There are some things you need to spend money on to make a great Christmas feast and other areas where you can cut some corners. Photos / Supplied
For many Kiwis, Christmas is more about the food than it is about anything else, even the presents. I spend months in advance planning what I am going to cook for my family on the big day and over the years I have found that there are some areas you need to pay more for quality, but quite a few others where going budget is A-OK.
You need a good ham. It won't be cheap, but it will be worth it. Ask at your local butcher, most of them will let you order one in advance. If you have a Farro fresh near you they have wonderful Harringtons or Freedom Farms hams on-the-bone that you can pre-order. There are a range of sizes, but the half ham on the bone will give you plenty of days of wonderful leftovers and will set you back between $110-$140. If you plan to glaze and bake your ham try one of these wonderful glaze recipes.
In my family it is not Christmas without seafood and the last decade or so has seen a baked side of salmon or rainbow trout take centre stage on our Christmas table every year. Salmon isn't overly cheap but you don't need to get the most expensive option. The most important things when purchasing a side of salmon is freshness and sustainability. You will always get good quality from
or
, both offering salmon farmed in the South Island. Choose from a variety of options, including pre-smoked, but you can't go past a pin-boned side.
You don't need a fancy turkey, although if you want to spend a little extra on free-range, go for it. Get a frozen one ahead of time to save money, just make sure you give it three days in the fridge to defrost. The key to a good turkey is what you do with it. Fill it with a good cranberry and walnut stuffing, baste regularly with oil and lemon juice and serve with a lovely herb-infused pan gravy. Tegel's Number 3 frozen turkey is great value from your local supermarket.
Megan's stuffing
Makes: enough for a 2-3kg turkey
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
3 Tbsp chopped fresh herbs (rosemary, sage)
Grated rind of 1 lemon + Tbsp of lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp chopped dried cranberries
1 Tbsp chopped walnuts
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Simply combine all ingredients, but add the olive oil and lemon juice a little at a time and mix, you don't want the mixture to be too wet. Stuff into turkey cavity and roast.
It is not Christmas without pavlova, but you don't need to spend a fortune on a gourmet meringue, in fact, any dessert that is going to be smothered with cream allows a lot of latitude. If you don't fancy baking your own just grab a pre-made meringue from the supermarket. If you layer on the cream (more on that below) and keep your cash for the toppings you decorate it with such as fresh raspberries, mango and cherries. If you are worried about it cracking - don't. There is very little that can't be fixed with copious amounts of cream or you can go always with the flow and turn it into an Eton mess.
A lot of the best Christmas dessert decadence comes with a spoonful of cream. Everything from pavlova to Eton mess and trifle has a hefty helping of cream. You may be surprised to know that – in this humble writer's opinion – you don't need to go top end for your cream. My mum always added a teaspoon full of vanilla and a tablespoon of icing sugar to cream before whipping it, a combination that elevated even the no name brands to greatness. Of course, you are welcome to indulge in some lovely Lewis Road or Puhoi Valley cream if you want to treat yourself, but the supermarket brand version that comes in a one litre bottle will get the job done too.
Sugar meets brandy meets cream, what more could you want at Christmas? Hence the festive popularity of the traditional brandy snap. Unless you are a perfectionist don't attempt to make your own brandy snaps, and don't go gourmet, these supermarket ones are great and are very affordable.
I don't own salad dressing, apart from a few rare gems I have found over the years there are very few dressings that offer more to your salad than can be gained from a drizzle of good quality olive oil, vinegar and a smattering of fresh herbs. So, my advice, don't buy any, they are usually too sweet, instead do some exploration of different vinaigrettes you can make yourself, it can be done well ahead of time and kept in an airtight jar in the fridge. For some salad dressing inspiration check out: Kathy Patterson's 15 vinaigrettes for spring and summer salads
Everyone has their favourite, but a foodie colleague of mine swears that the ones from your local
or
are as just as good as the gourmet bakery variety. Her tip? Just warm slightly and sprinkle with a little icing sugar before serving.
If you are putting together a cheese platter for nibbles you might be surprised to learn that you don't need to spend a fortune. Obviously, you want a mix between hard, soft, sharp and mild cheeses, but you don't need to go too fancy. Save your money on cheese and spend a little on some marinated figs, roasted nuts, good crackers and a quality honey for drizzling.
These tasty and affordable cheeses are always winners, are available from your local supermarket and all fall at or below the $10 mark:
A famous and unique French cheese with a mild and smooth taste, perfect for any cheeseboard. This cheese was born in the abbey of port salut, France in 1816.
A hard sheeps cheese from Spain that provides a wonderful sharp addition to your cheeseboard.
Food Snob Dutch Cumin Gouda is a fine example of this traditional Dutch cheese with the addition of flavour-packed cumin seeds.
Blue cheese is my absolute favourite and there are some wonderful imported and local beauties that I will spend my money on for a special occasion but I am never disappointed by trusty old Castello Blue. The right balance of creamy and enough of the intense cultivated mould to please, but not enough to offend those with a delicate palate.
When it comes to Christmas crackers you really don't want to go cheap. The main point of the traditional cracker is they add colour and sparkle to your table and the act of pulling them till they pop, then rolling your eyes at the bad jokes and making each other wear the silly hats is a time honoured tradition, so don't be too skimpy. Look for sturdier, larger crackers like
these ones from Smith + Caughey
that will add some shimmer to your table.
I enjoy baking my own bread, but at Christmas, when there are so many other things to do, I just can't bring myself to do it. Instead, I indulge in those trusty supermarket par-baked rolls that you finish off in the oven. They are not fancy, they're just white rolls, but the act of baking them for five minutes fills your kitchen with a wonderful scent and there is nothing quite like a still warm roll that you can spread with butter and watch it melt in.
Christmas is all about cherries and berries don't you think? Which is why you should indulge while they are in season. Boxes of Otago cherries can be pre-ordered online for Christmas, for strawberries there are lots of pick-your-own options not far from home, while for your raspberries, blackberries and strawberries Farro has a great selection.
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