Nick Nairn & Lidl: Christmas on a budget

Published on 01/12/2008 01:07

Christmas is a season for over-indulgence, but more and more it's our purse strings as well as our belts that are feeling the strain after a hearty Christmas feast, with price comparison site mysupermarket.co.uk showing that the average Christmas dinner will cost between £72.97 and £82.04 this year.

A major reason for the expense is that nowadays so many of us rely on pre-prepared food, where much of the cost is in preparation and packaging with only a small percentage being attributed to ingredient costs.

However, choose the right produce, plan ahead and invest a little time and effort in the kitchen, and you could find that it pays dividends by saving you hundreds of pounds throughout the year! To prove how much getting into the kitchen can save you a fortune, the Nick Nairn Cook School have designed a Christmas banquet for 6 which costs just 4.98 per head. There's nothing frugal about this menu, but with careful choices there's a feast to be had.

"Most opt for turkey at this time of the year, however with turkey prices at a premium you can spend less and get a better quality bird by opting for a good chicken, grouse or pheasant," advises John Webber, head tutor at the Nick Nairn Cook School. "We've chosen chicken, as it's what most are familiar with and will provide a much more moist eating experience that turkey."

Nick Nairn and his fellow Cook School chefs Alan Mathiseon and John Webber have chosen to base their menu on products bought from Lidl, with Lidl's emphasis on optimum quality produce and fresh, healthy fruit and veg at low prices complimenting Nick's passion for promoting healthy eating in Scotland. There's nothing frugal about this menu, but with careful choices there's a feast to be had.

Nick says "This gourmet Christmas dinner shows that investing in cooking skills will save you money immediately. There's no need to shy away from indulgence if you cook things from scratch. A ready made celebration meal for 4 from any supermarket would easily set you back 80, but at 4.98 per head, this will save a fortune."

Menu: Warm potato cakes with smoked salmon, crme fraiche and roe, Nick's perfect roast chicken with chestnut stuffing and steamed marmalade pudding.