From the turkey on the table to the Baileys in your glass – the cost of Christmas dinner
This year rising costs are adding an extra pinch of spice to festive dinner planning.
With Christmas just weeks away, Sky News looks at the numbers to uncover how your shopping list has changed, from the turkey on the table to the Baileys in your glass.
For meat eaters, the star of the Christmas dinner table, the turkey, is gobbling up 4% more cash this year. The average price per kilo has risen to £4.39 from £4.22 in 2023, according to data from market research firm Assosia, which tracks average pre-promotion prices across Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, and Morrisons.
Rising turkey costs have been driven by high inflation, increased grain and energy prices, and challenges in securing seasonal farm labour following Brexit.
“Over the last three seasons, inflation has been a factor but inflation was astronomical in 2022 for feed and energy,” said Jonathan Smith, a farmer at Great Garnetts Farm.
“As much as the price of feed has come off a little bit, the energy still remains significantly higher than it was. The availability of labour and what you have to pay to get labour, is also increasing.
“We’ve not been able to reduce costs but this season I haven’t seen as much inflationary pressure as I’d seen in the previous two seasons.”
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Labour’s Autumn Budget announcement to increase national insurance contributions for businesses has raised further concerns.
“It makes us look at what we’re doing and question whether it’s worth it,” Mr Smith said about the change.
“We have 10 full-time staff year-round and recruit up to 30 seasonal workers in December. The government isn’t doing my business any favours right now.”
Potatoes have seen the sharpest price hike, with a 2-2.5kg bag of Maris Piper potatoes going from £1.52 to £1.86, a rise of 41%.
Other festive favourites are also costing more:
- Pigs in blankets: up 3%, from £2.66 to £2.75
- Christmas pudding: up 7%, from £3.68 to £3.95
- Mince pies: up 5%, from £1.80 to £1.89
Part of the rise in the cost of mince pies could be due to two years of poor sultana harvests in Turkey.
There is some good news, though. Onion gravy granules and brussel sprouts are 7% cheaper, providing a small but savoury win.
A veggie Christmas
If your Christmas plate is plant-based, there’s a mixed bag of news.
The cost of a Quorn family roast has risen by 5%, now priced at £3.75, reflecting the overall trend of rising food prices.
However, there’s some relief for those with dietary restrictions, as free-from stuffing has dropped by 8%, offering a small saving for festive tables.
Unfortunately, free-from mince pies haven’t escaped inflation, with their price increasing by 5%, echoing the rise seen in traditional mince pies.
Drinks
It’s not all doom and gloom when it comes to drinks.
Mulled wine has become 3% cheaper, now costing £3.25, while Baileys has stayed steady at £21.99 – though it remains the priciest item on the festive shopping list.
For non-alcoholic drinkers, lemonade and orange juice prices haven’t changed.
Prices over time
While Baileys hasn’t changed in price since 2023, it has seen a significant increase over the past four years. Since 2020, the festive favourite has risen by £3.34, nearly a fifth more expensive than its cost back then.
Free-from stuffing has gone down by 15p and mulled wine has stayed as it was in 2020.
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MPs have voted to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales.
The amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill, abolishing the prosecution of women for terminating their pregnancy at any stage, passed by 379 votes to 137.
It represents the biggest shake-up in reproductive rights for almost 60 years.
Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi, who tabled the so-called “New Clause One” (NC1), said it would ensure women do not face investigation, arrest, prosecution or imprisonment in relation to any pregnancies.
She said the current “Victorian” laws had been used against vulnerable women, citing cases such as Nicola Packer, who was prosecuted on suspicion of having an illegal abortion. She was found not guilty in May.
“Nicola’s story is deplorable, but there are many others,” Ms Antoniazzi said.
Abortion in England and Wales is currently a criminal offence but is legal with an authorised provider for up to 24 weeks after conception. The procedure is allowed after this time in very limited circumstances.
It is also legal to take prescribed related medication at home if a woman is less than 10 weeks pregnant.
Ms Antoniazzi said NC1 was “a narrow, targeted measure” that would not change how abortion services were provided or the rules under the 1967 Abortion Act.
