The price of the average Christmas dinner for a family of four has increased by 3.2% to €34.17 this year, according to Kantar.

One of the key Christmas dinner ingredients which saw the largest rise was the price of potatoes.

A 2.5kg pack of potatoes has increased by 25%, or €3.68, year-on-year.

A 1kg ham has also increased this year by 4.8%, which represents a rise of €2.70.

The price of a 500g pack of carrots has lifted by 12.8%, costing an extra 70c/pack.

Brussels sprouts and small, fresh, whole turkeys, however, are down 0.6% (€1.19) and 5% (€5.82) respectively.

Grocery sales

Meanwhile, Kantar said that grocery sales are expected to surpass €1.4bn for the first time ever this December.

This is according to the latest figures from Kantar’s Worldpanel, which show that take-home grocery sales increased by 7.2% in the four weeks to 26 November 2023.

Kantar expects Saturday, 23 December, to be the busiest day in supermarkets this year, as €96m in value sales rang through the tills on Friday, 23 December, last year.

Emer Healy, business development director at Kantar’s Worldpanel, said: “We are on course for a record-breaking festive period, with shoppers spending an unprecedented amount at supermarkets this Christmas.”