Christmas feast to hit your pocket
CHRISTMAS dinner will be more expensive this year as extreme weather conditions have pushed up the cost of some key ingredients in the traditional roast.
The freezing Beast from the East which battered Britain earlier this year delayed the planting of many crops and once they were in the ground they were left parched by the unusually long, hot summer.
Wholesale prices of some vegetables have risen sharply, with the cost of potatoes up 186 per cent on this time last year.
Retailers are also paying 56 per cent more for carrots year-on-year, the price of parsnips has risen by 61 per cent and Brussels sprouts are up by 36 per cent, according to figures yesterday from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs .
The cost of a turkey is expected to rise by about six per cent, partly because of higher grain prices and drinkers may be forced to shell out more for a festive tipple as industry experts predict the duty on wine may rise by 30p per bottle in Monday’s budget.
However, there is some good news for shoppers. Pigs in blankets – chipolatas wrapped in bacon – may be cheaper as the wholesale cost of lean pork is down eight per cent. And a cranberry glut in the US may also help drive down the cost of the fruit sauce.
Aidan Wright, an analyst at the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, said consumers would not see such large increases in supermarkets but should expect the price of a Christmas shopping trolley to rise.
He said: “A lot of the increase will be absorbed by suppliers who will see lower margins. The quality of the crop out of the ground is still unknown so we don’t know the full impact yet.”