More than half the population admit they go overboard with Christmas Dinner whilst a quarter always burn one item
London, North East and Wales have topped the list as those serving up the biggest portions on Christmas Day this year - with families in Wales dishing up the most turkey, London adding the most bread sauce and the North East delving into the biggest helping of gravy.
SPAR UK surveyed 2,000 adults and found that the the average Brit will tuck into three slices of turkey, four pigs in blankets, four roast potatoes, two Yorkshire puddings, five brussels sprouts and 100 ml of gravy on Christmas Day.
But across the UK, families are expected to spend anywhere between £121 to £350 on their Christmas dinner - so where does your region come on the list?
- London - £350
- East of England - £270
- East Midlands - £190
- Northern Ireland - £184
- South West - £176
- North West - £175
- Yorkshire - £174
- North East - £157
- Scotland - £156
- Wales - £154
- West Midlands - £144
- South East - £121
The research also revealed that whilst the South East may pay the least for their Christmas dinner they are not getting the best bargains. Looking at the size of portions compared to the costs of ingredients Wales come out top for the most savvy spenders whilst Northern Ireland have one of the smallest Christmas dinners whilst being in the top four biggest spenders.
The full list of money saving Christmas dinner regions includes:
- Wales
- North East
- West Midlands
- Yorkshire
- Scotland
- London
- South East
- South West
- North West
- East of England
- East Midlands
- Northern Ireland
SPAR UK’s poll discovered that confidence is high when it comes to our cooking skills, with two thirds surveyed (63%) proud to say that their whole family loves their Christmas dinner and over half (53%) believe their dinner couldn’t be any better.
Cooks in Northern Ireland were the most confident in their Christmas dinner with over three quarters (76%) agreeing that the family love their dinners, but only half (51%) in the West Midlands said the same. And when it came to perfecting every element of the meal, nearly a quarter (22%) of over 55s strongly agreed that their Christmas dinner couldnt get any better.
And it seems that a traditional Christmas dinner is still the favourite for families across the UK with the ultimate plate consisting of:
- Turkey
- Pigs in Blankets
- Roast Potatoes
- Carrots
- Parsnips
- Broccoli
- Brussels Sprouts
- Stuffing
- Yorkshire Puddings
- Cranberry Sauce
- Gravy
A third (33%) do things a little differently with mashed potato as part of their festive dinner - whilst a quarter (24%) opt for Beef over Turkey or alongside. In the North East, 15% surveyed have up to 6 slices of Turkey with their dinner - the most in the UK, but surprisingly it is Northern Ireland who have the most Yorkshire Puddings, with 8% having 5 to 6 on their plate.
Only 1 in 10 cook a Nut Roast alternative for Christmas Day but this is the most popular in Brighton with 1 in 5 (20%) including it as part of their Christmas dinner, followed by 18% in Bristol.
Furthermore, 54% said they always go overboard with how much food they need, with two thirds (65%) of families in Northern Ireland cooking too much for dinner. Those in Edinburgh are the most likely to go overboard (67%) compared to only 45% of those in Leeds.
Two thirds (67%) will sit down to eat their Christmas dinner with friends and family between 1pm and 4pm, and most families tuck into their meal at 3.10pm - traditionally just after the usual slot for the Queen’s Speech but the first for King Charles this year.
Over 55s usually eat the earliest on Christmas Day at 2.40pm and families in the North East tuck in just after 2pm, nearly two hours before Londoners who enjoy dinner at 3.45pm.
However, half (50%) believe there is too much pressure to create the perfect dinner and over a quarter (26%) admit that at least one ingredient always ends up burnt. More than a third (37%) also revealed that they don’t eat very much after cooking their Christmas dinner, as many feel the stress after preparing one of the most important meals of the year.
Jamie Seymour, Head of SPAR Brand from SPAR UK commented: “Christmas dinner is always an exciting but stressful part of the festive season, especially when you’re trying to get your timings right or if you’ve forgotten the pigs in blankets! Our research shows that we all love sitting down for dinner with our nearest and dearest, so if you do forget anything for the big day our stores can take some of the pressure off.”
SPAR’s own-brand festive meal accompaniments and prepared vegetable lines are available in store now to make the day more convenient, including Luxury Mince Pies and Rainbow Root Vegetable Roast.
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