Festive food for less: Christmas dinner with all the cost trimmings

From choosing frozen turkey to shopping supermarket specials, the traditional meal need not break the household budget

Figures show that the total cost of the all-important Christmas dinner is up 5% on a year ago, with the price of important elements such as pigs in blankets and stuffing up by 7%.

With the cost of living still biting, however, a supermarket price war is taking some of the sting out of high food costs - with Aldi and Lidl selling the ingredients for a main Christmas meal for eight for less than 12.