Growing your own Christmas dinner (including the turkey) could cost you £250

The average cost of Christmas dinner for six people is now £93, according to a survey by the Sunday Times.

It can be bought more cheaply, of course. But many view Christmas as a time for excess, and are happy to pay more for better quality. If you're interested in the quality of your food (and where it came from) you might have considered growing your own Christmas dinner.

If you follow this guide, you could grow your own Christmas dinner in time for Christmas 2013! Just be prepared: it could cost you over £250…

The veg - up to £30

Hearty root vegetables can complete the perfect Christmas dinner. To grow your own Christmas vegetables, all you'll need is a little time, patience and a few extras. You don't even need much space - as all of these vegetables can be grown in small containers. We've found these products to help you get started*:

• A potato-growing kit from Marshalls Seeds (£10.95). This includes 3 bags to grow your potatoes in, 15 Charlotte seed potatoes, a free chitting tray and 75g of potato fertiliser.
• This 'grow your own Christmas veg' kit from gadgets.co.uk (£7.95). It includes a packet of Brussels sprout seeds, a packet of carrot seeds, two starter pots, two compost discs and two wooden plant markers. Just remember to move the plants to your garden or a bigger plant pot as they grow.
• Multi-purpose compost to help your plants get the nutrients they need, like this bag from greenfingers.com (£8.99).

Here are some detailed guides for growing:

• Potatoes
• Brussels sprouts
• Carrots

The bird - £200

This approach certainly won't be for everyone - but if you've got the right environment (and enough patience) you could buy and rear your own Christmas turkey. To do this, you'll need:

• A turkey. The cost of buying a turkey is affected by how old it is (younger turkeys are usually cheaper, but they'll cost you more to raise) and where you buy it from. Bear in mind that turkeys are sociable creatures, so it's usually recommended that you buy two or more. Let's say that two mature turkeys will cost you about £45.
• Food for your turkeys. This bag will cost you £10.50 . The younger your turkey when you buy it, the longer you'll have to feed it…
• Shelter for at night or when you leave them alone. You can invest in a large chicken coop, like this one for £95.99, if you think it gives them enough space - or make your own with some wire and wood.

Before you get a turkey - as with any animal - you'll need to do your research first, to make sure you look after them properly. Here's a guide to get you started.

The total cost depends on how much you feed your turkeys, how much they cost initially and how much you spend on housing them. You may also have to pay extra for your birds to be slaughtered and prepared for the table if you're not absolutely sure how to do it humanely yourself.

It could end up costing you over two hundred pounds.

The beer - £23

If you fancy brewing your own beer, rather than buying it, how about this real ale kit, which makes 40 pints and costs £23.05?

What next?

Once you've got dinner growing, you can turn your attention to making your own decorations and presents. Click here for more guides.

* Offers are subject to each store's own terms and conditions. They could be changed / removed at the retailer's discretion (particularly where expiry date is not actually stated). All offers featured in this article were accurate on 19/11/2021 and based on online prices - so prices in stores may be different. Prices shown in this article may not include VAT or delivery charges.