Families across the UK look forward to the festive season for months but this year the usual excitement may be overshadowed by worry about the associated costs, particularly when it comes to the all-important Christmas Day meal. Added to soaring energy prices, mortgage rates and rent costs, the price of basic ingredients is placing a significant strain on household budgets. With many home cooks looking to reduce the cost of this year’s Christmas food shop, any tips, tricks and recipes to help us save money without compromising on those little magic touches that make Christmas special are like festive gold dust. But help is on hand! Here to guide you through the challenges of festive cooking on a budget are our savvy authors, who we’ve asked to create a selection of budget-friendly Christmas recipes.
Following on from Max La Manna’s three-course plant-based menu, this next instalment is all about the sides. We asked the author of one of our favourite cookbooks of the year, Meliz Berg, to create a set of budget-friendly veg-centric dishes to help you reduce the cost of your Christmas feast. These colourful and creative recipes are full of Turkish Cypriot twists (think pomegranate molasses glazes, sesame sprinkles and plenty of honey) and lots of tricks to keep the costs down, from shorter ingredient lists to no-cook or microwave cooking methods to help you use less energy.
Meliz Berg’s Sticky Pan-fried Brussels Sprouts
Meliz takes the classic Christmas vegetable and transforms it with the addition of honey, pomegranate molasses and toasted nuts. You can also opt to cook your sprouts in the microwave to keep energy costs down.
Meliz Berg’s Sautéed Herby Green Beans with Sesame and Pumpkin Seeds
These crisp green beans finished with a sprinkle of sesame seeds are cooked rapidly on a high heat to help you minimise energy costs and dial up the flavour of your dish in the process.
(Un)Braised Red Cabbage Slaw
In this clever recipe, Meliz has devised a way to enjoy all of the flavours of braised cabbage in slaw format, which means zero cooking time required. Perfect for your Boxing Day cold cuts, it’s packed with apple, orange and festive spices.
Keep up to date with the latest recipes from Meliz on Instagram and don’t forget to get your copy of her debut cookbook, Meliz’s Kitchen.
