The price of your Christmas dinner revealed: How cheaper Brussels sprouts, puddings and sparkling wines are curbing the cost of the festive feast

• Brussels sprouts are 4.3% cheaper than a year ago, according to Kantar data
• Christmas puddings are down by 2.4% and sparkling wine has fallen 5.9% 

Cheaper Brussels sprouts means the average price of Christmas dinner for four is up by a modest 1.3 per cent to £31.71.

Small falls in the cost of Christmas puddings and sparkling wines, such as Prosecco and Cava, are also curbing the cost of a festive feast.

Supermarkets use the prices of ingredients of popular festive foods in an annual battle to attract people through the door.

And this year, the total cost has been helped the fact sprouts are some 4.3 per cent cheaper than a year ago. Christmas puddings are down by 2.4 per cent and sparkling wine by 5.9 per cent.

The 1.3 per cent rise in the cost of a dinner with turkey and all the trimmings is well below the 9.1 per cent average increase in food prices across supermarket aisles.

Studies have shown that struggling shoppers are putting a priority on laying on a decent spread while cutting spending on presents and other purchases.

Despite this, consumer campaigners at Which? say many people will be skipping meals, as well as turning to food banks and charity.

The figures come from experts at Kantar who predict supermarkets will be enjoying a bumper Christmas with record-breaking spending of £13 billion expected through tills this December.

The organisation’s head of retail and consumer insight, Fraser McKevitt, said: ‘The scene is set for record-breaking spend through the supermarket tills this Christmas.

‘The festive period is always a bumper one for the grocers with consumers buying on average 10 per cent more items than in a typical month.

‘While the rate at which grocery prices are rising is still well above the norm, the good news for shoppers is that inflation is continuing to come down.

Kantar said grocery inflation slowed again in November to 9.1%, down from October’s 9.7%

‘The retailers are also battling it out to offer value to consumers during this important month for trading and are doing what they can to keep prices low.

READ MORE Christmas is hit by ‘shrinkflation’: Shoppers set to spend an average £105 more this Xmas as price of mince pies, chocolates and biscuits rise – despite shrinking package sizes

‘In a sign of just how fierce the contest is between the grocers, the cost of a Christmas dinner for four has risen well below the overall inflation rate this year at 1.3 per cent, as some items on our festive plate have actually fallen in price.

‘Brussels sprouts are now 4.3 per cent cheaper than 12 months ago so there’s no excuse for people not to enjoy them!’

Kantar said retailers are putting the emphasis on special promotions on big brands and pushing cheaper own-label lines. Spending on offers hit its highest level in over two years in the latest four week period at 28.4 per cent.

The Competition & Markets Authority, which investigating prices, reported last week that many big brands have increased prices by more than their costs. 

The watchdog also found that these same brands plan to concentrate of running promotions, rather than bringing down headline prices as their costs fall.

Many people have switched to premium supermarket food and drink as an alternative to eating out due to the cost of living squeeze.

Mr McKevitt said: ‘Own-label is still doing incredibly well and premium lines especially so. These products are up by 15.4 per cent year on year, with wine, chilled ready meals and fresh beef among the big winners last month.

‘We’re likely to see a seasonal jump in premium stuffing, sausage meat and Christmas puddings over the coming weeks.’

Tesco put in a strong performance to increase its market share to 27.5 per cent following an 8.6 per cent growth in sales. Lidl was the fastest growing grocer over the 12 weeks to November 26

Sainsbury’s had a particularly strong month with sales of its premium ‘Taste the Difference’ range up by a whopping 23 per cent year on year.

Tesco also put in a strong performance to increase its market share to 27.5 per cent following an 8.6 per cent growth in sales.

Lidl was the fastest growing grocer, boosting sales by 14.2 per cent over the 12 weeks to November 26 with Aldi up 11.1 per cent.

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