Succulent turkey, golden roast potatoes and platefuls of trimmings … it’s hard to beat a Christmas dinner. But what if I told you this mouthwatering feast isn’t all it appears? In fact, the whole thing was in the freezer two and a half hours ago, it comes in a box and costs just £25 from Iceland.
As a foodie, Iceland isn’t the first place I’d normally go for festive goodies, but the freezer experts have pulled out all the stops this year with an entire Christmas dinner for four in a box.
The meal kit, which has gone viral on social media, has been selling out nationwide, with shoppers fighting to get their hands on what has to be the best-value roast in the country.
Part of the supermarket’s “luxury” range, the box claims to contain everything you need to feed a family of four. There’s a turkey breast joint; beef dripping roast potatoes; maple-glazed chantenay carrots; pork, onion and sage stuffing balls; sprouts and bacon; honey-glazed parsnips; 12 pigs in blankets; and, to top it off, a pot of turkey gravy.
At just £6.25 a head, it sounds too good to be true — especially as Sunday roasts are approaching the £30-a-plate mark in central London. Better still, you can stick it in the oven straight from the freezer with no extra prep.
Frozen food is having a moment this Christmas. Yorkshire puddings are the obvious ingredients, but from roasties basted in wagyu beef fat (Waitrose, £3.50) to pigs in blankets (Tesco, £3), cauliflower cheese (Sainsbury’s, £2.40) and sprouts sautéed with chestnuts and savoury butter (M&S, £4.50), there’s almost nothing you can’t now get pre-chopped, prepped and ready to cook from frozen.
George Holden, frozen food buyer at Waitrose, says it’s a big trend, with sales of some of the supermarket’s freezer staples spiking by 200 per cent in the past month.
As well as taking the stress out of cooking on the big day, cost is a significant factor. Britons spend an average of £52.19 a head on Christmas dinner, taking the price for four people to over £200 — or eight times the cost of the Iceland option.
But still, is it worth risking your festive feast on turkey and trimmings in a box, even if it is a bargain? And — crucially — will anyone know you’ve cheated on the Christmas cooking?
I put the budget option to the test with three very rigorous judges: my husband and two sons, aged six and four, who know a thing or two about a good roast dinner.
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The box itself requires some sharp elbows to secure in my local Iceland, and is much bigger and heavier — at 4.25kg — than expected. So far, so promising. Inside, however, there’s not much luxury: the components all come in bright red plastic bags, and there’s a shiny A4 sheet with cooking instructions on it.
First in is the turkey breast, which looks smaller than I’d hoped, but comes in a handy metal tray you can put straight in the oven covered in foil. It takes 1 hour 20 minutes at 180C, then you need to take the foil off, drain the juices and give it another 50 minutes.
At just £6.25 a head, the box contains all the elements of a traditional Christmas dinner
NATALIE MARTINEZ FOR THE TIMES
With everything else taking less than an hour to cook, there’s not much to do except twiddle my thumbs — and, if it were Christmas Day, pour myself a glass of fizz and put my feet up. It makes a welcome change from the usual festive frazzle.
Turkey drained and resting, I start on the roast potatoes, which are already par-boiled, chopped and basted in beef dripping. They need 35 minutes at 200C, and the honey-glazed parsnips — huge yellow chunks that look like fat chips — take 25 minutes at the same temperature, so I whack both in together and hope for the best.
The maple-glazed carrots (which are small and stumpy, as if I’ve chopped them up for a toddler) take 15 minutes in a frying pan, and the sprouts and bacon can be cooked in a wok in 14 minutes.
Whoever designed this box was clearly thinking of oven space, as both the stuffing balls and pigs in blankets (12 of each) can be cooked in the air fryer in 10-15 minutes — or 20-30 minutes in the oven if you’re a traditionalist.
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There is the option to defrost the turkey and pigs overnight in the fridge and cook them from chilled, which takes less time but, the way I see it, defeats the point. I’d rather they stayed in the freezer until midday and freed up precious fridge shelves for Wensleydale and white wine.
Congratulating myself on a fuss-free roast, all that’s left to cook is the gravy, a tiny tub that needs 7½ minutes in the microwave, stirring halfway through. A mere two hours, 25 minutes after I’ve started, my Christmas dinner in a box is served.
Visually, it’s quite the spread, though the turkey is small and anaemic-looking — not the majestic, golden-skinned bird I’m used to serving up. Still, the trimmings are piled high around it and, from crisp roasties to steaming sprouts, they look mouthwateringly tasty.
My husband declares the turkey “pretty good”, though there’s only enough for four teeny portions. My kids devour the tender white meat but complain there isn’t enough gravy. They’re right — there’s barely enough for a spoonful each — but I bulk it out with some Bisto from the cupboard.
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The pigs in blankets are disappointing; they’ve shrivelled up and dried out in the air fryer, as have my stuffing balls. The sprouts, my sons say, are mushy, and I can’t help but agree. But the remainder of the veggies aren’t bad: the carrots and parsnips are sweet and caramelised, while the roasties are little nuggets of crunchiness in flavoursome fat. I could eat them all day.
All in all, it’s a mixed bag. Top turkey, perfect potatoes and some decently cooked veg. For a plate of food that costs the same as a festive latte, I can’t complain — and it’s a far nicer roast than you’d get in most pubs. One big flaw: there’s no plum pudding, arguably the best part of the whole meal.
Would I serve it on the big day? Absolutely. It may not be a culinary triumph, but for two harried parents and two young kids (four grown adults might well be left peckish) it’s ideal. Less time feeling stressed in the kitchen, more time for presents, fizz and festive TV — that’s my kind of Christmas cooking.
Best supermarket frozen food this Christmas
Here’s what to stock your freezer with now, for a smug, stress-free festive season.
No 1 Frozen Wagyu Roast Potatoes
Waitrose, £3.50, serves 6
Slathered in wagyu beef fat, these roasties have a rich, savoury flavour and moreish crispiness.
Exceptional Honey Roasted Parsnips
Asda, £2.47, serves 4
Tossed in orange blossom honey, these budget parsnips are a cut above, with deliciously crunchy edges.
M&S Frozen Spiced Red Cabbage
Ocado, £4.50, serves 6
So good you’ll want to eat it cold, M&S’s boozy red cabbage is packed with apples, redcurrants and cranberries.
Frozen Basted Turkey Breast with Pork Sage Stuffing
Waitrose, £20, serves 6
Boneless, filled with herby stuffing and topped with a bacon lattice, this is ideal for smaller families.
Taste the Difference Brussels Sprouts with Bacon Lardons and Thyme Butter
Sainsbury’s, £2.25, serves 4
These Brussels, laden with red onion, bacon and thyme butter, will save you the hassle of cutting crosses into fresh ones.
M&S 6 Frozen Beef Dripping Yorkshire Puddings
Ocado, £3.30, serves 6
It may be controversial to have Yorkshires on your Christmas plate, but these are the best around: fluffy, fat and better than homemade.
Luxury 8 Ultimate XL Pigs In Blankets
Iceland, £4, serves 4
Double the size of regular sausages, these juicy piggies are generously wrapped in bacon.
PlantLiving Frozen Mushroom Wellington with Seeded Stuffing
Waitrose, £5.50, serves 2 Golden, crisp puff pastry filled with mushrooms, brown rice and seeds. A freezer essential if you’ve got vegan or veggie guests.