Connect with us

Published

on

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.”

More on Christmas

Read more from Sky News:
UK’s fragile food security can be traced to demise of farming’s golden age

Top chefs name their favourite cheap eats

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.


The Data and Forensics team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We gather, analyse and visualise data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media and other open source information. Through multimedia storytelling we aim to better explain the world while also showing how our journalism is done.

Continue Reading

UK

How people are coping with the floods: Carpets, furniture and food destroyed as homes deluged under feet of water

Published

on

By

How people are coping with the floods: Carpets, furniture and food destroyed as homes deluged under feet of water

People whose homes have been destroyed by the floods sweeping across parts of the UK over the past couple of days have been telling Sky News how they coped with the deluge.

In Lincolnshire, where a major incident has been declared, Terry, from Grantham, showed a Sky crew the aftermath of the deluge in his home, which was left under two feet of water.

“Everything’s gone,” he said, adding that he was “devastated”.

The first sign of trouble came at lunchtime on Monday, when his wife woke him and said there was water coming in [to the house], and “within a few minutes, the whole house was flooded”.

Terry told us he's 'devastated'
Image:
Terry told us he’s ‘devastated’

Pic: AP
Image:
Flooding in Loughborough. Pic: AP

Weather – latest updates

They rushed their belongings and pets upstairs, he said, as he revealed the damage to the flooded living room and kitchen, where the water mark was above a power socket.

Terry said the kitchen, where the floor was covered in sludge, smelled of mud and sewage, and their furniture and carpets were wrecked.

More on Floods

Flood waters in Loughborough, Leicestershire. Pic: PA
Image:
Flood waters in Loughborough, Leicestershire. Pic: PA

They have no electricity and the food in the cupboards and freezer was “completely ruined”.

Graham Johnson, who lives in a boat with his wife and dog, in the village of Barrow upon Soar in Leicestershire, was in the pub on Monday night, before the water started to rise “rapidly”.

People living in a local caravan park were moved as a severe flood warning was issued.

Graham Johnson, from Barrow upon Soar in Leicestershire, feared he would lose his boat home
Image:
Graham Johnson, from Barrow upon Soar in Leicestershire, feared he would lose his boat home

PABest A man is rescued from the flooding at a caravan park near Barrow upon Soar, Leicestershire. Weather warnings for snow and ice are in force across much of the UK after severe flooding and snow caused travel disruption and school closures. Across England, there are also 198 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected, and 300 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible. Picture date: Tuesday January 7, 2025.
Image:
A man is rescued from the flooding at a caravan park near Barrow upon Soar, Leicestershire. Pic: PA

Mr Johnson said he had gone out “for a couple of pints as usual and, the next thing we know, bingo”.

The couple feared their boat home was about to be swept towards the bridge.

“That’s our pride and joy, where we live, and we didn’t want to lose it,” he said, as he praised the “fantastic” emergency services, who rescued them and their dog after a nervy three-hour wait.

They were two of the 59 people rescued by firefighters in the county, where a major incident was declared and crews were called out to 160 flood-related incidents, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) said.

Another Leicestershire resident whose home was inundated was Qasim Abdullah from Loughborough.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Flooding across East Midlands

Pictures taken by the Associated Press show him walking through almost knee-deep water in his living room.

In nearby Quorn, businesses have shut as the main high street has flooded for the second time in as many years.

Two of the pubs in particular have been damaged.

Last year, residents had to launch a crowd fundraiser to help pay for the costs of renovation. Not to mention soaring insurance premiums.

Indy Burmi, who owns a hair salon and restaurant, hasn’t suffered flooding, but said he’s had to close up and cancel all Tuesday’s reservations, as his clients simply can’t get into the village.

Read more:
No timescale for action on grooming gangs – latest
Several NHS trusts declare critical incidents
Teenager fatally stabbed on bus

And, with more rain forecast, conditions could get even worse in the short term, while residents worry that an annual battle with rising water is now the new normal.

Elsewhere in the UK, the next danger is from ice forming on untreated surfaces after rain on Tuesday evening, the Met Office has said, as it issued a new warning for northern England and Wales from 5pm until midday on Wednesday.

Continue Reading

UK

Boy, 14, stabbed to death on bus in Woolwich, southeast London

Published

on

By

Boy, 14, stabbed to death on bus in Woolwich, southeast London

A 14-year-old boy has been stabbed to death on a bus in Woolwich, in southeast London.

Police were called around 2.30pm to reports of a stabbing on a bus on Woolwich Church Road near the junction with the A205 South Circular Road.

A boy who police said had received stab wounds was treated by paramedics, but he died at the scene shortly after they arrived.

Officers have launched an investigation into the incident.

No arrests have been made so far but police are appealing for witnesses of the incident on the 472 bus.

Read more from Sky News:
Several NHS trusts declare critical incidents
Prison officer filmed having sex with inmate jailed
At least 126 killed after earthquake near holy city

A cordon and road closures were in place as of shortly before 5pm.

Continue Reading

UK

Liverpool hospital declares critical incident over ‘exceptionally high’ demand on A&E amid rising flu cases

Published

on

By

Liverpool hospital declares critical incident over 'exceptionally high' demand on A&E amid rising flu cases

The Royal Liverpool University Hospital has declared a critical incident due to “exceptionally high” demand on A&E and patients being admitted to wards.

The hospital said there had been a spike in people with flu and respiratory illnesses going to emergency departments in recent weeks.

The number of people in England’s hospital with flu quadrupled in the last month, according to NHS data.

A spokesperson for the hospital said it had a “comprehensive plan in place” and was “taking all the necessary actions to manage the challenging circumstances”.

“We are working with partner organisations to ensure those that are medically fit can leave hospital safely and at the earliest opportunity,” they added.

The hospital warned some people would experience delays as it prioritises the sickest patients.

People whose case isn’t an emergency are being asked to see their GP, pharmacy or walk-in centre – or call the 111 service for advice.

More on Liverpool

The Royal Liverpool University Hospital is in the city centre and is the biggest hospital in Merseyside and Cheshire.

Declaring a critical incident can happen when a hospital is experiencing exceptional demand, or sometimes if there is a serious problem with staffing levels.

It indicates it can’t function as normal and allows it to take extra measures to protect patients, such as prioritising the most unwell people and getting support from other agencies.

It could last hours, a few days, or weeks if necessary.

A critical incident was also declared on Friday by the NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board.

It said it had seen almost four times as many inpatients compared with last year and urged people with flu to avoid going to A&E.

Read more from Sky News:
England cricket chiefs reject call for boycott of Afghanistan game

Plaza says death of filmmaker husband ‘unimaginable tragedy’

There have been warnings this winter of a so-called “quad-demic”– with flu, vomiting bug norovirus, COVID and RSV circulating at the same time.

The NHS provides vaccinations against three of the four; flu, COVID-19 and RSV (a common cause of chest infection in babies).

Continue Reading

Trending