It's the most wonderful time of the year, but for some, with the spiralling cost of living, the price of cooking a Christmas dinner can be an unwanted burden.
A festive roast will be almost 10% more expensive this year - and many families are already feeling the squeeze with one in six expected to use items from a food bank in their seasonal meal.
But nobody should have to miss out on Christmas dinner, and luckily there may be a remedy for financial woes in the form of Canned food.
It's affordable, accessible, and has a much longer shelf life - and a 'Christmas tinner' might be a saving grace for many this festive period, but is it any good?
Have you ever had a roast tinner? Let us know in the comments...
Emma Revie, chief executive at the Trussell Trust, said that that food banks are "preparing for the busiest and toughest winter yet", and that rising costs have led to a "drastic increase" in the number of people using their items.
Lindsay Boswell, CEO at FareShare, added that their research found that many households are seeking support "for the first time" despite being "fully employed", with more than half being families with kids.
So armed with his trusty tin opener, James designed a three-course festive feast using (almost) nothing but tinned items. And better still, it all came in for less than a fiver per person.
Starter - Spiced carrot and parsnip soup w ith rosemary crackers (£1.01 per portion)
James said: "Soup is the original winter warmer, and of course, a store cupboard staple. Faced with a somewhat daunting wall of broth-filled cans, one flavour clearly stood out beyond the rest. The classic combination of spiced carrot and parsnip was a clear winner.
"Not too filling or too rich - gentle hints of cumin coupled with the sweetness of the root veg woke up the taste buds and perfectly kicked-off the meal.
"Rosemary crackers paired perfectly adding some great crunch. Not tinned I admit, but for a total of £1.01 a portion, the combo gives a lot of bang for your buck."
James' starter included a tin of spiced carrot and parsnip soup, which came in at 90p per portion, and rosemary crackers for 11p per portion.
Main - Christmas roast with (most of) the trimmings (£2.63 per portion)
James continued: "It's the holy grail of the festive feast. Now, whilst tampering with the classic formula might be sacrilegious to many, a canned-Christmas dinner requires a little extra culinary creativity.
"We all know that a crunchy spud is non-negotiable, and these turned out to be pretty great. After patting dry, covering in oil and seasoning, they were blasted in the oven.
"They took an age to get crunchy and appeared to hit a crispiness–plateau around the 90-minute mark, but they really did steal the show.
"Canned turkey was tricky to come by but its poultry cousin the tinned chicken saved the day. The way it matched the shape of the tin it came from was a little unsettling, however, unlike many poorly cooked turkeys, it was moist. And once smothered in gravy, it wasn't half bad."
"Here's where things got a little interesting. As mentioned, I was adamant to use tinned items wherever possible. For the 'stuffing', I used a can of meatballs - minced pork meat like the real deal - in which I carefully washed off the 'gourmet' tomato sauce, and patted them dry.
"These were put into the oven to let crisp up, and surprisingly, they weren't entirely horrendous.
"The next curveball was the 'pigs without the blankets', using a can of hotdog sausages, washed off the brine and cut these into chipolata lengths and under the grill they went. These had some bite, but the flavour was a little underwhelming.
"The Yorkshire pudding is an area of contention for Christmas dinner purists. But I can't deny that these were delicious. Again, tinned puds aren't a thing - trust me, I looked everywhere - so it was a tried-and-tested dry packet that not only did the job, but tasted great.
"Finally, it's the veggies. Sadly, tinned sprouts were tricky to come by, but the carrots, peas and green beans were simply reheated in the microwave.
"And while they brought back memories of over boiled greens granny used to make, a knob of butter resurrected them from the dead.
"All in all, the roast came out looking and tasting much better than expected - and for £2.63 a portion, it's the cheapest Christmas dinner you'll find."
James' roast dinner consisted of tinned Yorkshire pudding batter, Green beans, hot dogs, meatballs, carrots, garden peas, chicken gravy granules, chicken breast, and cranberry sauce.
Desert - Christmas pudding and custard (£1.21 per portion)
James added: "The marmite of Christmas, with Sainsbury's latest research predicting nearly a third of Brits won't be serving the festive delicacy this year. But pairing the basic pud with a tin of custard was a merry marriage made in heaven."
James' Christmas pudding cost just £1.21 per person, and consisted of Christmas pudding and custard."
Fruit trifle (£1.61 per portion)
James continued: "If you're one of those who finds the Christmas pud a no-no at Noel, then fear not, this fruit trifle should fit the bill.
"Comprising a trio of tinned delights - custard, mandarins, double cream, along with a layer of sponge fingers (from a packet also), you can't go wrong with the desert.
"I made the greedy error of tucking into this straight after making it, but for best results, pop in the fridge for a couple of hours to let set.
"James' fruit trifle all came from cans, and consisted of Strawberries, mandarin pieces, thick cream, sponge fingers, and custard.
Final takeaways…
James concluded: "On the whole, the dinner looked and tasted better than expected - think school dinners on a good day. And it was enough food to feed a family of four a three-course meal for the price of a small turkey crown.
"While many are feeling squeezed this winter, I urge everyone to get a little creative with their cupboard essentials this Christmas - the outcome may be better than you think.
"But if they're not, don't fret. Gravy is the saviour."
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