This year’s Christmas dinners may look a bit different if the latest report from AHDB reflecting on the cost of living crisis and how it continues to affect food choices is anything to go by.

With avian flu affecting prices and supplies of Christmas turkeys and ex-farm beef and lamb values up on the year, Grace Randall, retail insight manager at AHDB, said butchers and those offering premium, more expensive products may suffer.

“Shoppers continue to be swayed by good deals and we expect this to continue for festive favourites. Supermarkets always have big promotions around Christmas time, and the ones choosing to offer the greatest discounts this year should expect the most popularity,” she said.

“It’s possible more people will be choosing to eat out on Christmas day this year. As Covid limited this option in recent years, 2022 saw lots of people celebrating the lifting of restrictions with large gatherings in the home. However, now the ‘novelty’ of large home gatherings has worn off, we may see a rise in the number of households choosing to dine at their local pubs and restaurants on Christmas day and avoiding the washing up at home.”

The report also suggests that the cheaper price tags of alternative roast options such as gammon and chicken may sway shoppers away from traditional turkey this year. Data from IGD reveals that 56% of UK shoppers who celebrated Christmas in 2022 had turkey as part of the Christmas meal, down from 60% in 2021 and it predicts a further decline this year.

There may also be some consumers choosing frozen over fresh, as AHDB data with YouGov recently showed that more than 75% of consumers said that price has become a more important factor for them when choosing meat over the last year.

Ms Randall added: “All the trimmings may be a thing of the past, with some shoppers predicted to have to choose between perceived ‘non-essential’ options like stuffing and pigs in blankets, instead of getting both.

“However, more affluent shoppers will likely still have a ‘more the merrier’ in the trolley attitude. Kantar data also suggested that more people may be attempting to make their own pigs in blankets, with sausage sales soaring around the festive season.

“As consumers continue to keep an eye on their spending, supermarkets may notice a delay in Christmas specific food being purchased.

Food like mince pies, Christmas chocolates, and holiday party food might not be purchased as early as in previous years when people picked up these items as early as September.”