Christmas dinner costs surge by inflation-busting 6.5% – full list of most expensive items

Britons have been dealt a cost of living blow this festive season as the price of a Christmas dinner has skyrocketed past inflation, according to projections from industry experts.

Market research firm Kantar estimates that the cost of a full Turkey meal on Christmas Day has risen by 6.5 per cent, exceeding the current consumer price index (CPI) rate of 2.3 per cent.

Overall, researchers found a traditional British Christmas meal feast will cost households £32.57 on average this month, which is a slight jump from approximately £30.58 in 2023.

Notably, the price of potatoes has increased dramatically by 16.2 per cent to £1.65 as inflationary pressures continue to hammer down on families for everyday grocery items.

Closely following potatoes, cauliflower saw the second largest price hike with the vegetable’s cost going up by 14.6 per cent in the last 12 months. After this, the price of parsnips saw a 12.7 per cent increase.

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Out of the entire meal, the only item to not see its price go up in the last year was sparkling wine. In comparison, the cost of a frozen turkey has increased by 8.5 per cent over the period.

Turkeys remain the most expensive food item for a Christmas dinner and the biggest contributor to the overall cost of the meal going up significantly for Britons in 2024.

In comparison to average meal prices, the last annual food inflation figure from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) came to 1.9 per cent for the 12 months to October 2024.

Based on Kantar’s projections, supermarket sales are forecast to cross the £13billion mark this month with December 23 likely to be the busiest shopping day of the year.

Here is a full list of the annual price hikes for Christmas meal food items, according to Kantar:

• Frozen turkey – £14.09 (+8.5 per cent)
• Full Christmas dinner – £32.57 (+6.5 per cent)
• Sparkling wine – £6.40 (zero per cent rise)
• Christmas pudding – £3.32 (+4.4 per cent)
• Gravy granules – £2.14 per cent (+4.4 per cent)
• Potatoes – £1.65 (+16.2 per cent)
• Cauliflower – £1.18 (+14.6 per cent)
• Stuffing mix – £0.92 per cent (+7 per cent)
• Brussel sprouts – £0.89 (+1.1 per cent)
• Cranberry sauce – £0.78 (+9.9 per cent)
• Parsnips – £0.71 (+12.7 per cent)
• Carrots – £0.49 (+11.4 per cent).

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Fraser McKevitt, the head of Retail and Consumer Insight at Kantar, noted that shoppers are unlikely to be put off by these hiked prices due to the nature of the shopping season.

He explained: “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.

“The proportion of spending on premium own label products reached five per cent over the latest four weeks and we expect it to climb even higher in December to nearly seven per cent.

“Outside of the food and drink aisles, retailers’ general merchandise lines are also predicted to get a boost.

“Spending on non-grocery items in the supermarkets leapt by 21 per cent in December 2023 versus the monthly average for that year.”