Christmas dinner should cost slightly less this year in rare price drop, as supermarkets battle it out for the festive big shop.
A turkey and all the trimmings for four will cost an average £32.46 this year, slightly down on last year’s £32.57 – which was up 6.5% on the year before, according to market research firm Worldpanel by Numerator, formerly Kantar.
The fall comes as inflation fell last month, with lower food prices helping to ease the cost of living for households across the UK, new official figures showed.
The rate of Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation fell to 3.2% in November, from 3.6% in October, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
Some 31.2% of spending was on promoted items, up from 30% this time last year, Worldpanel’s data shows.
Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Worldpanel, said: “Retailers are pulling out all the stops to win shoppers over as they gear up for one of the most important trading periods of the year.
“One in five households tell us that they’ve been struggling financially and that’s been largely consistent over the past two years.
“With the cost of living still biting for many this Christmas, just under one third of all spending is on promotion as supermarkets find ways to shield shoppers from the impact of price rises.”
He added: “Retailers are savvy to the fact that at Christmas especially – even when times are tough – consumers still find the space in their wallet to spend on small treats.
“In fact, we’ve seen that right through the cos-of-living crisis as people have found new, more affordable ways to indulge in what we call the ‘pick-me-up pound’.
“The rise and rise of premium own-label lines bears this out with one in every £20 now spent on these treat-type products.”
While chocolate prices are up 18.4% on this time last year, it has not stopped five million households putting a confectionery advent calendar in their basket in November.
Similarly, just over one in 10 shoppers bought a bottle of Champagne or sparkling wine over the last month.
Online grocer Ocado reached a new record market share of 2.2% with sales increasing by 15.8% over the quarter.
However, bricks and mortar still dominates the grocery sector and, with Christmas falling on a Thursday this year, Monday December 22 and Tuesday December 23 are expected to be the busiest supermarket shopping days of the year.
Lidl made the biggest market share gain, winning an additional 0.5 percentage points compared with last year to reach 8.1%.
Sales at Sainsbury’s rose by 5.1%, bringing the retailer’s market share to 16%, and Tesco achieved sales growth of 4.7% as it attracted 321,000 more shoppers over the 12 weeks compared with last year to holds 28.3% of the market.
Spending through the tills at Aldi increased by 4.1% and its share remains at 10.5%, while Waitrose and Iceland both grew ahead of the market at 4%, maintaining shares of 4.4% and 2.3% respectively.
Sales at Asda now account for 11.5% of the market, down 4.3% on last year, while Co-op’s share stands at 5.3%, down 1.4% on last November.
Beyond the grocers, sales of take-home groceries at M&S were 8.9% higher over the 12 weeks compared with the same period in 2024.
Which is the cheapest supermarket for Christmas dinner in 2025?
This is a hard-fought battle this Christmas, and a lot of it will depend on the individual items in your trolley.
According to NetVoucherCodes Aldi is the lowest priced supermarket to shop with a cost of just £31.73, making it cheaper than last year when a festive shop cost £32.04.
The next cheapest supermarket is Lidl at a price of £33.22 and ASDA costing £39.73.
A beef roasting joint, cranberry sauce and mulled wine have increased in price the most, as high as 40% since last year.
Christmas pudding, mince pies and champagnes have decreased the most, with the former dropping by 17% since last year.
The Cost of Christmas Dinner in 2025
The data found that the average cost of a Christmas dinner is now £52.19, with the amount of food likely to feed 6-8 people. Costs range from £31.73 to £80.95 depending on where consumers choose to shop.
- Aldi £31.73
- Lidl £33.22
- Asda £39.73
- Morrisons £41.88
- Tesco £52.13
- Iceland £52.20
- Sainsbury’s £60.39
- Waitrose £77.50
- M&S £80.95
Average: £52.19
The cheapest supermarket for Christmas dinner essentials is ALDI with 31.73.
The budget store has some of the cheapest options of all other supermarkets with a 2.5kg turkey crown costing just £17.19 and the cheapest pigs in blankets at £2.19. Compared to last year, an Aldi Christmas dinner actually came out to be almost 1% cheaper.
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Across the board, British-grown vegetables have continued to see slight increases in costs. Green beans have seen the biggest increase of 7.04% from £1.02 to £1.09. Maris Piper potatoes have also increased 3.96% and Brussel sprouts by 2.02%
However, there is some good news. Christmas favourites like the Christmas pudding have seen sharp decreases in price from £3.37 to £2.79, dropping by 17.44%. Mince pies have also seen a dramatic decrease year-on-year with a 17.06% reduction from £1.48 in 2024 to £1.22 this year.
Although the cost of sugar and dried fruit have increased significantly this year, supermarkets may be keeping costs down for these Christmas staples with deals and discounts. It may be best for consumers to buy in-store than try to make their own from scratch if they want to save.
