Brits set to spend £191 on Christmas Dinner this year as cooks in North East and Wales come out as savviest shoppers with the biggest portions

LONDON, UK 7th December 2022 – Families in the North East and Wales have topped the list as those serving up the biggest portions on Christmas Day – with Wales enjoying the most turkey and the North East indulging in the largest servings of gravy. 

But even with huge portions, it is also Wales and North East that get the biggest bang for their buck when comparing dinner size to shopping costs.

1. London – £350
2. East of England – £270
3. East Midlands – £190
4. Northern Ireland – £184
5. South West – £176
6. North West – £175
7. Yorkshire – £174 
8. North East – £157
9. Scotland – £156
10. Wales – £154
11. West Midlands – £144
12. South East – £121

However, when it came to the savviest spenders this year, Wales came out top as getting the most for their money when comparing the size of portions to the costs of ingredients: 

1. Wales
2. North East
3. West Midlands
4. Yorkshire
5. Scotland
6. London 
7. South East
8. South West
9. North West
10. East of England
11. East Midlands
12. Northern Ireland

The 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 loves 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 those over 55 strongly agreed that their Christmas dinner couldn’t get any better. 

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. 

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. 

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 has 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 1 pm and 4 pm, and most families tuck into their meal at 3.10 pm – 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 2.40 pm and families in the North East tuck in just after 2 pm, nearly two hours before Londoners who enjoy dinner at 3.45 pm. 

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.