Emma Gill tried and tested the money-saving option
Iceland’s Christmas Dinner For 4 in a box(Image: Manchester Family / MEN)
Christmas dinner can end up being one of the most expensive – and time-consuming – meals of the year. So it’s no wonder that Iceland’s £25 dinner in a box, feeding four, is becoming increasingly popular.
The boxes were first launched by the frozen food retailer last year and include everything you need for a full festive roast: an 800g turkey breast joint along with beef dripping roast potatoes, maple glazed Chantenay carrots, stuffing balls, sprouts and bacon, parsnips, pigs in blankets and turkey gravy.
From frozen, you can get it all cooked in just over two hours, or if you want to defrost the turkey first, you can bring it down to an hour and 10 minutes.
It can all be cooked in the oven, or you can choose to pan fry the carrots and sprouts, and you can use an air fryer for the pigs in blankets and stuffing balls too. MEN parents editor Emma Gill tried it out and here’s what she and her family thought.
Emma wrote: “It’s a bit of a faff having different temperatures, but with them ranging from 180 degrees to 200 degrees, I went with 190 in our convection oven and it was all fine. I just gave the turkey and parsnips a few minutes on our air fryer’s roast setting to give them some extra crispiness.
Iceland’s Christmas Dinner For 4 in a box(Image: Manchester Family / MEN)
“Overall it was pretty simple to put together, especially when you compare the time it takes to prep and cook everything from fresh. And there was more than enough for the four of us, even without the Yorkshire puddings we decided to add.
“Of course it looks lovely on the box, it would wouldn’t it, but what about in real life? Well I was actually very impressed with how it turned out overall. And, minus the sprouts, even the kids cleared their plates.
“Roast potatoes done from scratch are always going to be nicer than frozen ones, but these are an ideal cheat if you’re wanting an easier option. A decent size, they’re fluffy on the inside, crispy on the outside and the beef dripping gives a really tasty flavour, especially if you add a bit of salt.
“And there’s plenty more flavour too, with the maple glaze carrots and the buttery sprouts – not forgetting some rather delicious turkey gravy – bringing something extra to the table.
“If you’re looking to keep costs down this Christmas, but wanting to keep things cheap and simple, with this £25 meal in a box, you really can’t go wrong.”
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Dining and Cooking