Christmas dinner on a budget: How to make celeb chef Tom Kerridge's turkey meatloaf traybake

Christmas can be overwhelming, especially during a cost of living crisis. But there are ways to celebrate Christmas, and have a great Christmas dinner, on a budget.

The Big Issue has teamed up with top chefs to ask them for their best recipes for a budget-friendly meal, and we were served up a treat.

Tom Kerridge, a celebrity chef known for his pub classics, tells us: “Christmas can be a really difficult time. The financial stress of having to choose between heating and eating and making sure the kids have the presents they want, can be overwhelming.

“Add to that the pressure of cooking a full-blown Christmas turkey with the trimmings and it’s easy to see how the festive period can turn into quite a dark time for people.” 

• How much more expensive is Christmas dinner this year in the cost of living crisis?
• How to make Christmas dinner for the whole family for just £20

Alongside footballing star Marcus Rashford, Kerridge launched Full Time Meals – they share budget-friendly recipes for families on their Instagram @fulltimemeals. They’ve kindly shared some budget Christmas dinner recipe ideas with The Big Issue.

Kerridge says: “This is a super simple, super tasty Christmas meal that costs less than £10 and comfortably feeds between four to six people. It’s all cooked in one dish, so less washing up and more time to spend with friends and family.”

Recipe for Christmas dinner on a budget: Tom Kerridge’s turkey meatloaf traybake

Serves 4-6 

Ingredients

• 500g turkey leg mince 
• 400g sausage meat 
• 85g sage and onion stuffing 

Vegetables 

• 100ml vegetable oil 
• 300g potatoes peeled and cut into half or quarters (ensure all are a similar size) 
• 4 large carrots peeled, topped, tailed and cut in half 
• 1 small savoy cabbage cut into quarters 
• parsnips tailed and halved if large, smaller ones keep whole 
• 300g sprouts, halved 

  Gravy 

• 200ml water 
• 4 tbsp gravy granules 

From your store cupboard: 

• Salt, pepper and oil. 

  Method

• In a large bowl, add the turkey mince, sausage meat and stuffing, with a good pinch of salt and pepper. With your hands, mix and work into a large ball. 
• Shape the ball into a log shape, roll up tightly in cling film and pop into the fridge for an hour or so (can be made the day before if you are feeling organised). 
• Peel the potatoes, carrots and parsnips and cut as instructed in the ingredients list. 
• Put the potatoes, carrots and parsnips in a saucepan of water, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 5 minutes. 
• Strain and place in a large roasting tray, leaving space for the cabbage and turkey meat loaf. 
• Remove the cling film from the turkey meatloaf. 
• Place the cabbage wedges in the gap in the roasting tray and place the turkey meatloaf on top. As the vegetables and turkey meatloaf cook, the cabbage will soften underneath. 
• Now drizzle the veggies and turkey meatloaf with vegetable oil and pop into a pre-heated oven 185C to roast for 40 minutes. 
• After 40 minutes add the sprouts to the tray and pop back into the oven for another 35/40 minutes. 
• Once the turkey meatloaf and veggies are cooked, remove from the oven, cover with tin foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. 
• Meanwhile boil 200ml of water in a saucepan and stir in the gravy granules. 
• Reduce to a simmer until the gravy thickens and looks ready. 
• To serve, divide the vegetables between four plates and slice the turkey meatloaf into big wedges, add these to the plates and ladle over the gravy. 

More recipes for a budget Christmas dinner:

• Tom Kerridge and Marcus Rashford’s Christmas dinner on a budget
• How to make Sandro Farmhouse’s Christmas cookies on a budget
• Cheap Christmas dinner idea with turkey, stuffing, sprouts and pigs in blankets
• Christmas dinner on a budget: BOSH! recipe for the perfect roast potatoes
• Budget Christmas dinner side dish: Dan Pelosi’s creamy caulifower skillet