Key findings:
- Maggie Beer’s Christmas menu is the most time-consuming among Australian celebrity chefs at 31.75 hours.
- Guillaume Brahimi’s recipes are the most expensive among Australian celebrity chefs at $AU89.96 per person.
- Curtis Stone’s Christmas recipes are the most time-consuming among international celebrity chefs at 19.08 hours.
- Gino D’Acampo’s Christmas menu is the most expensive compared to other international celebrity chefs, costing $AU74.39 per person.
A new study has revealed the Australian and International celebrity chefs with the most expensive and time-consuming Christmas recipes.
The research team at restaurant marketing agency SEO for Restaurants analysed Christmas recipes from various celebrity chefs, calculating cooking durations and ingredient costs to determine which Christmas spreads require the most time and money to prepare.
Top 5 Australian Celebrity Chefs with the Most Time-Consuming Christmas Menu
| Rank | Celebrity chef | Time spent in minutes | Time spent in hours |
| 1 | Maggie Beer | 1,905 | 31.75 |
| 2 | Matt Moran | 1465 | 24.42 |
| 3 | Curtis Stone | 1145 | 19.08 |
| 4 | Peter Gilmore | 790 | 13.17 |
| 5 | Shannon Bennett | 680 | 11.33 |
Top 5 Australian Celebrity Chefs with the Most Expensive Christmas Menu
| Rank | Celebrity Chef | Recipe 1 Cost Per Person(in AUD) | Recipe 2 Cost Per Person(in AUD) | Recipe 3 Cost Per Person(in AUD) | All Meals Total Cost per Person(in AUD) |
| 1 | Guillaume Brahimi | $19.07 | $7.14 | $63.75 | $89.96 |
| 2 | Kylie Kwong | $22.40 | $7.23 | $41.68 | $71.30 |
| 3 | Neil Perry | $24.60 | $2.81 | $29.26 | $56.67 |
| 4 | George Calombaris | $22.32 | $18.50 | $14.23 | $55.04 |
| 5 | Maggie Beer | $5.82 | $33.12 | $9.28 | $48.22 |
Maggie Beer has the most time-consuming recipes, with her menu (Christmas cake, Christmas ham, and Christmas poultry) taking a total preparation time of 31.75 hours.
Matt Moran landed on the second spot for the most time-consuming Christmas menu, with his recipes (Baked Christmas ham with maple syrup and clove glaze, Christmas pudding, and smoked salmon rillettes with cucumber and rye bread) requiring 24.42 hours in total.
Curtis Stone ranked third for the most time-consuming Christmas menu, with his recipes (Ultimate roast turkey, ultimate roasted potatoes, and Christmas pudding with brandy-vanilla custard sauce) needing 19.08 hours to prepare.
Guillaume Brahimi tops the list for having the most expensive Christmas menu at $AU89.96 per person, with his most expensive dish (Lobster served with mango, endive, and yuzu vinaigrette) costing $AU63.75 per person.
Kylie Kwong ranks second for having the most expensive Christmas menu at $AU71.30 per person, featuring her priciest dish (Poached chicken and king prawn salad with mustard fruits, celery, and lemon) at $AU41.68 per serving.
Neil Perry ranks third for having the priciest festive menus, offering a $AU56.67 per-person Christmas spread with his most expensive dish (Roast turkey with ricotta stuffing and balsamic cherries) costing $AU29.26 per serving.
Top 5 International Celebrity Chefs with the Most Time-Consuming Christmas Menu
| Rank | Celebrity Chef | Time spent in minutes | Time spent in hours |
| 1 | Curtis Stone | 1145 | 19.08 |
| 2 | Heston Blumenthal | 750 | 12.50 |
| 3 | Bobby Flay | 555 | 9.25 |
| 4 | Andrew Zimmern | 508 | 8.47 |
| 5 | Guy Fieri | 465 | 7.75 |
Top 5 International Celebrity Chefs with the Most Expensive Christmas Menu:
| Rank | Celebrity Chef | Recipe 1 Cost Per Person (in AUD) | Recipe 2 Cost Per Person (in AUD) | Recipe 2 Cost Per Person (in AUD) | Total Cost Per Person (in AUD) |
| 1 | Gordan Ramsay | 8.16 | 65.87 | 4.67 | 78.69 |
| 2 | Gino D’Acampo | 13.77 | 57.09 | 3.53 | 74.39 |
| 3 | Guy Fieri | 4.80 | 38.44 | 15.52 | 58.76 |
| 4 | Heston Blumenthal | 28.52 | 14.38 | 13.27 | 56.16 |
| 5 | Alain Ducasse | 9.32 | 6.70 | 36.30 | 52.33 |
The Australian chef Curtis Stone has the most time-consuming recipes, taking a total preparation time of 19.08 hours.
