Cut back this year on your Christmas spending without dampening the festive spirit. It's possible to fill your home and fridge with lots of holiday cheer just by using a few clever ideas that don't involve spending lots of cash. So let simplicity and restraint be your guiding lights this holiday season
Spend less on food and drink
Save on Christmas decorations
Simple recipes
Spend less on food and drink
Want to throw a party without blowing the budget? You can still get friends and neighbours round without writing 'bring a bottle' on the invitations. Mulled wine is the perfect seasonal party drink. It's also economical in that you can use inexpensive country wine mixed with apple juice or even water to stretch the quantities.
Whether you're having a 'friends' Christmas or getting together with family, make it a group effort by asking different people to bring offerings of food and drink. No one is suggesting you turn up with a bowl of steaming Brussels sprouts! but there are plenty of accompaniments like snacks and nibbles, drinks both alcoholic and soft, the Christmas cake or pudding, even the box of Christmas crackers, all of which can add up to a tidy sum if one purse is responsible. That way there are more compliments to go round and the hosts don't feel overwhelmed with all the work and expense.
If it's a small gathering or you're a novice cook and don't want the stress of the full-on roast turkey dinner simply scale it down to suit the numbers. A crown turkey breast is a manageable-size joint, easy to cook and you won't know it didn't come from an 18-pounder once it's sliced and on the plate. Turkey steaks can also be jazzed up for the special day, prepared in advance and spend only minutes in the oven instead of hours.
The tree
Start with house decorations and the all-important Christmas tree. There's no rule that says it has to be pine or spruce. Look around the house and garden for substitutes. Potted bay trees make wonderful features when strung with fairy lights. Even some hardy house plants can support a bauble or two and can be positioned throughout the house to add festive sparkle. If you do buy a traditional tree, it's worth investing in one growing in a pot - they are kinder to the environment and with a little care can be recycled year after year. Put them outside when Christmas is over and water them throughout the year like any other patio plant. Cut trees are charged by the foot so buy a shorter one and stand it on a table draped with an old white sheet and string some coloured lights round the base. And if you can bear to wait to the last minute, there will be bargains for the last remaining trees at the local lot or garden centre. It's even a tradition in some European countries to make an event out of buying and decorating the tree on Christmas Eve.
Wreaths and plants
If you have limited space but still want the fresh scent of a live tree, ask for scrap branches at a tree sellers (you may even get them for free) and pop them in a large flower vase with other seasonal foliage from the garden. Tie a red ribbon round the vase and hang your favourite baubles and decorations from the branches. Place extra branches on window sills or bind them together with wire to make an informal wreath to hang on the front door. Attach a few red baubles, pine cones or some of your prettiest Christmas cards and tie with a satin ribbon bow. Ivy is another inexpensive yet festive plant that can be wrapped around candles, the mantle, even as part of a table setting.
Room decorations
For decoration in front of a large mirror or over a mantelpiece, cut varying lengths of ribbon and tie a bauble at one end. Use pins or Blu-tack to hang them in an arranged or random pattern against the wall or at the top of the mirror. String fairy lights around doorways or windows. Use plain string to make a zig zag pattern against a blank wall and hang Christmas cards - it may be an old fashioned idea but will add colour and decoration without costing a penny!
Recycle
When it comes to wrapping (and more importantly unwrapping) your gifts, try to recycle as much as you can without becoming a bore. Keep a box for ribbons and bows, especially if you have lots of other occasions throughout the year, like kids' birthdays to wrap for. Good-quality wrapping paper is worth carefully folding or rolling, you can use it to wrap a smaller present next time; and if you're feeling really industrious it can even be carefully ironed to remove creases. Not only are you saving money, you're helping the environment too be throwing away less.
SIMPLE RECIPES
Mulled Party Wine
To serve 20 people you will need approximately four bottles of wine, or be more economical and buy a three-litre box. You can also replace the apple juice with water.
4 bottles (or a 3 litre box) full-flavoured red wine like Cabernet Sauvignon
750ml/1 pint 5 fl oz apple juice
750ml/1 pint 5 fl oz water
200g/7 oz sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
8-10 cloves, wrapped in a muslin pouch and tied with string (this makes it easier to remove for serving)
2 oranges
2 lemons
Place the wine, apple juice, water, sugar, cinnamon and cloves in a large saucepan and heat slowly, without boiling, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.
