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.
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.
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.
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Sainsbury's
Product
Price
Small Whole Basted British Frozen Turkey 2.6kg-3.8kg
£17
Stamford Street Co. 15x Yorkshire puddings
£0.44
Sainsbury's Broccoli Florets 900g
£1.50
Sainsbury's Cauliflower Florets
£1.50
Sainsbury's Sliced Carrots
£1.50
Sainsbury's British Maris Piper Potatoes 2kg
£1.35
Sainsbury's Brussels Sprouts
£1
Sainsbury’s Cranberry Sauce
£0.69
Sainsbury’s Sage & Onion Stuffing Mix
£0.40
Sainsbury's 12 pigs in blankets
£3
Sainsbury’s Christmas Pudding 800g
£5.50
Sainsbury’s Brandy sauce 500g
£2.50
Total Value:
£36.38
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Morrisons
Product
Price
Medium Whole Turkey with giblets, typically 4.5kg
£17
Savers 15x Yorkshire puddings
£0.46
Morrisons Broccoli Florets
£1.55
Morrisons Cauliflower Florets
£1.30
Morrisons British Sliced Carrots
£1.39
Morrisons white potatoes 2kg
£1.29
Morrisons Brussels Sprouts
£1
Morrison’s Cranberry Sauce
£0.59
Savers sage & onion stuffing mix
£0.30
Morrisons 12 pigs in blankets
£2.99
Morrisons Rich Fruit Christmas Pudding 800g
£4
The Best Brandy Sauce
£2.75
Total Value
£34.62
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Tesco
Product
Price
British Frozen Small Basted Whole Turkey 2.6-3.8kg
£16
Hearty Foods Co. 15 Yorkshire puddings
£0.46
Tesco Broccoli Florets
£1.30
Tesco Cauliflower Florets
£1.20
Sliced Carrots Peeled & Cut
£1.09
Tesco Maris Piper Potatoes 2Kg
£1.36
Frozen Button Brussels Sprouts
£1.30
Tesco Cranberry Sauce
£0.69
Tesco Sage & Onion Stuffing Mix
£0.45
Tesco 12 pigs in blankets
£3
Tesco Christmas Pudding 800G
£4
Tesco Brandy Sauce 500g
£2.25
Total Value
£32.65
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ASDA
Product
Price
Basted Medium British Turkey 3.9kg - 5.29kg
£16
ASDA 12 Yorkshire puddings
£0.98
Frozen for Freshness Broccoli Florets
£1.50
ASDA Frozen for Freshness Cauliflower Florets
£1.30
Frozen for Freshness Sliced Carrots
£0.97
British Light & Fluffy Maris Piper Potatoes
£1.70
Frozen for Freshness Brussels Sprouts
£1
ASDA Cranberry Sauce
£1
Just Essentials stuffing mix
£0.30
12 Maple Pigs in Blankets
£2.25
The Bakery at ASDA Scrummy Christmas Pudding 800g
£4.50
Extra Special Brandy Sauce 500g
£2.85
Total Value
£34.25
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Aldi
Product
Price
Ashfields Small British Turkey Whole Bird 2.8- 4kg
£14.99
Everyday essentials 15x Yorkshire puddings
£0.50
Four Seasons Broccoli Florets
£1.09
Four Seasons Cauliflower Florets
£1.09
Four Seasons Sliced Carrots
£1.09
Nature's Pick Maris Piper Potatoes 2kg
£1.35
Four Seasons Brussel Sprouts
£1.09
Bramwells Whole Cranberry Sauce
£0.55
Quixo Sage & Onion Stuffing Mix
£0.45
10 Specially Selected Pigs in Blankets
£2.39
Holy Lane 6-month matured Christmas Pudding 800g
£3.69
Cowbelle Brandy Sauce 500g
£1.69
Total Value
£29.97
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.
I joined MyVoucherCodes as a Deal Expert, searching the web and sourcing the best deals, discount codes and sales to benefit our readers. I decided to combine these money-saving skills with my love of writing and become an Editor, sharing what I have learned to help you get the most out of your money. As a student for four years, I understand the need to budget and get more for less. As well as providing budget-friendly advice here at MVC, I have written money-saving works for well-known publications such as The Sun and Pick Me Up!
I love playing video games and later writing reviews at GameReport in my spare time. I also enjoy anything to do with technology and cool gadgets, and I'm constantly adding extras and components to my home gaming computer. Additionally, I love DIY. Having worked in a tool store as a student, I enjoy fixing things, whether my car or home.
