Tis the season…to scrimp and save. Christmas is an expensive time a year but with lots of family time and visits across the month (and as a nation of takeaway lovers) we can end up spending a small fortune in Pizza and Chinese food alone.

So I present you three perfect takeaway night recipes. They are cheaper, healthier and tastier than a takeaway but are still perfect for the family nights in or if you’ve got company over. Dylan would eat these over an actual takeaway any evening so I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Classic Bacon Cheeseburgers

Ingredients (Makes 8 Burgers)

500g Lean Beef Mince

2 cloves of garlic; finely chopped or minced (optional)

1 small red onion; finely chopped

2 tsp mixed herbs

1 large egg

3 thick slices of wholemeal bread; preferably slightly stale but if fresh leave out for a few hours prior to making.

Plain Flour

Salt and Pepper

Streaky Smoked Bacon

Cheese slices

Olive Oil

Method

Pre heat oven to 200c (Gas mark 6, 390F) Put beef mince into a large mixing bowl. Roughly mash beef with your hands then form a large well in the middle Place onion, garlic (if using), egg and mixed herbs into the well. Season. Finely grate 2 slices of your bread into the well and then mix together all ingredients with your hands. If mixture feels too wet add third slice of bread. You should be able to form a very large meatball that is only slightly tacky to touch. Lightly flour a clean work surface and season. Split your large meatball in half, then half again and so on until you have 8 equal sized chunks. Roll the chunks on the floured surface to create balls. Then press down in the centre with one hand and maintain the edges (as they will split) with the other. Turn and do the same again until your burgers are around ½ an inch thick. Drizzle some olive oil in a pan. Add your burgers and fry lightly on each side for about 2 ½ minutes until browned. Line a baking tray with tinfoil and place bacon onto it. Put in the oven. This should be crispy by the time your burgers have cooked. Once burgers are sealed place each one in a separate piece of tinfoil and seal loosely. Place on a baking tray at the bottom of your oven and cook for around 20 minutes. If you prefer (and it is quicker) you can fry your burgers for longer until completely cooked or they can be done under the grill. As burgers and bacon cook, prep your trimmings such as buns and salad.

Serve burgers as is so that people can build their own and add desired sauces.

Thai Style Chicken Curry

(Vegan/Veggie option listed at end of recipe)

Ingredients

1 Large Red Onion, thinly sliced

2 Cloves of Garlic; finely diced or minced

1 kg of Chicken Drumsticks

2 tsp Medium Curry Powder

2 tsp Chilli Flakes

2 tbsp Lemon Juice

2 tbsp Tomato Puree

2 tbsp Honey

200ml Chicken Stock

400ml Reduced Fat Coconut Milk (Regular Coconut Milk works fine but is obviously higher in fat)

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Method

Preheat your oven to 200c (Gas mark 6, 390F) Line a roasting tin with foil. Place drum sticks on the foil and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle on 1 tbsp of lemon juice and 1 tsp of chilli flakes. Season and cover with a second sheet of foil. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour. Remove drumsticks and leave to stand until cool enough to handle. Remove skin and strip of meat. Put meat in bowl to one side. Drain about 50ml of the juices from the roasting tin and also put to one side. Dispose of everything else. Heat Olive Oil in a pan over a high heat. Add onions and fry until translucent. Add garlic and chicken. Season and fry for a few more minutes. Add curry powder, second tsp of chilli flakes, second tbsp of lemon juice, puree, honey and drained chicken juices. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir in chicken stock and coconut milk. Bring to the boil and then reduce heat so that it simmers. The dish will look very watery, this is fine it will reduce quite a lot. Simmer on a medium heat for 30-40 minutes dependant on your personal sauce thickness preference. Serve hot with some basmati rice. Serves 4 very comfortably.

If cooking for a vegetarian/vegan then substitute your chicken for Lentils or Chickpeas, chicken stock for vegetable stock and honey for brown sugar.

Burritos

Ingredients

500g Lean Beef Mince

1 Large Red Onion; diced

2 Cloves of Garlic; minced or finely chopped

100ml Red Wine

150ml Beef Stock

1 tsp Hot Chilli Powder

1 tsp Coriander

1 tsp Cumin

1 tsp Oregano

1 tbsp Lemon Juice

2 tbsp Tomato Puree

1 tsp Cocoa Powder

400g Passata

2 Bell Peppers (Red and/or green), sliced

400g Red Kidney Beans

1 sachet Microwave Mexican Rice (Should says serves 2)

Olive Oil

Seasoning

8 wholemeal tortilla wraps

Method

Preheat your oil in a large sauce pan. Fry onions on a medium heat until translucent. Add garlic and beef. Fry until beef is brown. Add red wine, chilli powder, coriander, cumin, oregano, lemon juice, puree and cocoa powder, peppers and fry for around 5 minutes. Add beef stock, passata, and kidney beans. Bring to the boil and then reduce heat to allow chilli to simmer for around 15-20 minutes. Cook microwave rice as per packet instruction. Then stir into your chilli and cook for a further 5 minutes. Serve as is with a salad bowl, heated wraps, crème fraiche, grated cheese and some homemade potato wedges so people can serve themselves and make wraps how they like them. Will make 8 absolutely stuffed burritos.

We’d love to see your creations or recipe improvements so please send them too us in the comments section. Happy cooking.