Shoppers are paying significantly more for Christmas food this year, with festive chocolate treats costing up to 70 per cent more than last Christmas and the price of a turkey rising by as much as £15, according to new research from consumer champion Which?.
The organisation analysed the cost of key ingredients for a traditional Christmas dinner alongside popular seasonal treats such as mince pies, sparkling wine and chocolates. It found that while overall grocery inflation figures appear to have eased, sharp price rises on individual festive items are hitting shoppers hard.
Chocolate products recorded the steepest increases. A Lindt Lindor milk chocolate truffles box at Asda has risen by 72 per cent, from £1.15 last year to £1.98, while Morrisons’ Lindt milk chocolate teddy tree decorations have jumped 71 per cent, from £3.50 in 2024 to £6 this year. Lindt products dominated the list of the biggest proportionate increases, followed by items such as Terry’s dark chocolate orange, Galaxy sharing blocks and Kinder multipacks.
Across the chocolate category as a whole, Which? found prices were up by an average of 14 per cent year on year. Reena Sewraz, retail editor at Which?, said headline inflation figures masked the reality facing shoppers. “Some individual items have shot up by more than 70 per cent compared with last year, which will come as a shock to many households planning their Christmas shop,” she said.
Rising cocoa prices have been a major driver of higher chocolate costs, with poor harvests in key growing regions blamed on extreme weather, including high temperatures and heavy rainfall.
While chocolate has seen the largest percentage increases, turkeys have delivered the biggest cash impact. A Tesco Finest free-range medium bronze turkey crown has increased by £14.95 to £68.77, a rise of nearly 28 per cent. Across all turkey products — including whole birds, crowns and smaller cuts — prices were up by an average of 4.7 per cent year on year.
Which? said turkey prices had been pushed up by a combination of bird flu outbreaks and rising costs faced by farmers. The traditional centrepiece of the Christmas dinner has also been losing popularity, with more shoppers opting for alternatives. This year, Waitrose confirmed it would no longer sell whole frozen turkeys, following a similar move by Marks & Spencer last Christmas.
Looking across the major supermarket chains, Which? found that Waitrose recorded the highest overall price increases in the run-up to Christmas, with prices up 6.2 per cent compared with last year. Asda was found to have kept increases lowest, at around 3 per cent.
Waitrose said some products discounted last Christmas had not been reduced this year, while Sainsbury’s said it was continuing festive promotions, including price-matched mince pies from £1.25 and discounted vegetable trimmings available through Nectar prices in the final days before Christmas.
Which? warned that while shoppers may be reassured by easing inflation headlines, many families will still feel the pinch at the checkout as they prepare for the festive season.
