Christmas Dinner Could Cost Just £2.66 Per Head - Simply Shop Around For Cheap Ingredients

How To Make Christmas Dinner Cost Just £2.66 Per Head
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While you might dread the effects that Christmas gift shopping and festive outfit splurges have on your bank balance, there's one way you can claw back those pennies and make a saving next month...

By shopping around for your food.

That's right, Christmas dinner is set to cost less than last year. Good Housekeeping said it would be possible to provide the festive feast for just £2.66 per guest by shopping around various supermarkets for the cheapest ingredients.

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It said the drop in cost was a direct result of the battle between the discounters and the traditional supermarkets pulling prices down for all consumers.

The magazine's sixth annual survey found the cheapest Christmas basket is down 3% on last year.

It also found that all the ingredients to feed eight on Christmas Day could cost as little as £21.31, the third cheapest basket since the survey began in 2009 with just 2012 (£2.51 per head) and 2010 (£2.63 per head) costing less.

A like-for-like comparison across all 10 leading supermarkets found Iceland was the cheapest, with dinner for eight people costing £27.84, including fresh vegetables.

Fellow discounter and last year's winner Lidl came second at £28.13, followed by Morrisons (£29.12) and Aldi (£32.06).

They also found that the cost of the turkey has a big impact on total basket price. Lidl are the only supermarket to sell a frozen bird for under £10.

Iceland and Aldi stock frozen turkeys for £11 while Tesco, Asda and Morrisons sell turkeys for £12 each.

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Christmas Dinner Recipes
Persimmon Bruschetta(01 of25)
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Get the Persimmon Bruschetta recipe from Food52 (credit:Food52)
Artichoke & Roasted Garlic Dip(02 of25)
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Get the Artichoke & Roasted Garlic Dip recipe from Wonky Wonderful (credit:Wonky Wonderful)
Spinach & Artichoke Wontons(03 of25)
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Get the Spinach & Artichoke Wontons recipe from This Gal Cooks (credit:This Gal Cooks)
Grilled Artichokes With Green Olive Dip(04 of25)
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Get the Grilled Artichokes with Green Olive Dip recipe (credit:Sunset Magazine)
Pesto-Sun Dried Tomato Terrine(05 of25)
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Get the Pesto-Sun Dried Tomato Terrine recipe (credit:New Media Publishing)
Cheddar Gougères(06 of25)
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Get the Cheddar Gougères recipe (credit:Quentin Bacon/Food & Wine)
Oysters Rockefeller(07 of25)
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Get the Oysters Rockefeller recipe (credit:EatingWell)
Goat Cheese Red Pepper Tart(08 of25)
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Get the Goat Cheese Red Pepper Tart recipe from A Spicy Perspective (credit:A Spicy Perspective)
Fig, Prosciutto And Blue Cheese Phyllo Puffs(09 of25)
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Get the Fig, Prosciutto and Blue Cheese Phyllo Puffs recipe (credit:Frances Janisch)
Kale & Apple Salad With Pancetta And Candied Pecans(10 of25)
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Get the Kale & Apple Salad with Pancetta and Candied Pecans recipe (credit:Con Poulos)
Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Cabbage And Pine Nuts(11 of25)
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Get the Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cabbage and Pine Nuts recipe (credit:Kate Mathis)
Creamed Spinach And Leeks With Parmesan Crumbs(12 of25)
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Get the Creamed Spinach and Leeks with Parmesan Crumbs recipe (credit:Flat Art Studios)
Gin And Orange Juice Braised Endives(13 of25)
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Get the Gin and Orange Juice Braised Endives recipe (credit:Michael Turek)
Roasted Mushrooms And Shallots With Fresh Herbs(14 of25)
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Get the Roasted Mushrooms and Shallots with Fresh Herbs recipe (credit:Stephanie Foley)
Pure and Simple Potato Gratin(15 of25)
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Get the Pure and Simple Potato Gratin recipe (credit:Flat Art Studios)
Roasted Beets And Celery Root With Goat Butter(16 of25)
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Get the Roasted Beets and Celery Root with Goat Butter recipe (credit:Quentin Bacon)
Roasted Turkey Breast With Creamy Tomato Gravy(17 of25)
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Get the Roasted Turkey Breast With Creamy Tomato Gravy recipe from A Spicy Perspective (credit:A Spicy Perspective)
Civil War Macaroni And Cheese(18 of25)
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Beef Tenderloin Aux Poivre With Brandied Mushroom Sauce(19 of25)
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Get the Beef Tenderloin Aux Poivre with Brandied Mushroom Sauce recipe (credit:Flat Art Studios)
Butternut Squash Lasagna With Shiitake Mushrooms(20 of25)
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Get the Butternut Squash Lasagna With Shiitake Mushrooms recipe from Foodie Crush (credit:Foodie Crush)
Smoked Pork Tenderloin with Bourbon-Rosemary Sauce(21 of25)
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Get the Smoked Pork Tenderloin with Bourbon-Rosemary Sauce recipe (credit:David Prince)
Mom's Roast Turkey(22 of25)
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Roast Turkey Breast With Sage And Vegetable Stuffing(23 of25)
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Jellied Cranberry Sauce With Fuji Apple(24 of25)
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Get the Jellied Cranberry Sauce with Fuji Apple recipe (credit:Frances Janisch)
Yorkshire Pudding(25 of25)
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Get the Yorkshire Pudding recipe from Simply Recipes (credit:Simply Recipes)

Good Housekeeping consumer director Caroline Bloor said: "It's a constant struggle for many to keep family food bills under control, but the current battle between the traditional supermarkets and the discounters is pulling prices down for everyone - and will continue to do so.

"Even at the most expensive supermarkets there are still bargains to be found, for example Waitrose's Christmas cake is 49p cheaper than Aldi's and the cost of potatoes and carrots is broadly the same across all retailers.

"It's a real time of change, and we'll be monitoring it closely to see who's really focused on the customer."

The £2.66 Christmas dinner ingredients across all supermarkets are:

:: Turkey: Lidl Braemoor (£9.99);

:: Potatoes: The Co-operative Maris Piper 1.5kg (£1.50)

:: Sage and onion stuffing: Morrisons, Asda, Tesco 2x85g (30p)

:: Sprouts: Aldi 750g (49p)

:: Carrots: Aldi 1.2kg (49p)

:: Parsnips: Tesco 750g (90p)

:: Cranberry sauce: Tesco Everyday Value 185g (50p)

:: Christmas pudding: Sainsbury's Basics 2x454g (£2)

:: Brandy butter: Aldi, Lidl 200g (£1.49)

:: Mince pies: Sainsbury's Basics Mince Puffs x 8 (65p)

:: Christmas cake: Large Iced Fruit Bar 800g (£3)

Altogether, the supermarket baskets cost:

:: Iceland £27.84

:: Lidl £28.13

:: Morrisons £29.12

:: Aldi £32.06

:: Asda £32.47

:: Tesco £32.98

:: Sainsburys £33.32

:: Co-op £40.49

:: Waitrose £41.05

:: M&S £47.04

Where will you do your food shop this Christmas? Tweet us @HuffPoLifestyle

and let us know!