COUNTER INTELLIGENCE Festive fare...on a budget!

Food Editor Sarah Murphy shares her best entertaining secrets to make this holiday season a breeze

- Sarah Murphy

1 PLAN, PLAN, PLAN

You may think you only need a plan when you’re feeding a giant crowd at Christmas, but even if you’ve only got a small group coming for lunch, planning out your menu will help save you cash. Shop your pantry first: those cans of chickpeas and lentils are a great way to bulk out salads, frozen peas can become a quick and delicious dip and forgotten frozen bread can be broken into chunks, drizzled with oil and roasted for delicious crispy croutons to add texture to salads.

2 INGREDIENT INTEL