FREE PDF PRINTABLE CHRISTMAS FAMILY MEAL PLANNER AND GROCERY SHOPPING LIST

CHRISTMAS FOOD SHOPPING LIST TEMPLATE: FREE PRINTABLE MEAL PLANNER & GROCERY LIST)

Looking for a Christmas food shopping list template you can print and use to plan and prepare your Christmas food this year? Well, look no further. Grab a copy of my free PDF printable template.

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) on the meal planner. 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
• Side dishes
• Dessert
• Cheese board
• Drinks

HOW TO DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE PRINTABLE TEMPLATE

If you are already a subscriber to Mums Make Lists, please simply click on the relevant image or link below to download your copy of the free printable Christmas food shopping list template with a meal planner and grocery list.

I’ve created an A4 size version and an American letter size version. Both versions are available with both the black and white template and the colour template options.

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CHRISTMAS FOOD SHOPPING LIST 

I’ve put together a Christmas food shopping list of all the things that I include in my main Christmas day food shop. The shopping list is based on my Easy Christmas Dinner Menu and should help give you an idea of what you might like to include on your food shopping list for Christmas day.

WORKING OUT WHAT TO PUT ON YOUR CHRISTMAS FOOD SHOPPING 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 YOUR CHRISTMAS 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.

BEFORE YOU GO…

I really hope that sharing my simple Christmas food shopping list and meal plan template helps you to plan your Christmas day food and feel a little less stressed and overwhelmed than you might otherwise.

Don’t forget to take a look at my Easy Christmas Day Menu, it includes links to some great recipes for all the dishes mentioned. You might also like to take a look at my week-by-week Christmas planner, it really will help make it easier for you to plan for Christmas this year.

Luci McQuitty Hindmarsh

Hello, I’m Luci, founder of Mums Make Lists (Est. 2011). Over the last decade or so, I have combined my experience as a mum, journalist and shopping editor to create useful guides and lists of ideas and inspiration to make it easier for busy parents to plan and host kids’ parties and find great gifts. Read more.