A Christmas price freeze: festive dinners hold steady despite rising food costs

Good news for festive shoppers. The cost of a traditional Christmas dinner is set to stay virtually the same as last year, and may even be a touch cheaper.

This comes as a pleasant surprise after a year of noticeable food price inflation.

New research from Worldpanel by Numerator shows that the average cost of a full turkey Christmas dinner with all the trimmings for a family of four will be £32.46, slightly below last year’s £32.57.

Supermarkets know household budgets have been under intense pressure, so they’re leaning heavily on discounts and special offers to attract shoppers in the run-up to Christmas.

As a result, some key festive ingredients are seeing welcome price drops.

What’s cheaper - and what’s not

According to Worldpanel’s data:

• frozen turkey: down 3.6% to £13.52
• parsnips: down 0.4% to 71p for four

Meanwhile, several other favourites have nudged up slightly:

• cauliflower: up 4.2% to £1.22
• carrots: up 5.5% to 52p
• Brussel sprouts: up 3.6% to 92p
• potatoes: up 1.1% to £1.67
• gravy granules: up 5.1% to £2.23
• stuffing mix: up 6.9% to 96p
• cranberry sauce: up 10% to 86p for four

The traditional Christmas pudding hasn’t escaped inflation entirely, rising 0.8% to £3.34.

And if you’re finishing the meal with fizz, expect sparkling wine to cost 1.7% more at £6.51 a bottle.

Interestingly, 31% of all supermarket purchases last month were bought on promotion, up from 30% a year earlier, a sign that retailers are working to keep shoppers’ baskets affordable.

Aldi says it has frozen its festive prices this year. Its Christmas Super Six promotion offers a full main Christmas meal for eight people for under £12, that’s less than £1.50 per person.

Running from 19 December to Christmas Eve, the deal includes key festive vegetables reduced to as little as 8p.

If you're considering tweaking your Christmas menu to save even more without losing any of the magic, have a read of our smart festive swaps - perfect for keeping  costs down and spirits high.