Christmas dinner ingredients costs rise by a third for caterers

The cost of serving a traditional Christmas dinner has soared by a third in the past five years for caterers, according to new analysis from food benchmarking service Quenelles.

The company’s analysis indicates that mince pies have seen the sharpest rise, up 94% in price over the five-year period, followed by turkey breast roll (+83%), potatoes (+72%), pigs in blankets (+61%) and cranberry sauce (+41%).

However, not all festive staples have followed the same steep upward trend. Brussels sprouts have increased by 8%, while Christmas puddings are up by a modest 15%, suggesting that not every item on the festive plate has felt the full brunt of inflation.

Paul Wright, managing director at Quenelles, said: “It’s been a turbulent five years for food pricing – from the pandemic to the cost-of-living crisis, inflation has created real challenges for caterers managing budgets. While some increases were expected, it’s eye-opening to see just how much more certain Christmas staples are now costing.

“Of course, the percentage increases vary depending what pack formats you look at – but the figures are based on the more popular pack sizes we typically see contract caterers and in-house catering teams purchasing, providing a realistic reflection of what’s happening on the ground.”

The findings come from Quenelles’ daily benchmarking of food prices, which enables contract caterers and in-house catering teams to understand how competitive their purchasing prices are and identify opportunities for smarter procurement.