Rising cost of Christmas

Turkey, roasties and booze all likely to set you back more than last year

CHRISTMAS dinner is likely to be hit by soaring inflation. UK inflation jumped to 5.1% in November, the highest it's been since September 2011, according to Office for National Statistics figures. Within that there was a 2.5% increase in the cost of food and non-alcoholic drinks and a 4.8% rise for alcohol and tobacco.

That is likely to be felt in your Christmas shopping basket.

The average cost of fresh turkey in November 2020 was £6.60 per kg - meaning a 4kg turkey serving around six to eight people was about £26.39.

This year that was up 4.3% to £6.88 per kg, or around £27.52.

If you prefer beef as the centrepiece of Christmas dinner, the price is up 3.3% from an average of £11.78 per kg to £12.17 per kg.

Roasties will also set you back more - a kg of white potatoes was up from an average of 74p to 82p.

For your pigs in blankets, you'll pay more for your sausages, but less for your back bacon.

Similarly, your choice of veg will see increases for some but not others - cabbage and broccoli up, but carrots, peas and cauliflower down.

The figures are based on the raw price data collected by the ONS to measure inflation. Not every type of product is surveyed (so no sprouts or parsnips), but a representative sample.

Alcoholic drinks to go with your meal have seen big increases in the past year - the cost of a bottle of champagne is up 8.8% to £31.34 on average.

You'll also pay 12.9% more for your bottle of cream liqueur.

The smallest price increase was for bottles of gin, which were up from an average of £15.39 to £15.41.

If you plan to skip Christmas dinner entirely and opt for a takeaway, a Chinese is up 2.6% and an Indian by 3.8%, but you could save on a pizza delivery, down 1.1%.

If the thought of all this food is giving you indigestion, unfortunately the cost of tablets for that is up 4.7% compared to last year.

However, your biggest increased cost this year may be driving home for Christmas.

Transport was a big driver of overall inflation, due to the increased cost of buying a car, and petrol rising to an average 145.8p a litre in November compared with 112.6p a litre a year earlier.

The rising cost of gas and electricity also contributed.

TUC General Secretary Frances O‘Grady said: “Households are facing the most difficult Christmas in nearly a decade. Many families will struggle to keep up with basic living costs, let alone Christmas celebrations. Fuel and electricity costs are soaring, and the Chancellor's cut to Universal Credit could not have come at a worse time.

“We need an urgent plan from the government to get real wages rising. Trade unions should have greater access rights to workplaces to negotiate improved pay. The Chancellor must fully fund real pay rises for public sector workers. And the minimum wage should go up to £10 immediately.”