
Cost of Average UK Christmas Dinner up 6.5% As Veg Prices Soar
December 10, 2024 | Source: The Guardian | by Sarah Butler
The cost of an average Christmas dinner has surged 6.5% on last year, pushed up by hefty price rises on potatoes, cauliflower, carrots and parsnips.
UK shoppers will pay £32.57 for a festive meal for four, according to retail analysts at Kantar, spurred by a 16.3% jump in potato prices and a near 15% rise in the cost of carrots.
All elements in the meal rose in price except sparkling wine, which remained level on last year with the most expensive item, turkey, up 8.5%. The overall cost of a Christmas dinner rose by almost three times the pace of wider grocery inflation.
Grocery prices stepped up 2.6% in the four weeks to 1 December, up from 2.3% a month before, according to Kantar. Prices rose fastest on household essentials such as toothbrushes and chilled juices, while they fell on items such as dog food and toilet roll.
Spending on groceries to take home rose just 2.5% in the 12 weeks to 1 December – just behind inflation in the final month of that period – indicating that shoppers are still cautious about putting more items in their baskets and searching for ways to save.