Christmas dinner for 2011 could prove costly, study shows
Thursday, 22 December 2011 03:32
Britons looking forward to their Christmas dinner this year may not be aware that the meal is likely to cost them more than it did in 2010.
Research from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) looked at the prices of all the essential festive fare and then compared it like-for-like with last year's prices.
It was found that turkey steaks have gone up from £7.85 per kilo to £8.15 per kilo, while bacon and sausages for pigs in blankets have gone up by 6.2 per cent and 5.6 per cent respectively.
Meanwhile, the prices of all the popular kinds of alcohol for Christmas, including red and white wine, sherry and port, have also increased by up to 14.2 per cent.
However, revellers may not be hit in the pocket if they fill up on vegetables, as carrots have decreased in price by 20.5 per cent since last year and potatoes are down by more than ten per cent.
Perhaps surprisingly, the item that has seen the biggest hike is the humble cream cracker, which will cost people an extra 50.9 per cent in 2011.
All in all, the ONS said Christmas dinner will cost an average of £7.50 more this year.
As well as wallets being stretched in 2011, waistbands may also be taxed by the festive season. A study by Pure Via recently discovered that Britons are eating as many as 3,000 extra calories per day in the run-up to Christmas, meaning they may weight seven pounds more by January 2012.
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