Revealed: how the prices of Christmas dinner favourites have changed this year

Turkey prices are up while carrots are cheaper as the price of a Christmas dinner rises this year amid a broader pick-up in food inflation, according to industry figures.

Data compiled by Kantar showed the average price of a typical festive meal for four was about 89p higher than in 2020 at £27.48.

It revealed overall grocery inflation climbed to 3.2% in the four weeks to 28 November, its highest level since June last year.

Prices are rising fastest for savoury snacks, crisps and cat food – though falling in fresh bacon, bath and shower products and pet treats, Kantar said.

That adds further pressure to households facing a cost of living squeeze – with inflation already at a decade-high.

The figures come a day after Bank of England deputy governor Ben Broadbent said price growth looked set to “comfortably” exceed 5% in the spring reflecting an expected energy bill hike.

Kantar’s analysis of Christmas dinner prices showed frozen turkey was up 7% at £12.46 and Christmas pudding up 5% at £2.48 while Brussels sprouts rose 5% to 92p, cauliflower added 5% to 90p, and gravy granules rose 3% to £1.39.

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Sparkling wine was unchanged at £6.47 while cranberry sauce is down 3% at 90p, potatoes are down 5% to £1.10 and carrots are 13% lower at 41p.

Overall grocery price inflation, at 3.2%, was last higher in the early stages of the pandemic – skewed by supermarkets scaling back promotions as they sought to discourage stockpiling.

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Stripping out that period, it has not been higher since January 2018.

Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar, said price inflation did not seem to be denting shoppers’ appetites to treat themselves, with supermarket premium own-label ranges, such as Tesco Finest and Asda Extra Special, the fastest growing in stores.

Consumer behaviour has not yet responded to the price rises, Mr McKevitt added.

“Habits we’d expect to see shift, like swapping branded products for own label or seeking out promotions, haven’t altered just yet,” he said.

The figures also showed that, for the 12 weeks to 28 November, grocery sales fell by 3.8% compared with the same period last year – a time when the pandemic meant consumers bought more food and drink to eat at home as fewer were eating out.

However, Britain’s biggest supermarket Tesco saw a much milder sales fall, resulting in it adding a 0.7 percentage point market share at the expense of its rivals.

Meanwhile, four-week figures showed 12.5% fall in online grocery sales on 2020, when the second lockdown had boosted at-home purchases.

But Mr McKevitt said: “As concerns grow over rising case numbers, we expect some people will prefer to shop online again to limit their visits to stores.”

The data comes after figures from the British Retail Consortium last week showed shoppers across the sector were facing a more expensive Christmas as stores hike prices in response to higher costs and labour shortages.

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