I haven’t had a minute to blog every single one of the recipes, but I knew people would be curious about the individual costings for the Christmas dinner that I cooked for The One Show (Friday 19th December) so I’ve given them below.
I cooked a roast chicken in place of the turkey, as it fits in the oven and I won’t be eating it for a week afterwards! Mine was a free range one, and I used half of it to serve the four taste testers, so I’ve said it serves 8. It was a pretty big chicken!
Portions are based on what I cooked on the day – and all diners went home ‘stuffed’ in their own words! I cooked for 4 that you’ll see on camera, and plated up dinner for me and the boy to have when all the fuss died down and everyone went home…
As usual, all prices based on Sainsburys and Sainsburys Basics, all meat is free range, and all correct at time of going to blog/film/telly/etc…
The Christmas dinner main course was chicken roasted in mandarin juice and cranberry, with roast potatoes, sweet glazed parsnips, roasted carrots, sprouts with bacon, BIG pigs in blankets, and home made gravy…
I’ve blogged the recipes for the starters and desserts that I cooked – and I’ll do this one in full when I’ve dispensed with my banging migraine (day four) as it’s a bit…multitasking… But for now, here’s the cost breakdown for the curious…
Basted bird, £9.71 or £1.21 per head if serving 8:
Large free range chicken £9.63
1 tbsp cranberry sauce, 4p
Mandarin juice from tin, free ( using mandarins in dessert – costed there)
Veg, £1.23 or 20p each if serving 6:
1kg potatoes, 48p.
500g Carrots, 30p.
350g parsnips, 45p.
Sprouts with bacon, 66p or 11p per head if serving 6:
400g frozen Sprouts, 40p
2 rashers of free range streaky bacon, 36p
Pigs in blankets (makes 6): 66p each
6 rashers of free range streaky bacon, £1.07
6 free range sausages, £2.89
Gravy: 14p, 2p per head
1 chicken stock cube, 2p
1 tbsp flour, 3p
Shake of mixed dried herbs, 3p
Drained juices from the roasted chicken, including mandarin and cranberry, free
Oil for chicken and veg: 150ml (10tbsp), 20p
Ingredients by total weight and price:
Potatoes £1.19/2.5kg. Carrots 89p/1.5kg. Parsnips 90p/700g. Frozen brussels sprouts £1/kg. Colmans cranberry sauce £1/265g. Free range streaky bacon £2.50/14 slices. Free range sausages £2.89/6. 10 chicken stock cubes, 20p. 1.5kg flour 65p. Sunflower oil £4/3l, or 2p per 15ml.
Jack Monroe. Twitter: @msJackMonroe