Making the perfect Christmas dinner (or as perfect as it can get on a student budget)
Sally Priddle offers a student friendly step-by-step guide to the ultimate student Christmas dinner (yes, pigs in blankets are included!)
Prep
Peel and cut all the vegetables before you start and put them in pans full of water so they stay fresh.
If you are having cauliflower cheese make the dish up and put it in the fridge
Be prepared: laying out your stuffing and sausages earlier on will prevent any panic later on when you’re trying to juggle four sets of over boiling vegetables.
Meat
Turkey may be the traditional Christmas offering, but let’s be honest - if the parents aren’t buying it’s not going to happen (and it probably wont fit in the oven anyway).
You can grab two medium chickens in Asda for £7, or, if Gosforth is a bit too far, Tesco’s are only £4 anyway.
Pigs in blankets are essential, obviously. Prewrapped sausages often provide a cheaper (and yet easier) option.
Asda 15 sausages wrapped in bacon £2.50 or Tesco 12 sausages wrapped in bacon for £2
Stuffing: Personal choice between balls and squares
Asda’s own Sage and Onion stuffing £0.60 or Tesco’s own Sage and Onion stuffing £0.60
Given the student living oven practicalities it’s inevitable you’re going to have to cook this meal in shifts. Cook the meat earlier as you can always warm it up in the microwave – although if your gravy is hot enough you probably wont notice anyway.
Gravy
When all your veg are boiling away nicely and potatoes crisping it is time to begin the gravy (one of the most important parts of the meal).
Drain the chicken fat out of the roast tin into a smaller pan, add in 3 chicken cubes and cheat a little bit by adding in some chicken gravy granules.
For a festive treat (only if you can save some) pour in some white wine, mix all these ingredients together with a good helping of boiled water.
Perfect Roast Potatoes
Perfect roast potatoes aren’t as hard as you think.
1. Part boil the spuds for 10 minutes while you heat up oil on some baking trays in the oven.
2. After draining the potatoes give them a bash about in the colander to give them fluffy edges. Sprinkle on some plain flour or semolina powder to give them an added crisp.
3. Tip the potatoes into your trays, be careful as the oil will spit. Then roast them in the oven turning occasionally to make sure they are nice and brown for around an hour to an hour and a half
Veg
Grainger market is your one stop shop for all vegetable bargains, but if you can’t cope with the trek home, then all your favourite supermarkets are doing great offers on whatever veg you could wish for.
Veg is easy but it is all about timings, to make your own life easier peel and cut the veg before you begin.
Cauliflower Cheese: When the potatoes have been in for around 50 minutes- an hour, put your cauliflower cheese in the oven
Carrots: At the same point turn on your carrots, due to the quantity all of the veg will take a bit longer than normal
Broccoli: After having the carrots on for 5-10 minutes put the broccoli onto boil
Puddings
To you life simpler and cheaper buying puddings is the best way to end your Christmas meal.
Chocolate Log: Asda £1.50, Tesco £1.15
Small Christmas Cake: Asda £5, Tesco £3
Mince Pies (6): Asda £1.50, Tesco £1
After Eights: Asda £1, Tesco £1
Drinks
With the festive season upon us there are drinks offers everywhere.
Wine: Asda: 3 bottles for £10 Tesco: 3 bottles for £12
Mulled Wine: Asda £2. 48 Tesco £3.09
Baileys: Asda £10 Tesco £15
