Brits to fork out average cost of £27.49 for Christmas dinner, as frozen turkeys drive prices up by 3.4%
BRITS are set to fork out an average cost of £27.49 for Christmas dinner as frozen turkeys drive prices up by 3.4 per cent.
Rocketing inflation has pushed up food prices and will affect Christmas dinners around the country this year, according to new figures.
Kantar said the average cost of a Christmas meal for four, with a frozen turkey and all the trimmings, is now £27.48.
Figures put the frozen turkey up by 7.3 per cent to £12.46 - and by comparison, a big, fresh bird will easily cost at least double that.
Sprouts and cauliflower have also taken a hike in price, as well as gravy granules which have gone up by three per cent.
However - there has been a 13 per cent fall on carrots, bringing them down to 41p - while parsnips are 6 per cent cheaper this year at 46p.
Potatoes are down 5 per cent to £1.10, and cranberry sauce will also be cheaper too.
The figures show wider grocery inflation has leapt 3.2 per cent year on year in the four weeks to November 28 - the highest rate since June last year.
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But the data suggests Brits are not yet reining in their spending for the festive season - with sales of supermarket premium own-label ranges still the fastest-growing ranges in stores.
This means many Brits are opting for Tesco Finest and Asda Extra Special for their Christmas grub.
Kantar said overall supermarket sales dropped 3.8 per cent to £29.6 billion over the 12 weeks to November 28 compared with a year earlier, when the second lockdown restrictions boosted grocery trade.
The average shop size has also shrunk by 8 per cent versus last year as people have been able to return to offices and with restaurants and cafes open, the data revealed.
But grocery spending was still stronger than pre-pandemic levels, up 7 per cent over the quarter compared with the same period in 2019.
Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar, said: "As we count down on our advent calendars to the big day, it's clear that shoppers want to have some fun and make this Christmas extra special.
"Price inflation doesn't seem to be denting their desire to treat themselves and loved ones."
He added that consumer behaviour "hasn't caught up" with rising food price inflation.
"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.
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The report also showed online grocery sales falling, down 12.5 per cent in the four weeks to November 28 against a year ago during the second lockdown.
But Mr McKevitt said this may start to rise once more amid fears over the new Omicron variant sweeping across the UK, which could see some shoppers switch back to online shopping and shun stores.
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"Our excitement about Christmas this year has been slightly tempered as news of the Omicron Covid-19 variant has emerged," he said.
All of the big chains saw grocery sales fall year-on-year in the latest data.
But Tesco is enjoying its biggest market share since February 2019 despite seeing sales fall 1.4 per cent.
Its market share rose to 27.7 per cent in the most recent quarter, against 27 per cent a year ago.
Sainsbury's saw its market share fall to 15.4 per cent from 15.7 per cent a year earlier as sales dropped 5.3 per cent.
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And Asda's share eased back to 14 per cent from 14.1 per cent after a 5 per cent sales drop.
Morrisons suffered the biggest sales fall of the Big Four chains, down 7.1 per cent, with a drop in market share to 10 per cent from 10.3 per cent a year ago.
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