Heston Blumenthal ranks second for the most time-consuming Christmas recipes (hidden orange Christmas pudding, roast turkey, and pork stuffing), which will take 12.50 hours in total to prepare.
Bobby Flay landed on the third spot for the most time-consuming Christmas menu with his recipes (prime rib with red wine-thyme butter sauce, twice-baked potatoes with goat cheese and green onion, and gingerbread and lemon curd trifle with blueberry sauce) needing 9.25 hours to prepare.
Gino D’Acampo has the most expensive Christmas menu at $AU74.39 per person, featuring his priciest dish (grilled lobsters with lemon and extra virgin olive oil), costing $AU57.09 per serving.
Gordon Ramsay ranks second for having the most expensive Christmas menu at $AU60.77 per person, with his costliest recipe (pan-seared scallops with butternut squash puree & pomegranate-quince slaw) priced at $AU47.95 per person.
Guy Fieri, ranking third for priciest festive recipes, offers a $AU58.76 per-person Christmas menu with his most expensive dish (nor cal cioppino) at $AU38.44 per serving.
Andrea Abbondanza, CEO of SEO for Restaurants, comments:
“These celebrity chef recipes can be a source of meal inspiration, but they are often designed to showcase culinary expertise rather than practical home cooking. Knowing these extremes of festive meal preparation can inspire home cooks to challenge themselves or, conversely, to find creative ways to simplify recipes to suit their skills, time constraints, and budget without sacrificing the spirit of a special Christmas meal.
Focus on a few key dishes and incorporate personal touches to create a memorable meal that captures the essence of these celebrity creations without the extensive time commitment or cost. Consider using affordable alternatives, choosing seasonal and local produce, and adjusting portion sizes to reduce waste.
By implementing these tips and adding your personal touch, you can create a delicious and festive meal that’s both time and cost-effective while still capturing the magic of a celebrity-inspired Christmas feast.”
Ends
Methodology:
We calculated the total preparation time by adding the time required for all three recipes in each chef’s Christmas menu. For the costs, we totaled the price of ingredients for each recipe and divided this by the number of servings to get a per-person cost. Then, we added the per-person costs of all three recipes to determine the total cost per person for the entire Christmas menu.
Data is correct as of December 1, 2023.
Complete Tables:
Australian Celebrity Chefs with the Most Time-Consuming Christmas Menu (Full Table):
| Rank | Celebrity chef | Time spent in minutes | Time spent in hours |
| 1 | Maggie Beer | 1,905 | 31.75 |
| 2 | Matt Moran | 1465 | 24.42 |
| 3 | Curtis Stone | 1145 | 19.08 |
| 4 | Peter Gilmore | 790 | 13.17 |
| 5 | Shannon Bennett | 680 | 11.33 |
| 6 | Neil Perry | 522 | 8.70 |
| 7 | Adriano Zumbo | 395 | 6.58 |
| 8 | Kylie Kwong | 380 | 6.33 |
| 9 | Adam Liaw | 375 | 6.25 |
| 10 | Frank Camorra | 360 | 6.00 |
| 11 | Luke Mangan | 280 | 4.67 |
| 12 | Guillaume Brahimi | 275 | 4.58 |
