The Great 'Posh Nosh For No Dosh' Hunt

MSE_Martin

What's it all about?

Christmas time is expensive enough as it is without worrying about the cost of food and drink and entertaining.

So I thought I'd tap MoneySavers' collective knowledge for tips on how to cut the cost of posh nosh. Whether it's catering with supermarket deals like BOGOFs, cheap recipes, unusual places to get low cost ingredients or whipping up gourmet snacks from leftovers share your tips here.

To take part just click reply and enter your tip.

Martin

Former_MSE_Andrea

technical bump

comping_cat

A cheap starter, thats quick and easy to make, but tastes expensive is mackrel pate. Buy a smoked mackrel filet, half a tub of ricotta cheese, mix together with a little salt and pepper and serve - yummy!!!!

This also freezes really well, so if you make to much, or want to make it for later, you can!!!!

apprentice_tycoon

Another cheap fish pate is a smoked salmon pate made with smoked salmon trimmings (about £1.20 per pack from Tesco).

In a processor mix a pack of the trimmings with about 1oz of softened butter, lemon juice to taste, some snipped chives, don't blend too smoothly, this serves at least 2 with toast

dolly_day_dream

Many years ago I worked as a nanny to a millionaire and learnt that presentation is everything. If you lay the table with care, polish and shine your (non matching) glasses, have white crockery, cos then no one notices if it matches or not, use cloth napkins, put everything into serving dishes (then you can save the leftovers to reheat for later), make a small flower arrangement or have candles, then whatever you serve seems so much better.

kathyd_2

We all have supermarket loyalty cards and I shall be redeeming mine next week - £70 worth of 'free' food. With some of that free food... 1 packet of pizza base mix, 1/4 tube of tomato puree, 1 onion and grated cheese... I will be making pizza bites for boxing day buffet:

Make up pizza base according to pack instructions
Roll out and spread with tomato puree
Gently fry onion and spread over pizza
Top with grated cheese
Roll pizza up like a sausage and cut into 1/2 inch slices
Lay flat on an oiled baking tray and bake in hot oven

Cost about 15 mins worth of electricity.

frankiep_2

My favourite budget starter is a tin of Sardines in Tomato sauce. around 19-29p, mash them up very finely with a good squirt of lemon or lime juice and lots of freshly ground black pepper, spread on dainty triangles of toast, no butter to keep it crunchy, and serve with some salad leaves and a little finely sliced red onion, and maybe a few quartered cherry tomatoes, or a little piece of fresh herb on top, whatever you have to hand, as good as expensive fish pate....don't let on what it is though!

gingin_2

I echo the fish pate, I use the same quantity of cream cheese to fish and add herbs an lemon juice. Puff pastry is also good, sprinkled with cheese. rolled into a swiss roll and sliced thinly and baked to make little nibbles, you can be inventive and place other ingredients in too like parma ham or tomato puree.

You can buy a whole chicken for under £3 and that can easily be stretched to make a dinner party meal for six to eight adults, risotto and a thai chicken noodle (main course) soup are good for this, I poach the whole chicken for these dishes which creates the stock, utilising the whole bird. Mushrooms are also a good value way of bulking out a lot of meals.

I buy most of my regular spices in 250g - 1 kilo pack's from our local indian supermarket, compared to the tiny little jars from the supermarket it can work out at a 15th of the price over time.

Last New Year Tesco's were selling their fancy christmas jars of nuts reduced from £5 down to 68p, I can't wait to buy some this (next?) year especially as no one is going to know when you serve them out of the jar.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

this isnt os...as its not making it yourself...but it is saving money ...

the supermarkets have loads of seasonal foods...that they only have this time of the year....with fancy food etc....

you find that a lot of food that is especially made for the christmas market.....the sell by date.... goes before christmas.....so why dont you start going to the supermarkets in the evening.... when they are doing their final reductions......or even on christmas eve a hour or two before they are due to close......

if you are not looking for something specific....you are bound to get some 'posh nosh' for practically pennies...

in the past i have had salmon....turkeys for less than a £1.
and they should have been over £20.

ideal for freezing......dont forget.....reduced veg.... as you can blanch and freeze.....

at the end of the day.....the supermarkets order loads of fancy foods as they are competing for your christmas big shop....

didnt do it last year....as i wasnt in the mood (depression)..
so will see how i feel this year....

Sarahsaver

Cava is just as enjoyable as champagne.
The smoked salmon trimmings look impressive if you serve them up in an ice bowl;) with cocktail sticks to 'fish' the salmon out LOL They are only 99p in morissons and somerfield
Get the 'party' food on xmas eve or new years eve as they always over stock.
Better - and cheaper still make your own. Swirl bread is impressive.
Make bread dough from economy flour, roll it out flat and smother in pesto, roll up like a swiss roll and cut into slices.
Bake on a tray and it looks so nice and costs 27p for the flour, 75p for the pesto from our local Turkish grocer
ENJOY

MadCowMan

continuing with the pesto theme....

Home made Ciabatta type bread or ideally a reduction towards the endo f the day ( you are going to be toasting it so it doesn't have to be 100% fresh )

slice the ciabatta like a burger bun , drizzle some olive oil on it then rub the 2 halfs together to spread it.

spead some cheap pesto (Aldi do a good one ! ) on both halves and a few chopped olives. sprinkle plenty of parmesan cheese over the top.

Toast it in a hot oven for 10 minutes or so then slice into fingers and serve for posh , easy nibbles !