Christmas Dinner with Lidl

This is a sponsored post brought to you with Lidl. As ever, all opinions are my own. Thank you so much for supporting Kerry Cooks!

It’s finally December so that means that us Christmas-lovers can cover everything in tinsel and fairy lights and the naysayers can’t say a single thing about it! There are at least fifteen sets of fairy lights on the go in my house right now (no joke, the local fire brigaide are probably parked outside as we speak!), and it all looks so pretty! I’ve been sitting on the sofa in my fairy-light covered lounge browsing Christmas recipes – I especially love the Sandy Claws pie (everyone loves the nightmare before christmas) and the giant chocolate reindeer cookie.

I’m really happy to be teaming up with Lidl once again to show you some seasonal shortcuts to a delicious and inexpensive (but not cheap) Christmas meal. Inexpensive but not cheap is Lidl’s whole philosophy and I love it because its kind of mine too! Like I’ve never understood why people sometimes prefer to spend more money than they have to just because a certain product is a brand they know. Sure, but is it better? I love baking, but I tend to use the least expensive chocolate / butter / cream cheese I can (as long as it gives the same or a better result!) rather than go around spending all my pounds on expensive ingredients just for the brand name. If it does a better job, I’ll switch, but if the results are the same….. I’ll keep my pennies to spend on other things!

By the way, have you seen this #LidlSurprises adverts? I love the look on the little girls face when she gets the gingerbread house! I think it’s such a clever marketing campaign too (as a fellow marketeer – marketing is my day job!). They’re also using tweets and facebook posts from fans on social media to provide messages for their marketing, and they picked one of my tweets (raving about their ridiculously good goat’s cheese again!) to use! I was super excited. My local Lidl is now packed of a Saturday morning so I guess its working, although it does make it somewhat harder for me to reach the goat’s cheese (seriously get some).

Most of my picks are from the deluxe range, which is across chilled, frozen and treats. There’s also the favorina range featuring everything that you might sample at a European food market at Christmas, from stollen and gingerbread to chocolates and spiced biscuits. The products I’m featured are while stocks last (so get there fast!) and prices may vary by store.

 

My Christmas dinner: (by the way, these are all available as long as stocks last)

• Mediterranean sharing platters with olives, stuffed vine leaves, smoked salmon, prosciutto and feta
• Three fish roast with all the trimmings
• Tiramisu, plus honey roast pecans, baklava and mince pies to snack on later!
• ALL THE CHEESE!
• Plus a delicious Barolo and Champagne Premier Cru Brut

I personally don’t see the point of a starter at Christmas dinner – a few things to nibble on are much more my speed! Why give yourself more work to do and dishes to prepare?

Plus we need to save all our hunger and anticipation for the main event – Christmas dinner!

 I went for the Three Fish Roast since I don’t eat meat. Haddock, cod and salmon in a delicious white sauce with a breadcrumb topping. Soo easy and delicious too! I served this with roast potatoes and maple roast baby carrots.

 To me, what’s more interesting than the formal dessert (in this case ridiculously easy ready-made tiramisu and creme brulee) are the yummy picky bits for when you actually feel peckish again. Mince pies, honey roast nuts, baklava are what I picked up but there’s so much to choose from that I was literally paralysed by indecisiveness for a few minutes in this aisle (anyone else get that?).

Of course, as everyone knows the best part of Christmas is really eating all the cheese! Even though I was there to shop for this post, I was still taken aback by the fact that you can get all these cheese’s plus the board (FREE CHEESEBOARD!) for £5. I also love the fact that everything is sourced in neighbouring counties to me – Leicestershire and Staffordshire (except the French cheese!).

 What’s your approach to Christmas dinner – do you make a homemade starter and dessert? Do you think it’s worth the effort?

By the way, did you notice a few wrapped presents under my tree? Fortunately a lot of the presents have been rectangular… I have wrapped up one mug and that was a bit of a disaster!

 

x Kerry

 

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