People who enjoy a traditional Christmas dinner on December 25 have been issued a stark warning, and it extends to popular items including turkey, stuffing, and gravy. Everyone has their favourite part that they just can’t go without, and the festive feast has been a UK staple for hundreds of years.

Usually served with all the trimmings, it can be quite the effort for whoever is donning their chef’s hat, with people often gathering in large groups of loved ones for the eagerly-anticipated meal. And it’s not just the work that goes into it – but the cost.

A new study by UK packaging supplier Carrier Bag Shop analysed data from UK supermarkets to work out the current cheapest cost of a Christmas dinner from each chain, and says the average cost overall for 2024 is £42.38 – for a family of four.

This includes turkey, gravy, stuffing, pigs in blankets, Brussel sprouts, carrots, Yorkshire puddings, potatoes, parsnips, and carrots. Aldi comes in cheapest at £27.89, while Waitrose is the most expensive at £51.25.

Experts are warning that this average cost could jump to over £50 by 2030, based on the rate of inflation between 2014 and 2023, which is 2.91% on average. The most expensive component of a Christmas dinner, a large turkey, could increase from £26.21 on average to £31.13, if these figures remain the same.

Sujan Shah, CEO of Carrier Bag Shop, said: “If inflation rates do grow on the same scale up until 2030, it’s likely the consumer will feel the pinch. This shows how important it can be to make sustainable and budget-friendly choices when shopping in general and not just for the holiday season.

“It will be interesting to see if regular consumers of these individual supermarkets start buying their Christmas dinner ingredients from elsewhere, or people will choose to pay either if the quality is good enough.”