Cost of Christmas dinner up 7.5%

THE cost of ingredients for Christmas dinner has risen by 7.5 per cent in the past 12 months, official figures have shown.

The typical basket of goods has gone up from £99.82 to £107.32 – a much bigger increase than pay or pensions.

Cream crackers showed the steepest price rise in percentage terms, up by more than 50 per cent from 55p to 83p. Filter coffee increased by 20.9 per cent to reach an average £2.95.

Some families will suspect the true rises are even higher. Research by The Grocer magazine found an increase of 19 per cent on the average cost of festive food sold by five major chains.

The latest research from the Office for National Statistics did find that some vegetables are cheaper this year than last, with the price of carrots dropping by more than a fifth to average 62p per kg.