Shoppers face steep price hikes this Christmas, with some festive treats costing up to 70% more than last year and turkey prices jumping by as much as £15, according to consumer group Which?.
Which? analysed a range of Christmas dinner ingredients and festive staples, finding the steepest mark-ups in chocolate. A Lindt Lindor milk chocolate truffles box at Asda rose 72% to £1.98, while Lindt Milk Chocolate Teddy Christmas tree decorations at Morrisons increased 71% to £6. Overall chocolate prices rose 14% year on year, driven by poor cocoa harvests due to extreme weather.
Turkey prices saw the biggest monetary increases. A Tesco Finest free-range medium bronze turkey crown rose £14.95 to £68.77, a 27.8% increase. Across all turkey types, inflation averaged 4.7%, attributed to bird flu and rising farmer costs. The popularity of turkey as a Christmas centrepiece has declined as customers seek alternatives.
Among major supermarkets, Waitrose raised prices the most (6.2% overall), while Asda kept increases lowest at 3%. Waitrose noted some products discounted last year were not this Christmas. Sainsbury's highlighted offers including mince pies at £1.25 and vegetable trimmings at 15p with Nectar prices.
