Christmas Dinner Menu Ideas + Free Planner
Whether you’re planning a Christmas dinner menu for the first time or just want some refresher tips and ideas, this quick and simple holiday guide is for you.
Plus you can grab the free printable Christmas Menu planner template to plan and prepare your Christmas food this year.
The template includes a meal plan section and a grocery list, so you can plan out every stage of your big Christmas meal (lunch or dinner) whether you’re having a meal with your family or hosting a big dinner for a group.
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Then, you can note all the ingredients you will need to buy on the grocery list.
The meal plan section has space for each of the main elements of a Christmas meal:
- Appetisers
- Main course items
- Dessert
- Grocery list
Get the Free Menu Planner
Pop your email address in the form at the end of this post and the menu planner will be in your inbox before you know it.
Tips and ideas for Planning Your Christmas Food Shopping List
I learned a long time ago that the best way to keep stress levels down in the run-up to Christmas is to spend time planning for Christmas Day in advance.
One of the most important things I do every year is to write out my Christmas food shopping list. I tend to do the first draft of my list in November.
This may seem early, but I like to get it done as soon as I’ve drawn up our Christmas budget for the year.
It’s not that I don’t update my Christmas Day menu nearer to the time. It’s just that it is easier to have a basic plan in place rather than scrabbling to come up with a menu when there are 101 other things going on in December.
Keep it Simple
The other thing that I’ve learned over the years of planning and hosting Christmas Day is to keep my Christmas dinner menu simple!
It’s very easy to get carried away planning three different kinds of potato dishes, numerous homemade sauces and side dishes.
But actually, the easiest way to create a total mouth-watering Christmas dinner is to focus on buying the best quality produce and planning a meal where everything on the menu complements everything else.
This way, you get to actually have the energy to sit down and enjoy eating Christmas dinner with your family and guests, rather than arriving at the table in a hot mess and feeling too exhausted to actually enjoy it.
Working Out What to Put on Your List
There are a lot of things that you could put on your food shopping list, and it can feel somewhat overwhelming to try and put together a Christmas day food menu and a big list of all the ingredients you need.
So, to help you plan your Christmas food shop, here are some tips and things to consider when you are deciding what to have to eat and drink on Christmas day.
Turkey, Goose, Chicken, Beef or Non-meat?
The centrepiece of most Christmas dinner tables is the main course meat or non-meat option.
Turkey is hugely popular as the meat of choice for Christmas day, there’s a brilliant YouGov Christmas food survey that details just how popular turkey is in the UK, with 54% of Britons choosing to have it on their Christmas day menu.
The meat popularity then goes like this:
- 54% – turkey
- 10% – chicken
- 8% – vegetarian alternative
- 7% – beef
- 4% – something else
- 3% – lamb
- 3% – pork
- 2% – goose
- 1% – duck
So, even though turkey is still hugely popular, you don’t have to go with it. Particularly if budget is a consideration.
Ultimately, you can make any meat or vegetarian alternative feel Christmassy by what else you serve it with.
Other Things to Consider if You Are Having Turkey
You will need to work out what size turkey to buy based on how many people you are planning to have eating their Christmas meal with you.
You will hopefully know who is a big eater and who is a small eater amongst your Christmas dinner guests, but here’s a good rule of thumb guide:
How Much Turkey Per Person?
You can assume that adults will, on average, eat somewhere between 140g and 175g of turkey meat. You can scale down for kids based on their age.
Of course, if you are buying a whole turkey, the weight of the turkey includes bones and everything else, so use this rough guide to help plan the size of the turkey to buy:
- Small turkey (3-4.5kg) is usually enough for 6-8 adults
- Medium turkey (4-5kg) is usually enough for 8-10 adults
- Medium-large turkey (5-5.5kg) is usually enough for 10-12 adults
- Large turkey (6-6.5kg) is usually enough for 12-15 adults
If you are up against it with your budget for a turkey, you could opt for a smaller turkey and then add cheaper meat, such as pigs in blankets or meat stuffing to the menu.
It’s also important to decide on whether you will go for a fresh or frozen turkey.
Either way, you will need to make sure you have enough room to store the turkey in the fridge or freezer. Otherwise, you could be in for a very stressful time!
Plus, if you are going for a frozen turkey please, please remember to check how long it will need to defrost thoroughly before you cook it.
How Much Time Do You Actually Have to Prepare the Meal?
The other important thing to bear in mind is how much time you actually have to plan and prepare the Christmas meal.
Don’t saddle yourself with hours and hours worth of preparing food if, actually, you will be time-poor on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning.
There is no shame in opting for ready-made stuffing, pigs in blankets, and pre-prepared vegetables.
And now, grab your free printable and get planning…
Download Your Free Printable Template
Pop your email address in the form and the free menu planner will be in your inbox before you know it.
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Hello, I’m Luci, founder of Mums Make Lists. The site is full of useful and fun ideas for life and seasonal celebrations. Plus a growing selection of instantly downloadable fun printables and party planners. Read more.