Let's talk turkey: your Christmas lunch will cost more than last year
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Your support makes all the difference.The cost of ingredients for this year's Christmas dinner has risen by £7.50 since 2010, official figures have shown.
The typical basket of goods has gone up in price by 7.5 per cent from £99.82 last year to £107.32, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
Cream crackers showed the steepest price rise in percentage terms, going up by more than 50 per cent from 55p to 83p for a packet. Filter coffee was next, rising by 20.9 per cent to reach an average cost of £2.95.
Turkey steaks have typically risen to £8.15 per kg, an increase of 3.8 per cent, while fresh chicken has gone up by 7.2 per cent to average £3.14 per kg.
The old favourite snack of pigs in blankets is also a more expensive treat, with the price of both pig and blanket rising.
The cost of back bacon typically rose by 6.2 per cent to £9.11 per kg and the cost of pork sausages was up 5.6 per cent to £4.33 per kg. Despite high living costs, some vegetables are cheaper this year, with carrots dropping by more than a fifth (20.5 per cent) to average 62p per kg.
Old white potatoes have dropped in price by 10.4 per cent to average 60p per kg. New potatoes are also cheaper, averaging £1.41 per kg, a drop of 9 per cent. But other vegetables such as frozen peas have seen price rises.
The ONS Christmas basket does not include "seasonal" items such as sprouts and Christmas puddings, which are not regularly tracked to show inflation.
While Christmas cake was not on the list, the price of a whole sponge cake has risen by 18.2 per cent to reach £1.30, while ice cream is up 6 per cent to average £2.30 and a box of chocolates now costs £4.47, a 6.7 per cent rise on last year.
There were also price hikes across the various bottles of alcohol included in the basket, with champagne experiencing an 8.6 per cent increase to average £28.93. Red wine is up by 14.2 per cent to reach £5.63, white wine has increased by 8.1 per cent to reach £6.56, with fortified wine such as sherry and port soaring by 11.5 per cent to average £7.30.
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