Updated 30 September 2026
Christmas dinner is the one roast of the year where nobody wants to run short, and nobody wants to be eating the same joint until New Year either. So how much meat per person at Christmas do you actually need? Below is the rule of thumb we work to, with the joints we have on the counter for 2026 and how to cook each one.
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How much meat per person at Christmas
The simplest way to plan is by raw weight. Boneless joints lose around a quarter of their weight in the oven, and bone-in joints carry weight you will not eat, so allow a little more for those.
| Joint | Raw weight per person | With leftovers for Boxing Day |
|---|---|---|
| Boneless beef, pork or gammon | 200–250g | 300–350g |
| Bone-in joint (such as a leg of lamb) | 350–400g | 450–500g |
| Whole beef fillet | 180–200g | 250g |
| Brisket (slow-cooked) | 250–300g | 350g |
A table of eight eating boneless beef therefore needs about 1.6–2kg, or 2.5–3kg if you want cold beef sandwiches on the 26th. If you are serving two meats, say beef and gammon, you can cut each one back by about a third.
Children usually eat around half an adult portion, and a big spread of trimmings means people eat less meat than you expect. It is still better to have a little left over than a little short.
Choosing your Christmas centrepiece
We do not stock turkey, so our Christmas table is built around beef, gammon, lamb and pork. That is no bad thing: all four are easier to cook well than a big bird, and all four carve beautifully.
Beef: sirloin, topside or a whole fillet
For a real centrepiece, the ANGUS Sirloin Joint 4-5kg (£79.99) feeds a big table, with a fat cap that bastes it as it roasts. For a smaller gathering, the Sirloin Joint 1kg (£27.99) or the frozen Sirloin Joint 2-2.2kg (Frozen) (£43.99) is the same cut in a more manageable size. For something special, the Whole Beef Fillet 1.2-1.8kg (Frozen) (£59.99) is the joint for beef Wellington or a simple roast fillet, and cooks in well under an hour.
Our roast beef cooking times per kg chart covers every beef joint, from rare to well done.
Gammon
Gammon is the easy win at Christmas. It can be cooked a day ahead, it is good hot or cold, and it keeps the table going through Boxing Day. The Boneless Gammon Joint 1kg is £6.99 and feeds four to six; cook two for a bigger crowd. See how to cook a gammon joint for boiling, roasting and glazing, or try our Christmas apricot and ginger ham.
Lamb
A whole leg of lamb is a generous alternative to beef. The Whole Carvery Leg of Lamb 2.2-2.7kg (£34.99) is bone-in and feeds six to eight. Roast it pink with garlic and rosemary, or slow-roast it until it falls off the bone. Our guide to how to cook a leg of lamb has the timings.
Pork
Pork loin with proper crackling is hard to beat, and a boneless loin is easy to carve. The Boneless Pork Loin Joint 3kg (£25.99) feeds ten to twelve; the Pork Loin Joint 1kg (£8.99) suits four. Read how to cook a pork loin joint for crackling that actually crackles.
Planning your order and your freezer
Our Christmas 2026 order and delivery dates are coming soon. We will publish them on our Christmas meat order page as soon as they are confirmed, so check back there before you plan your delivery day.
In the meantime, there is nothing to stop you buying early and freezing. Joints freeze well if they are wrapped tightly, and some of ours, such as the whole beef fillet, are sold frozen already. A few practical points:
- Label everything with the cut, weight and date before it goes in the freezer.
- Defrost in the fridge, not on the side. Allow roughly a day in the fridge for every 2–2.5kg of joint, and more for a very thick one. Keep it on a tray on the bottom shelf.
- Once defrosted, cook within a day or two and do not refreeze raw meat that has been thawed.
- Clear fridge space a few days before. Christmas week is when fridges run out of room.
A Christmas Day timing plan
Work backwards from when you want to eat. For a 2pm lunch with a 2kg sirloin cooked medium-rare:
- 10:30 Take the joint out of the fridge. Peel and par-boil potatoes.
- 11:15 Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan).
- 11:35 Joint in for 20 minutes, then turn down to 180°C (160°C fan).
- 12:55 Probe the joint. Take it out at 52–54°C for medium-rare, cover loosely and rest.
- 13:00 Turn the oven up for roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings.
- 13:30 Make the gravy from the resting juices.
- 13:50 Carve and serve.
For gammon, cook it on Christmas Eve and simply glaze and warm it through on the day. That frees up the oven for everything else.
The trimmings
Goose fat roast potatoes, stuffing and a good gravy do a lot of the work at Christmas. Our Christmas trimmings include Pure Goose Fat 180g (£3.70) and a cranberry, orange and roast chestnut stuffing mix, and you can add them to the same order as your joint. For a present, our Christmas meat hampers include steak gift boxes and hampers that fill the freezer for the festive week.
Christmas meat FAQs
How much meat do I need per person for Christmas dinner?
Allow 200–250g of raw boneless meat per person, or 350–400g for a bone-in joint such as a leg of lamb. Add about 100g a head if you want leftovers for Boxing Day, and cut each joint back by about a third if you are serving two meats.
How much beef do I need for 8 people?
Around 1.6–2kg of raw boneless beef, or 2.5–3kg if you want leftovers. A 4–5kg sirloin joint will feed 16 or more.
What can I have instead of turkey at Christmas?
Beef sirloin or a whole beef fillet, a glazed gammon, a leg of lamb or a pork loin with crackling. All four are easier to cook evenly than a large bird and carve well.
When are your Christmas 2026 order dates?
Our Christmas 2026 order and delivery dates are coming soon. We will publish them on our Christmas meat order page once they are confirmed.
Can I freeze my Christmas joint?
Yes. Wrap it tightly, label it and freeze it. Defrost it in the fridge, allowing roughly a day for every 2–2.5kg, and cook it within a day or two of thawing.