An expert shopper has shared how you can get your Christmas dinner for under £5 per person.

As the cost of living continues to cause a strain on households, many Brits will be looking for creative ways to keep their Christmas costs to a minimum. 

One shopper has shared her Christmas dinner shopping list which features turkey and all the trimmings for a total of £4.67 per person.

Eilish Stout-Cairns, actor, 27 from Newcastle, said, “I’m on a budget this year and am in charge of Christmas dinner for the first time.

"I’m doing my whole shop at Aldi where if you get some of the deals it comes to less than a fiver per person.”

Here's everything Eilish has bought for her festive feast and how you can do your Christmas on a budget too.

“Starting with the main event, the turkey, the Ashfield’s Small Whole Bird is £14.99 and serves three to seven people," the savvy shopper said.

"I’m hosting four people including myself, which works out as just £3.75 per person. The one I got is 3.3kg".

From 5p per person, Eilish has shared her top tips for buying potatoes for the big day.

“From 18th December, Aldi has announced that it’s dropping the price of potatoes and other veg," Eilish commented.

"You’ll be able to get a 2kg bag of white potatoes for just 19p! That’ll cost just 5p per person. 

“As an alternative, you can buy a bag of pre-made beef dripping roast potatoes for £2.49. Per person, that’s 62p.”

Eilish also adds pigs in blankets to her Christmas dinner plate from 50p per person.

She commented: "Christmas isn’t Christmas without the trimmings, and pigs in blankets are my favourite. A pack of 12 is £1.99, so you’d get three each.

"That works out at just 50p each. If you need more, I think it works out cheaper to buy a pack of cheap chipolatas and some bacon and do them yourself".

The shopper then shared her go-to for Yorkshire puddings and they're from the supermarket's budget range called Everyday Essentials.

She explained: "You can get 15 Yorkshire puddings for just 46p. That’s only 12p each, and you probably wouldn’t need to use the whole bag if you’re feeding four people".

Eilish picks up her stuffing for 12p per person, noting that the "cheapest way to do it is with a mix".

The shopper added: "Aldi’s Quixo Sage & Onion Stuffing Mix makes 12 stuffing balls and it costs 45p, or 12p per person".

When it came to veg, Eilish said: “Not forgetting about veg, from the 18th December, Aldi is dropping major deals on Christmas vegetables.

"You will be able to get 1kg of carrots for 15p, 500g of parsnips for 19p and 500g of Brussel Sprouts also for 19p. That works out at just 13p a head for all your veg!"

Rounding up her shopping list, the money smart shopper said: “I’ve done the math and it comes to just under £5 per person for a Christmas turkey dinner with all the trimmings!

"If you’re happy to make your own spuds you can bring the cost down even more, but either way it just goes to show you don’t need to spend a fortune to have a traditional Christmas lunch with all the classics".

Christmas dinner full shopping list:

  • Ashfields British Turkey Whole Bird Small, £14.99, £3.75pp
  • White Potatoes 2kg, 19p (available from 18th December), £0.05pp
  • Let’s Party 12 Pigs in Blankets, £1.99, £0.50pp
  • Everyday Essentials 15 Yorkshire Puddings, £0.46p, £0.11pp
  • Quixo Sage & Onion Stuffing Mix, £0.45p, £0.11pp
  • Carrots 1kg, 15p (available from 18th December), £0.04pp
  • Parsnips 500g, 19p (available from 18th December), £0.05pp
  • Brussel Sprouts 500g, 19p (available from 18th December), £0.05pp

Total price: £18.68, or £4.67 per person

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Tom Church, Co-founder of money saving community LatestDeals.co.uk added, “Eilish has shown Christmas dinner doesn’t have to be expensive. You hear of people spending hundreds. You don’t have to. Aldi has a decent selection of good value foods. Cook together, have fun, and enjoy. 

“If you’re looking to spend a bit more and maybe want to throw in a few branded products, I recommend comparing prices to make sure you’re getting the best value on your food shop.

"For example, I used the Latest Deals Price Comparison Tool to find the best deal on a pack of 12 Aunt Bessie’s Yorkshire Puddings and found there was a 50p difference between the cheapest and most expensive supermarket.

"Morrisons is selling them for £2, whereas at Ocado you’ll pay £2.50. By checking just one product you’re already making a substantial enough saving for exactly the same product”.