Christmas dinner shock as turkey prices jump £15 and chocolates rocket 70%

FAMILIES hoping for a sweet Christmas are facing a bitter pill as the price of festive chocolates has skyrocketed by more than 70%.

A shocking new report has revealed that while inflation is cooling elsewhere, the cost of festive treats and traditional turkey dinners is still gobbling up cash.

Consumer champion Which? tracked the prices of thousands of products and found that “chocflation” is hitting shoppers hardest this year due to poor cocoa harvests.

The investigation found chocolate was hardest hit, with some products soaring by as much as 72%.

And it’s not just the sweet stuff leaving a sour taste.

The price of the Christmas centrepiece – the turkey – has fattened up by as much as £15 compared to last year.

Choc horror

Given ongoing poor cocoa harvests and supply issues, chocolate continued to be the category worst-affected by inflation at 14.2%.

However, when Which? looked specifically at the kind of chocolate shoppers may be wanting to buy this Christmas it found some price hikes of more than 70% year on year.

In one massive hike, a treat box of Lindt Lindor Milk Chocolate Truffles at Asda jumped from £1.15 last year to £1.98 this year – a staggering rise of 72.2%.

At Morrisons, a Lindt Milk Chocolate Teddy (60g) that cost £3.50 last year is now setting shoppers back £6 – a 71.4% increase.

Even snacking favourites aren’t safe.

A Terry’s Chocolate Orange Dark Ball at Tesco leaped from £1.50 to £2.50, while a Galaxy Smooth Milk Chocolate sharing bar at Ocado saw a 58% hike.

Turkey trauma

While percentage hikes on chocolate are high, the biggest hit to the wallet comes from the meat aisle.

Turkey as a category – which includes fresh whole birds, crowns and other smaller cuts – was up by 4.7%, according to Which?’s research.

However, problems such as bird flu and rising operational costs for farmers are having an impact on individual prices and specific examples in Which?’s research showed much starker price hikes at some supermarkets.

In one of the highest cash increases Which? found, a Tesco Finest Free Range Bronze Turkey Crown (Medium) had increased by £14.95 – from £53.82 to £68.77, up 27.8%.

Similarly, Which? found that the KellyBronze Free Range Extra Large Turkey at Ocado increased by £14.63 – from £117.00 to £131.63 – a rise of 12.5%.

Shoppers looking for whole frozen birds might also struggle, with Waitrose joining M&S in axing them due to falling demand.

Fizz goes flat

For the festive period, Which? also included sparkling white wines and non-alcoholic alternatives.

As a category the inflation was negligible across the supermarkets at 0.3%.

However, like turkey, this number did not reflect some of the individual price hikes Which? found.

For example, a bottle of La Gioiosa Prosecco Brut at Morrisons popped from £8 to £10.50 – a 31% rise.

When looking at the cash increase in this category, Which? found that it was higher-priced bottles that were most affected.

In one striking example at Ocado, Amie Sparkling Cremant de Limoux 75cl saw a price increase of £5.33 as it went from £19.67 on average in 2024 to £25.00 this year – a 27.1% increase.

Even those staying sober are paying more.

At Ocado, a bottle of Belvoir Sparkling Elderflower Presse rose by 36.5% to £3.55.

Which? also tracked other items shoppers might include in a festive shop including stuffing (5.1%) pigs in blankets (3.9%), Brussels sprouts (1.6%) and mince pies (0.4%).

The only festive category that has gone down in price since last year, according to the findings, was Christmas puddings (-1.9%).

Supermarkets have hit back, arguing that loyalty card prices offer better deals than the shelf price.

A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: “We believe Christmas should be joyful and generous. Last month our Taste the Difference Mince Pies were available through Nectar Prices for £1.75, more than 10 per cent cheaper than last year.”

Morrisons pointed out that while the shelf price of their Cadbury Dairy Milk Puds was higher, they were available for just £2 for customers with a More card.

Waitrose noted that some items compared were on discount last year but not this year, skewing the figures.

The Which? tracker also named and shamed the supermarkets with the highest inflation this November.

Waitrose topped the table with prices rising 6.2%, followed by Sainsbury’s (5.4%) and Morrisons (5%).

Asda was crowned the inflation-buster with the lowest rate of just 3%, followed closely by Aldi (3.8%).

Reena Sewraz, Which? retail editor said: “Which?’s findings show that blanket inflation figures often do not show the full picture of what shoppers face at the supermarket when doing their Christmas food shop, as some individual items have shot up by up to 70% in price year on year.

“Shoppers worried about their finances this festive season can save money by shopping in Aldi, Lidl and Asda, which have among the lowest rates of inflation year on year and also tend to be the cheapest supermarkets overall.

“It’s also a good idea when shopping at any time of year to keep an eye on the unit price as this makes it easier to compare across different pack sizes, brands and ranges to ensure you are getting the best deal.”