Salmon outsells Christmas puds

SMOKED salmon has firmly established itself on festive menus as sales exceed those of Christmas puddings.

A total of £22.5 million was spent on the fish last Christmas, £1.5m more than the total spent on Christmas pudding.

Research by retail analysts Kantar Worldpanel found that sales of smoked salmon have been increasing for the last four years and peak in the four weeks of December.

Almost 25 million portions were eaten last Christmas in restaurants and homes, with Scottish produced salmon proving particularly popular.

The total annual smoked salmon market in 2011 was worth £117m, increasing from £90m in 2008.