| 13 | George Calombaris | 240 | 4.00 |
| 14 | Pete Evans | 225 | 3.75 |
| 15 | Emma Dean | 158 | 2.63 |
Australian Celebrity Chefs with the Most Expensive Christmas Menu (Full Table):
| Rank | Celebrity Chef | Recipe 1 Cost Per Person(in AUD) | Recipe 2 Cost Per Person(in AUD) | Recipe 3 Cost Per Person(in AUD) | All Meals Total Cost per Person(in AUD) |
| 1 | Guillaume Brahimi | $19.07 | $7.14 | $63.75 | $89.96 |
| 2 | Kylie Kwong | $22.40 | $7.23 | $41.68 | $71.30 |
| 3 | Neil Perry | $24.60 | $2.81 | $29.26 | $56.67 |
| 4 | George Calombaris | $22.32 | $18.50 | $14.23 | $55.04 |
| 5 | Maggie Beer | $5.82 | $33.12 | $9.28 | $48.22 |
| 6 | Matt Moran | $8.30 | $14.43 | $24.60 | $47.33 |
| 7 | Shannon Bennett | $13.04 | $10.10 | $20.54 | $43.68 |
| 8 | Luke Mangan | $23.77 | $8.10 | $11.42 | $43.28 |
| 9 | Frank Camorra | $11.88 | $3.89 | $20.69 | $36.46 |
| 10 | Peter Gilmore | $15.49 | $12.05 | $4.03 | $31.56 |
| 11 | Emma Dean | $16.59 | $7.49 | $5.95 | $30.03 |
| 12 | Adam Liaw | $5.26 | $7.10 | $16.64 | $29.00 |
| 13 | Adriano Zumbo | $6.95 | $14.43 | $7.10 | $28.47 |
| 14 | Curtis Stone | $7.10 | $3.13 | $15.46 | $25.69 |
| 15 | Pete Evans | $3.13 | $8.26 | $13.39 | $24.77 |
International Celebrity Chefs with the Most Time-Consuming Christmas Menu (Full Table)
| Rank | Celebrity Chef | Time spent in minutes | Time spent in hours |
| 1 | Curtis Stone | 1145 | 19.08 |
| 2 | Heston Blumenthal | 750 | 12.50 |
| 3 | Bobby Flay | 555 | 9.25 |
| 4 | Andrew Zimmern | 508 | 8.47 |
| 5 | Guy Fieri | 465 | 7.75 |
| 6 | Gino D’Acampo | 455 | 7.58 |
| 7 | Wolfgang Puck | 448 | 7.47 |
| 8 | Nigella Lawson | 430 | 7.17 |
| 9 | Giada De Laurentiis | 330 | 5.50 |
| 9 | Emeril Lagasse | 330 | 5.50 |
| 11 | Jamie Oliver | 317 | 5.28 |
| 12 | Ainsley Harriott | 267 | 4.45 |
| 13 | Buddy Valastro | 245 | 4.08 |
| 14 | Sanjay Thumma | 240 | 4.00 |
| 15 | Alain Ducasse | 214 | 3.57 |
| 16 | Gordan Ramsay | 174 | 2.90 |
| 17 | Katie Lee | 100 | 1.67 |
International Celebrity Chefs with the Most Expensive Christmas Menu (Full Table):
| Rank | Celebrity Chef | Recipe 1 Cost Per Person (in AUD) | Recipe 2 Cost Per Person (in AUD) | Recipe 2 Cost Per Person (in AUD) | Total Cost Per Person (in AUD) |
| 1 | Gordan Ramsay | 8.16 | 65.87 | 4.67 | 78.69 |
| 2 | Gino D’Acampo | 13.77 | 57.09 | 3.53 | 74.39 |
| 3 | Guy Fieri | 4.80 | 38.44 | 15.52 | 58.76 |
| 4 | Heston Blumenthal | 28.52 | 14.38 | 13.27 | 56.16 |
| 5 | Alain Ducasse | 9.32 | 6.70 | 36.30 | 52.33 |
| 6 | Andrew Zimmern | 13.77 | 20.16 | 9.40 | 43.32 |
| 7 | Bobby Flay | 32.44 | 3.68 | 6.19 | 42.31 |
| 8 | Sanjay Thumma | 19.64 | 2.82 | 14.35 | 36.80 |
| 9 | Giada De Laurentiis | 15.15 | 6.97 | 14.06 | 36.18 |
| 10 | Jamie Oliver | 3.33 | 16.19 | 10.18 | 29.70 |
| 11 | Katie Lee | 7.91 | 10.69 | 9.30 | 27.90 |
| 12 | Emeril Lagasse | 4.28 | 16.63 | 6.61 | 27.52 |
| 13 | Wolfgang Puck | 16.96 | 5.92 | 3.89 | 26.77 |
| 14 | Curtis Stone | 7.10 | 3.35 | 15.46 | 25.91 |
| 15 | Nigella Lawson | 10.01 | 4.71 | 8.42 | 23.14 |
| 16 | Ainsley Harriott | 5.63 | 7.75 | 9.10 | 22.48 |
| 17 | Buddy Valastro | 3.60 | 1.29 | 12.85 | 17.73 |
