Britons face paying more for their Christmas dinner this year, figures show.
The average Christmas dinner for four people will cost £32.57 – up 6.5 per cent on last year – according to analysis by the research group Kantar.
The increase is being driven by a sharp rise in the price of potatoes – coming in at £1.65 for four portions which is a staggering 16.2 per cent jump on a year earlier.
Spuds are part of an overall trend which has seen vegetable prices skyrocket this year, with parsnips 12.7 per cent more expensive (71p) and carrots up 11.4 per cent (49p). Frozen turkey has also gone up in price by 8.5 per cent to £14.09.
The only thing on our plates which has not outstripped food inflation – running at 1.9 per cent – is Brussels sprouts, which are only 1.1 per cent more expensive than last year, Kantar said.
But it was good news for fans of sparkling wine, which was the only item not to rise in price.
The whole-basket increase is significantly higher than overall grocery inflation of 2.6 per cent, which was up again on November’s 2.3 per cent, according to Kantar.
Despite the rising prices, sales across the supermarkets are expected to exceed £13 billion over the four weeks of December for the first time ever.
The average Christmas dinner for four people will cost £32.57 – up 6.5 per cent on last year – according to analysis by the research group Kantar
Potatoes saw the biggest price jump of any Christmas plate item over the last 12 months at 16.2 per cent
Brussels Sprouts were the only food to beat overall food inflation over the last 12 months
Sales of assorted sweet biscuits and biscuits for cheese both doubled in November compared with the month before, while 8 per cent of shoppers bought a Christmas pudding.
The proportion of spending on premium own-label products reached 5 per cent over the latest four weeks, and is expected to climb to almost 7 per cent in December, Kantar said.
Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar, said: ‘Monday December 23 is likely to be the single busiest day for the supermarkets this year, although there are clear signs that shoppers are already stocking up their cupboards.
‘Many of us take the chance to treat ourselves at this time of year and retailers are rolling out seasonal product lines to help us celebrate in style.’
Meanwhile, sales on promotion reached 30 per cent in November, the highest since Christmas last year and driven by deals accessed through supermarket loyalty cards, as shoppers traded up to festive treats including Champagne, wine and spirits.
Britain’s largest grocer Tesco achieved its highest market share since December 2017 to reach 28.1 per cent, up from 27.4 per cent in 2023, as its sales grew by 5.2 per cent in the 12 weeks to December.
Sainsbury’s share increased by 0.3 percentage points to 15.9 per cent, and spending through its tills was 4.7 per cent higher than last year.
Mr McKevitt added: ‘The number of different retailers we visit in the run up to Christmas is higher than at other times during the year, including wider high street brands like M&S.
Despite the rising prices, sales across the supermarkets are expected to exceed £13 billion over the four weeks of December for the first time ever (file image)
Cauliflower saw the second biggest jump of any Christmas plate item over the last year with a rise of over 14 per cent
The Christmas pudding was not spared when it came to rising prices, with it now costing an additional 4.4 per cent when compared to this period last year
‘Just under one in three households, at 32 per cent, bought food, drink and other groceries to have at home from M&S during the 12 weeks to December 1 and looking at grocery sales alone, spending at M&S rose by 10.4 per cent.’
Lidl was the fastest growing bricks-and-mortar grocer, with sales up by 6.6 per cent, while spending at Morrisons rose by two per cent to reach 8.6 per cent of the market.
Waitrose grew slightly ahead of the market, with spending increasing by 2.6 per cent to maintain a 4.4 per cent share, and spending at Aldi grew by 2.1 per cent to give the discounter 10.3 per cent of the market.
Co-op claimed 5.5 per cent of the market and Asda has a 12.3 per cent share.
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