Christmas dinner and festive treats up to 70% more expensive, reports Which? | Inflation
Shoppers are paying up to 70% more for chocolatey Christmas treats compared to last year, while the price of a turkey has jumped by up to £15, according to consumer champion Which?
The group analyzed a range of ingredients for a typical Christmas dinner, as well as other typical festive treats including tartlets, sparkling wine and chocolates.
Festive chocolate saw the biggest increase this year. Among the biggest rises was a box of Lindt Lindor milk chocolate truffle treats at Asda, up 72% to £1.98, up from £1.15 last year. At Morrisons, Lindt Milk Chocolate Teddy Christmas tree decorations have gone from £3.50 in 2024 to £6 in 2025, a 71% rise.
Lindt festive chocolates took the top two places for the largest proportional price increases across all Christmas staples and favourites, followed by Terry’s Orange Chocolate Dark Ball, and Galaxy Milk Chocolate Sharing Block and Kinder Milk Chocolate Multipack.
Which? found that across the chocolate category – not just Christmas-themed offerings – prices have increased by an average of 14% per year.
The report shows that “overall inflation figures do not give the full picture of what shoppers face at the supermarket when doing their Christmas shopping,” said Reena Sewraz, retail editor at Which? “The price of some individual items has increased by more than 70% year over year. »
Poor cocoa harvests in major producing regions have contributed to rising chocolate prices, driven by extreme temperatures and heavy rainfall.
While festive chocolate is seeing the biggest price increases in percentage terms, more expensive products such as turkeys have seen the biggest price increases in monetary terms.
One of the biggest price increases. Which ? found was for a Tesco Finest Medium Bronze Turkey Wreath, which has increased from £14.95 to £68.77 this year, an increase of 27.8%.
For all types of turkey, including whole birds, crowns and small pieces, year-over-year inflation averaged 4.7%.
Which? said individual price rises were caused by issues such as bird flu and rising costs for farmers.
The popularity of turkey as the centerpiece of the traditional Christmas dinner has declined in recent years as customers turn to alternatives.
This year Waitrose announced it would not sell frozen whole turkeys, following Marks & Spencer last year.
Overall, which one? found that among the UK’s largest supermarket chains, Waitrose increased its prices the most, up 6.2% compared to the run-up to Christmas last year. Asda was found to have kept the overall annual price increase at the lowest level at 3%.
Waitrose said some of its products which saw price cuts last year had not received discounts this Christmas.
Meanwhile, a Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: “We’re continuing fantastic deals in the run-up to the big day with assorted priced tartlets starting from just £1.25, and from Thursday December 18 until Christmas Eve, Sainsbury’s is offering classic vegetable trimmings including carrots, Brussels sprouts, parsnips and more for just 15p with Nectar prices. »
