The cost of Christmas dinner has surged for millions of Brits, with a festive meal for four now averaging £32.57, a 6.5% increase from last year.
Retail analysts at Kantar attribute the rise to soaring prices for key ingredients like potatoes, carrots, parsnips and cauliflower, with potatoes alone seeing a staggering 16.3% increase.
Turkey, the star of most Christmas dinners, has also risen in cost, up 8.5% from last year, while other meal components like sparkling wine have remained stable.
The increase in the cost of Christmas dinner is nearly triple the rate of general grocery inflation, which climbed 2.6% in the four weeks leading to December 1.
Kantar also reported that essential household items, such as toothbrushes and chilled juices, experienced sharp price hikes, while other goods like dog food and toilet paper saw slight decreases.
Despite the rising costs, many shoppers have embraced discounts, with sales on promotional items accounting for 30% of total purchases in November—the highest since last Christmas.
Fraser McKevitt, Kantar’s head of retail and consumer insight, said: “Shoppers are grabbing the chance to spend that little bit more than usual on Christmas specials, with champagne, wine, and spirits seeing the biggest levels of buying on deal.”
However, supermarkets like Aldi have softened the blow by offering heavily discounted vegetables.
Aldi recently announced 15p bags of vegetables, including potatoes, and other supermarkets are expected to follow suit.
Despite these offers, growers have expressed frustration, warning that vegetable price wars are adding strain to already tight margins.
In the broader grocery market, Marks & Spencer outpaced competitors with a 10.4% increase in sales over 12 weeks, while Lidl grew 6.6%.
Tesco also gained traction, achieving its highest market share since 2017 at 28.1%.
Conversely, Asda continued to struggle, posting a 5.6% drop in sales.
While the cost of festive meals has risen, discounts and loyalty schemes are helping cautious shoppers manage their budgets during a financially challenging holiday season.
