Christmas lunch for under $150… can it be done? Christmas is such an exciting time of year, but it’s also expensive and it can lead to a lot of waste. One of the things most wasted at Christmas time is food. We expect such an abundance of food every year, but there is such thing as too much. With this in mind, I set out to create a delicious and affordable lunch for ten people, while not spending any more than $150.

First, a disclaimer. This $150 didn’t cover decorations, table settings or alcohol. Just the food. It also relies on you having the basics in the cupboard or fridge. So, let’s take a look at what I made.

Christmas lunch for under $150

Meat

I had two meat options. The Woolworths Gold Free Range Leg Ham and a BBQ chicken. Feel free to buy your own chicken and roast it, but I took the easy option. I glazed the ham with a glaze of honey, maple syrup and mustard (all in my pantry).

Total cost= $44

Hot vegetables

I went for the basics here – pan roasted potato and sweet potato. I parboiled them the day before and kept them in the fridge. Before cooking, I shook them in the saucepan with some oil and Tuscan seasoning and then put them in the oven on a baking tray with oil that was preheated. This makes them super crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

Total Cost= $12

Salads

I chose two salads, one vegetarian and other is my favourite summer salad with avocado, prawn and mango.

Pumpkin, feta and baby spinach salad

Roast your pumpkin then add to a bed of baby spinach. Add feta and then roasted pine nuts and balsamic glaze (from your pantry).

Total Cost = $9

Prawn, Avocado and Mango salad

Use the Woolworths Summer Salad Mix and add cooked prawns, avocado and mango on top. Drizzle with the dressing in the salad pack.

Total Cost = $21.50

Dessert and Nibbles

I did a mini grazing platter for the nibbles. I combined Maggie Beer Triple Cream Brie, Maggie Beer Fig and Walnut Paste, Woolworths Cracker Selection, Woolworths Mixed Nuts, Choc honeycomb, fruit, Woolworths Summer Berry Mince Pies and Corinthian wafers.

For the stand-alone desserts, I put together a summer fruits pavlova using a Woolworths 500g pavlova base, whipped cream and fruit. I also served the Gold Pineapple & Rum Pudding because it’s covered in gold lustre dust and it looks amazing. It’s a real show stopper of a dessert that looks great on the table.

Total cost = $61.72

So yes, I did spend the most on dessert! It’s where my heart lies! But you can change it up to reflect your favourite foods. I just wanted to show you that it’s more than possible to create an amazing Christmas lunch on a budget.

Here’s my full shopping list with a breakdown of cost. I just scraped under the $150!

I threw this Christmas lunch for my wonderful friends and it was lovely to have a kid-free lunch together. Special thanks to my very clever friends, Linda at @EversoSweetHire for the styling and Elana @ElanaClarkPhoto for the photos and video. They make me look good and I couldn’t do all this without them.