Cost of Christmas dinner has risen by almost 6% since last year as Aldi named cheapest supermarket
IF you've got the unlucky job of hosting Christmas dinner this year there's bad news as the price of the festive staple has risen by almost six per cent.
That's an increase of 17p a head from £2.94 last year to £3.11 now, according to Good Housekeeping.
The magazine worked out the price by taking a basket of eight Christmas dinner items - from turkey to sprouts to mince pies - and finding the cheapest across 10 of the largest supermarkets.
Christmas pudding is the item that's risen in price by the most - it's gone up by 17 per cent from £3 to £3.50.
But thankfully the price of carrots, stuffing mix, cranberry sauce, brandy butter and mince pies have all stayed the same.
When it comes to the cheapest supermarket to buy your Christmas staples from, Aldi topped the tables.
Here's how to cut the cost of your grocery shop
SAVING on your shop can make a big difference to your wallet. Here are some tips from Hannah Maundrell, editor of Money.co.uk, about how you can cut the cost of your shopping bills:
- Write yourself a list – Only buy items that you need. If it isn’t on your list, don’t put it in the trolley
- Create a budget – Work out a weekly budget for your food shopping
- Never shop hungry – You are far more likely to buy more food if your tummy is rumbling
- Don’t buy pre-chopped veggies or fruit – The extra they’ll charge for chopping can be eye watering
- Use social media – Follow your favourite retailers to find out about the latest deals
- Be disloyal – You may want to go to different stores to find the best bargains
- Check the small print – It’s always worth checking the price per kg/lb/litre when comparing offers so you’re making a like for like decision as a bigger box won’t necessarily mean you get more
- Use your loyalty cards – Don’t be afraid to sign up to them all. They all work slightly differently – work out what bonus suits you better and remember to trade in your points for additional rewards
The cost of a Christmas dinner at the supermarket was £3.30 per head.
It was followed by Lidl at £3.52 and Asda at £3.90.
At the other end of the scale, the most expensive supermarket was Waitrose, where the same meal would set you back £5.49 a head.
The research found that seven of the supermarkets are more expensive than last year, with only the Co-op, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s dropping their prices.
The cheapest Christmas dinner by supermarket
HERE's how much one portion of Christmas dinner will cost you at the following 10 supermarkets.
- Aldi - £3.30
- Lidl - £3.52
- Asda - £3.90
- Tesco - £3.92
- Co-op - £3.96
- Morrisons - £4.15
- Iceland - £4.29
- Sainsbury's - £4.31
- M&S - £4.90
- Waitrose - £5.49
Source: Good Housekeeping
Caroline Bloor, consumer affairs director at Good Housekeeping said: “Consumers have had a lot of factors outside of their control affecting the cost of their Christmas Dinner this year.
"The extreme weather at the beginning of the year alongside this summer’s heatwave has meant yields of crops were much lower than usual.
"This coupled with the weakened pound following the Brexit vote means that in a nutshell, food prices increased this year across the board – and consumers are footing part of the bill.
"There’s still plenty of bargains to be had with competition at an all-time high between retailers - but consumers may need to be willing to shop around.”
What was in Good Housekeeping's Christmas meal?
Good Housekeeping based its prices on the following 11 items:
- a whole turkey weighing at least 3.5kg
- at least 880g of potatoes - Maris Piper or King Edward
- at least 880g of sprouts
- at least 880g of carrots
- at least 880g of parsnips
- at least 170g stuffing mix
- a jar of cranberry sauce
- at least 900g of Christmas pudding
- at least 900g of Christmas cake
- at least eight mince pies
- a jar of brandy butter
More on food
If the cost of Christmas dinner is too much, you could start charging your family - which one mum is doing this year.
Here are our top tips on how to cook your turkey this Christmas.
You could always head out for your Christmas meal - although Toby Carvery customers have slammed its ‘expensive’ £55 Christmas dinner menu.
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