Christmas Lunch Belt-Tightening As Cost Goes Up To &pound107.32

Credit Crunch Christmas Lunch Cost Goes Up To £107.32

The cost of ingredients for this year's Christmas dinner has risen by £7.50 since 2010, official figures have shown.

The typical basket of goods has gone up in price by 7.5% from £99.82 last year to £107.32, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

Cream crackers showed the steepest price rise in percentage terms, going up by more than 50% from 55p to 83p for a packet.

Turkey steaks have typically risen to £8.15 per kg, an increase of 3.8%, while fresh chicken has gone up by 7.2% to average £3.14 per kg.

The old Christmas favourite snack of pigs in blankets has also become a more expensive treat, with the cost of back bacon typically rising by 6.2% to £9.11 per kg and the cost of pork sausages rising by 5.6% to £4.33 per kg.

Christmas revellers can fill up on roast potatoes, with the knowledge that old white potatoes have dropped in price by 10.4% to average 60p per kg.

But other vegetables such as frozen peas may not taste so sweet this year as they have seen price rises.

The ONS Christmas basket does not include "seasonal" items such as sprouts and Christmas puddings, which are not regularly tracked to show inflation.

While Christmas cake was not on the list, the price of a whole sponge cake has risen by 18.2% to reach £1.30, while a box of chocolates now costs £4.47, a 6.7% rise on last year.

For the after dinner cheese course, the typical price of hard regional cheese has seen a more modest rise of 1.7%, to £7.09.

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