Pro-choice campaigners demonstrating for decriminalising abortion in the UK
She said: “The 24 [week] limit remains. Abortions still require the approval of signatures of two doctors, and women would still have to meet the grounds laid out in the Act.”
The MP said that meant healthcare professionals “acting outside the law and abusive partners using violence or poisoning to end a pregnancy would still be criminalised, as they are now.”
She added: “This piece of legislation will only take women out of the criminal justice system because they are vulnerable and they need our help.
“As I have said before, and I will say it again, just what public interest is this serving? This is not justice, it is cruelty and it has got to end.”
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Should abortion be decriminalised?
The change will not come into effect immediately as the Crime and Policing Bill is still making its way through Parliament.
A separate amendment, put forward by Labour MP Stella Creasy, went further with a measure to “lock in” the right of a person to have an abortion while protecting those who help them.
However, her amendment was not voted on because Ms Antoniazzi’s passed, as expected.
Conservative MP Sir Edward Leigh, speaking against both amendments, described them as “not pro-woman” and argued they “would introduce sex-selective abortion”.
How did MPs vote?
MPs were given a free vote on the amendment, as is typically the case with so-called matters of conscience.
A breakdown of the vote showed it was passed overwhelmingly by Labour and Lib Dem MPs.
Read more:
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Just eight Conservative MPs voted in favour, while all Reform UK MPs opposed the amendment, with the exception of the party’s leader Nigel Farage, who abstained.
Sir Keir Starmer was not present for the vote as he is currently in Canada for the G7 summit, but said earlier that his “longstanding in-principle position is that women have the right to a safe and legal abortion”.
The issue of women investigated by police over suspected illegal abortions has been in the spotlight due to several recent high-profile cases.
Ms Packer was cleared by a jury last month after taking prescribed abortion medicine at home when she was around 26 weeks pregnant, beyond the legal limit of 10 weeks.
In the Commons, Ms Antoniazzi cited another case of a young mother who was jailed for two years after she was forced to take illegal abortion medication by her abusive partner. He was never investigated.
The UK-US trade deal has been signed and is “done”, US President Donald Trump has said as he met Sir Keir Starmer at the G7 summit.
The US president told reporters in Canada: “We signed it, and it’s done. It’s a fair deal for both. It’ll produce a lot of jobs, a lot of income.”
Sir Keir said the document “implements” the deal to cut tariffs on cars and aerospace, describing it as a “really important agreement”.
“So this is a very good day for both of our countries – a real sign of strength,” the prime minister added.
Mr Trump added that the UK was “very well protected” against any future tariffs, saying: “You know why? Because I like them”.
However, he did not say whether levies on British steel exports to the US would be set to 0%, saying “we’re gonna let you have that information in a little while”.
Mr Trump also praised Sir Keir as a “great” prime minister, adding: “We’ve been talking about this deal for six years, and he’s done what they haven’t been able to do.”
He added: “We’re very longtime partners and allies and friends and we’ve become friends in a short period of time.
“He’s slightly more liberal than me to put it mildly… but we get along.”
Sir Keir added that “we make it work”.
As the pair exited a mountain lodge in the Canadian Rockies where the summit is being held, Mr Trump held up a physical copy of the trade agreement to show reporters.
Several leaves of paper fell from the binding, and Sir Keir quickly stooped to pick them up, saying: “A very important document.”
Sir Keir Starmer picks up paper from the UK-US trade deal after Donald Trump dropped it at the G7 summit. Pic: Reuters
The US president also appeared to mistakenly refer to a “trade agreement with the European Union” at one point as he stood alongside the British prime minister.
Mr Trump announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs on countries in April. At the time, he announced 10% “reciprocal” rates on all UK exports – as well as separately announced 25% levies on cars and steel.
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In a joint televised phone call in May, Sir Keir and Mr Trump announced the UK and US had agreed on a trade deal – but added the details were being finalised.
Ahead of the G7 summit, the prime minister said he would meet Mr Trump for “one-on-one” talks, and added the agreement “really matters for the vital sectors that are safeguarded under our deal, and we’ve got to implement that”.
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