Meanwhile squeeze the juice from one orange and one lemon and add to the wine. Slice the remaining orange and lemon then cut each slice into garnish size segments and add to the mixture. Taste to see if it needs more sugar and serve warm.
Traditional Mulled Wine recipe
Turkey Crown Breast with Cranberry Glaze and Apple, Sage and Walnut Stuffing Balls
A 3kg crown breast is about 6 1/2 lbs and will serve four people (or two to three with leftovers). Making the stuffing into balls doesn't take much time and roasting lets them go nice and crispy on the outside. It also makes a good alternative for vegetarians.
2.5kg-3kg/5 1/2 lb-6 1/2 lb crown turkey breast
25g/1 oz butter, softened
salt and pepper
3 tbsp cranberry sauce
3 tbs red wine (use leftover mulled wine if you have any)
200ml/7fl oz good quality chicken stock
For the stuffing
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
25g/1 oz butter
175g/6 oz fresh bread crumbs
1 dessert apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped
75g/2 3/4 oz walnut pieces
5-6 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
salt and black pepper
1 egg, beaten
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F (for a fan oven reduce the temperature to 160C) /gas mark 5. Rub the crown breast with butter and season with salt and pepper. Place in a small roasting tin and pour the stock in the bottom. Roast for one hour.
Gently heat the cranberry sauce and red wine to make a glaze. After 45 minutes of roasting remove the turkey and brush with the glaze, return to the oven and roast another 15 minutes, basting once with the glaze. When fully cooked remove, cover loosely with foil and leave in a warm place to rest.
To make the stuffing melt the butter in a frying pan and fry the onion and celery until soft but not coloured. Set aside to cool. In a large bowl mix together the breadcrumbs, apple chunks, walnuts and sage and season with salt and pepper. Add the onion mixture and egg and mix well. Form into 4cm/1 1/2 inch balls and place in a lightly greased roasting tin. They can be stored in the fridge for several hours until ready to bake.
Once you remove the turkey from the oven, increase the temperature to 200C / 400F /Gas mark 6pop in the stuffing balls and bake for 20 minutes.
Slice the crown roast with the stuffing balls and pour over the pan juices.
Duck Breasts with Red Rice and Orange Pilaf
Tired of turkey but still want to cook something that little bit special? Duck breasts are quick to cook and have such nice flavour you don't need a lot of extras. Unlike chicken, duck is OK to cook medium rare and 'pink' is the best way to serve it, rather like a good steak. Cook longer for those who like it well done. Red Camargue rice makes a nice change from brown or wild rice and adds a full-flavoured, nutty dimension to a meat as rich as duck.
Serves 2
2 duck breasts
1/2 tsp allspice
salt and pepper
125g/4 1/2 oz red Camargue rice
25g/1 oz butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
zest and juice of one orange
200ml/7 fl oz good quality chicken stock
Score the skin of the duck and rub with the allspice, salt and pepper. Cook the rice according to packet instructions.
Place a frying pan over medium heat and cook the duck breasts, skin side down for six to eight minutes each side. The length of cooking will be determined by how large the breasts are and how you like them done.
While the duck is cooking fry the onion in the butter until soft. Stir in the drained red rice, parsley and orange zest, season with salt and pepper and heat through.
When the duck is cooked, remove from the pan and allow to rest while you make the sauce. Pour off most of the fat which will have come out of the skin and add the orange juice and chicken stock, scraping up any brown bits from the pan. Simmer for five minutes or so until reduced by half.
Slice the duck, fan on a bed of rice and pour over the sauce.
Christmas Pudding Ice Cream
The simplest home-made ice cream you'll ever make. You still get the flavour and tradition of Christmas pudding but somehow putting it into ice cream makes it lighter after a big meal. Get a small, store-bought, individual pudding for this delicious dessert. You can make it days in advance, just remember to take it out of the freezer to soften 20 minutes or so before serving.
200g/7 oz Christmas pudding
200ml/7 fl oz whipping cream
200ml/7 fl oz ready-made custard
rum or brandy, to serve, optional
Crumble the pudding as best you can. Whisk the cream to soft peaks, then fold in the pudding crumbs and the custard. Spoon into a plastic container and freeze.
Take the ice cream out of the freezer to soften 20 minutes before serving. Scoop into bowls and drizzle over the rum or brandy, if desired.