Grocery sales reached a record £13.8 billion for Christmas 2025, with shoppers spending on average £476 at supermarkets during the festive month and lamb was a standout winner.
Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB’s) latest insights reveal surprising winners in festive meat and dairy trends.
Despite nearly half of consumers claiming they were planning to cut back on overall Christmas spending, food remained a ‘protected spend’ in the eyes of consumers, alongside children’s gifts and Christmas trees and total grocery volumes were up 1.1% according to data.
Total meat, fish and poultry (MFP) volumes were up 0.8% with festive red meat cuts performing particularly well, outperforming the total grocery market.
Surprisingly, turkey was the clear casualty this past Christmas, as shoppers cut back on whole birds and primary cuts, and as a result, primary volumes declined by 12% year-on-year.
Instead, lamb was the runaway success of the season, despite reduced demand throughout much of 2025.
In the prime Christmas shopping weeks (two weeks ending December 28, 2025), leg roasting drove overall lamb performance, with a 24.7% increase in volumes purchased.
Targeted promotions were particularly effective according to AHDB, as shoppers responded to value-led deals and the promise of a festive centrepiece.
Other Christmas favourites
Beef roasting joint volumes were up 8.6%, but pork shoulder roasting joints performed especially well, with volumes purchased increasing by 43.7% (2 w/e December 28, 2025).
Cut of meat Beef roasting Pig meat roasting Gammon Lamb roasting Whole turkey Whole chicken Volume % change year-on-year +8.6% +14.2% +8.3% +17.2% -5.4% +2.5% Spend % change year-on-year +6.9% +14.8% +10.5% +16.2% -6.5% +7.0%
There were an additional 504,000 occasions where cheese was purchased during the run-up to Christmas 2025.
Cow cheese had a particularly successful Christmas, with total volumes up by 4.4% year-on-year.
Cheddar (+6.3%), Stilton and British blue (+0.8%), and snacking cheeses (+26.7%) all contributed to this growth, likely used on cheeseboards, which AHDB had predicted would be an important part of celebrations for a third of consumers.
As a key accompaniment to many Christmas desserts, it was no surprise that cows’ cream was also a standout performer for dairy, with volumes purchased increasing by 1.6%.
Cows’ butter had an even better year, with volumes up by 3.4%. This was driven by block butter performance, which saw volumes increase by 6.9%, perhaps being used with crackers on cheeseboards or in festive baking recipes.
AHDB’s Retail and Consumer Insight analyst, Charlotte Forkes-Rees, said: “It’s clear that Brits are not yet bored of the cheeseboard, but the red meat performance this season suggests that consumers are changing up their Christmas centrepieces, and we expect more people to explore alternatives to turkey in 2026.
“In December 2025, premium own-label products were present in 92% of shoppers’ baskets, highlighting that at Christmas, shoppers are willing to splurge on a treat.
“When promoting their premium ranges, retailers should ensure they emphasise indulgence and added value to encourage consumers to spend that little bit more.”
