WHAT WILL YOUR CHRISTMAS DINNER COST?
We’ve done the research – here are the results!
It’s been a year of turbulent weather, from the freezing ‘Beast from the East’ to the summer’s heatwave – and our research suggests we’ll feel the effects of this in price rises at Christmas. We found that the cost of a Christmas dinner has risen in 2018 – up nearly 6% on last year, and that feeding a family of eight will cost £1.36 more than 2017. The price of the cheapest turkey is up by 10.5% and some veg is more costly, with even the cheapest Brussels sprouts up by 10.7%. Experts say these price hikes are down to smaller yields caused by delayed planting due to the freezing weather earlier in the year, and then being affected later by high temperatures and low rainfall.
But the weather is not the only factor to blame. The effect of Brexit is still being felt in the food industry. ‘Inflation rose sharply last year, thanks to the weakness of the pound following the Brexit vote. In 2018, inflation in food has been running at between 2% and 2.5% through the year,’ says Richard Perks, director of retail research at Mintel. ‘That is in spite of the competition in the sector as the market leaders try to bring their prices down to be closer to Aldi and Lidl.’
THE CHEAPEST SUPERMARKET
❖ For the 10th year running, the GHI has compared prices at the 10 leading supermarkets to find out where it is cheapest to buy Christmas dinner*. We compared a set list of 11 Christmas dinner essentials, including turkey, to serve a family of eight. The gong for cheapest Christmas shop in 2018 was awarded to Aldi, with its winning basket costing just £26.43, only £3.30 per head.
A LITTLE CHEER
❖ Three of this year’s shopping baskets are cheaper than last year’s. The Co-op’s Christmas dinner staples are £1.76 cheaper, Sainsbury’s basket is £2.09 less, and at Morrisons you’ll save £2.99. Seven of the stores’ Christmas essential baskets are more expensive, including last year’s winner, Lidl, which added £2.69 to the cost. Tesco’s basket went up by £2.95, and our winner, Aldi, is 75p more than last year.
SHOP AROUND
❖ If you’re happy to shop around, we’ve calculated the cheapest Christmas dinner basket by adding together the lowest priced item in each category from all 10 supermarkets (see right). This year, it will cost you £24.90 – or £3.11 per head. This is more expensive than last year with a 5.6% difference.
‘Don’t forget, the grocers want you to spend your Christmas pound with them – competition will be fierce, so watch out for last-minute promotions. It all helps!’ says GH consumer affairs director Caroline Bloor.