A festive feast -FOR LESS!

Entertaining doesn’t need to cost a fortune. Here are more of our GH SAVE tips and tricks to ensure your season sparkles – no matter how much you spend…

Pick your favourites

Before you write your shopping list, ask your family and guests what they really like to eat at Christmas and, more importantly, what they don’t. It sounds obvious, but it’s easy to feel pressured into serving certain things (sprouts, say, or red cabbage), but it’s a waste of money if nobody actually enjoys eating them.

The early bird

Seek out multi-buy offers on high-value items, such as wine, and start buying early. This helps spread the cost and you’re more likely to get good deals earlier in the season. Search online to find bargains – and not just in supermarkets. Check out Majestic, Laithwaites and Virgin Wines, too.

Crown it

If serving smaller numbers, a turkey crown is a far more economical option. A bone-in crown still looks magnificent as a centrepiece, or choose a boneless one and make it go even further with a tasty sausage and breadcrumb stuffing. Visit goodhousekeeping.com/uk/ turkey-crown for recipe inspiration.

Meaty mains

For the confirmed carnivores looking for a festive roast, be that poultry or meat, it’s easy to overbuy to impress. Be guided by how much you’ll actually need per person, to minimise overspending. Aim to buy the highest-welfare poultry or meat you can afford, and make up those costs by choosing cheaper and fewer sides. Alternatively, make those sides work harder and portion less meat.

Be drink aware

Don’t go overboard on your drinks selection. Alcohol is a major expense when entertaining and quickly adds up. You really don’t need to offer a cocktail cabinet full of options – plus guests will usually bring a bottle or two as well. See page 182 for our top tipple recipes.

Plan for success

It’s no surprise that planning meals helps you stick to a budget. Write a list of what you’ll need to prevent impulse buying at the supermarket and putting tempting but unnecessary festive fare into your shopping basket. Don’t just include suppers either – plan your breakfasts and lunches, and shop accordingly to avoid last-minute panic buying and splurging. Don’t forget to factor in using up leftover ingredients.

RSVPS

If you’re planning on hosting a larger party, get an accurate headcount so that you can cater drinks and food accordingly, otherwise the temptation will be to over-cater and overspend.

Rent, don’t spend

Hosting a canapé party? Look into renting not only the glassware but also the serving platters and dishes. Buying more will quickly rack up costs and it can be hard to find somewhere to store them afterwards, too.

Be energy-efficient

Keep the use of multiple cooking appliances to a minimum to cut down on energy costs. Better yet, pick recipes that use only one pan, as this will cut down on the washing-up, too!

Food-waste warrior

Be on the lookout for avoidable waste – this often gets overlooked during times of feasting. Citrus fruit looking a bit sad? Slice and open-freeze, then keep frozen, ready to use as cocktail garnishes. Whizz stale bread into breadcrumbs, freeze and use as needed; stir limp leaves and herbs into soups; and sign up to food-waste apps such as Olio to share what you can’t use.

Twice as nice

We all know leftovers make for great, easy meals, but their volume can get overwhelming when you’re entertaining. Arm yourself with freezer-safe containers and portion, label, date and freeze so you can enjoy them at a later date, rather than binning them.

Go veggie

It’s no secret that eating plant-based meals can significantly cut costs, but, understandably, not everyone wants a turkey-free Christmas. You can cut out meat in other areas of your menu and go veggie with your starter, sides or stuffing. See goodhousekeeping.com/uk/ best-vegetarian-christmas-recipes for some meat-free inspiration that will help save you money.

Bring a dish

An easy way to cut costs is to ask everyone to bring a dish, but remember to oversee what people are planning to avoid an unbalanced spread or repetition. Friends and family will want to help reduce stress and to feel they have contributed, so doing this ticks that box, too. n