scrimping on the taste.

Swap turkey for chicken

The turkey-at-Christmas tradition goes all the way back to Henry VII. But after a few hundred years, maybe it’s time to give the royal bird a rest.

Turkey is still one of the priciest festive meats, even when frozen. Chicken, meanwhile, is often half the price and just as delicious when roasted with herbs, butter and plenty of garlic.

A quick price check at Tesco shows:

• Tesco British turkey whole bird extra large (7.0 - 8.8kg) – £31.00 (£4.43/kg)
• Tesco extra large whole chicken (2.1 - 2.6kg) – £6.35 (£3.02/kg)

And if you want to really cut costs, chicken thighs win every time.

Tesco British chicken thighs come in at around £2.99/kg.

Imagine a tray of juicy, golden, marinated thighs sizzling straight out of the oven… simple, affordable and a real crowd-pleaser.

Swap premium sausages for chipolatas for cheaper pigs-in-blankets

A Christmas dinner without pigs-in-blankets is unthinkable.

But you don’t need to buy gourmet sausages to get the full festive effect. Chipolatas are cheaper, just as tasty, and arguably even better wrapped in streaky bacon.

For example:

• Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference old English sausages – £9.36/kg
• Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference pork chipolatas – £8/kg

Same festive treat, just a slightly slimmer sausage and a noticeably slimmer bill.

Make your own stuffing

Stuffing packets might be convenient, but homemade stuffing is cheaper, can be tastier, and the perfect way to rescue food that may otherwise be heading for the bin.

If you’ve got some bread that’s looking a bit tired, blitz it into breadcrumbs.

Add celery, onion, garlic, butter, herbs, and maybe a handful of dried fruit or nuts.

And there you have it, rustic, fragrant, homemade stuffing for pennies.

Homemade gravy, the easiest win of all

Fancy gravy can cost a small fortune, but, it could be argued that the best gravy comes from what’s already in your roasting tin.

Whisk meat juices with a stock cube, water, and a knob of butter. Add a splash of wine if you’ve got an open bottle. Simmer, season, and enjoy.

Buttered cabbage

It’s time to give cabbage its Christmas moment.

Cabbage is one of the cheapest, and healthiest, vegetables you can buy.

Simply slice and slow-bake it with butter and cracked black pepper, and you’ll have a melt-in-the-mouth side dish that beats parsnips and sprouts hands down.

Swap Christmas pudding for bread-and-butter pudding

Traditional Christmas pudding can be pricey, and not everyone loves it.

Bread-and-butter pudding, on the other hand, is warm, nostalgic, inexpensive, and uses ingredients you probably already have, including leftover bread, butter, milk, sugar, eggs and a handful of currants.

Or… skip the roast entirely and have a curry

Why not ditch the whole traditional roast and go full festive-curry?

A 2024 survey by instantprint found one in six Brits would prefer a curry on Christmas Day. And the trend is growing so much that many curry houses now offer special Christmas menus.

At Zouk, for example, you can get a Christmas feast for £17.50 per head.

And someone else does the washing up!