Hosting a traditional Christmas lunch for 12 of your favourite friends and family this year is going to cost you about R2,700.

You’ll need to budget about a third of that for the main course. A 6kg turkey, which should feed 12 to 15 people, is the most expensive item at R90 a kilo or R540. At a recommended 200g per serving, gammon works out to be a much more reasonable option, costing R179 for 1.9kg.

Laying on drinks – sparkling wine, wine, Coca-Cola and beer – will cost about R890, while dessert will eat up about 21% of your budget. Even though no one really enjoys it, no Christmas table is complete without a fruit cake (R170 for 800g). And don’t forget the crackers, which cost R260 for 12.

This menu was collated with prices collected at a well-known retailer in the Rosebank Mall in Johannesburg on 12 December.