‘Pay Per Plate Christmas’ as festive dinner cost hits £254

Rising costs are reshaping Christmas traditions, with a quarter of people (24%) now believing you should be able to charge guests for Christmas dinner, an emerging trend dubbed the Pay Per Plate Christmas.  Among 18 to 24 year olds, 42% say hosts should be allowed to charge, compared to 36% of 25 to 44 year olds, but dropping to just 7% of 55 to 64 year olds and 3% of those aged 65 and over.

Christmas dinner is shaping up to be one of the most expensive meals of the year, with the average festive food shop costing £254 in 2025. More than 54 per cent of Brits say they expect Christmas food prices to rise again, as the total festive bill climbs to £787, up £87 on last year’s average of £700.

Regionally, attitudes vary significantly. In London, 36% of residents believe hosts should be able to charge. Support is at 30% in the North East and 30% in Yorkshire and the Humber, and sits at 28% in the North West. By contrast, just 17% in the East of England, 14% in the South East and just  6%  in the South West agree.

Several major cities show particularly strong support for a Pay Per Plate Christmas. In Manchester, 34 per cent of residents back charging for Christmas dinner. The figure is 31 per cent in Norwich, 23 per cent in Edinburgh, 21 per cent in Liverpool and 21% in Glasgow. At the opposite end of the scale, support is 15% in Stoke on Trent and 7% in Truro.

However, while only a quarter support formal charging, far more people say they are willing to chip in voluntarily. Across the UK, 54% would be happy to contribute money towards someone else hosting Christmas dinner. This again skews young, 62% of 18 to 24 year olds, 60% of 25 to 34 year olds, 57% of 35 to 44 year olds, 55% of 45 to 54 year olds, 53% of 55 to 64 year olds and 46% of those aged 65 and over.

Generosity varies by city. Edinburgh leads, with 64% of residents happy to contribute, followed by London at 62%, Leeds at 59%, Liverpool at 57%, Manchester at 52% and Cardiff at 54%. Even where support for charging is low, such as Norwich and Belfast, 47% and 48% respectively say they would still chip in.

57% of people now begin stocking their Christmas food cupboard early; 24% start in November and 13% in October. At the other extreme, 14% leave their food shop until the final week before Christmas and a chaotic 1% wait until Christmas Eve.

Stocking up early often leads to waste, with 11% of households throwing away uneaten chocolates, 11% throwing away crackers for cheese, 10% throwing away Christmas pudding, 9% throwing away turkey and 5% throwing away leftover Baileys.

Vix Leyton, Consumer Expert at thinkmoney, said “Christmas dinner has become one of the most expensive meals of the year and the cost of living has exploded faster than anyone’s budget. A home-cooked Christmas now costs the average household £254, but eating out can easily reach £60 or £90 a head and in some cities well over £150 so it’s no wonder people are cracking under the pressure. And, particularly in the face of so much hype, it’s tough to overcome that very British urge to put on a flawless Christmas and keep up appearances, even if it leaves you looking at a bleak financial January.

“We are incredibly suggestible when we’re panic buying and that, coupled with annual habits that have never been questioned ‘we always buy Eggnog!’, makes it more expensive than it has to be. More than one in ten households end up binning unopened chocolates, cheese crackers or Christmas pudding, and even turkey gets thrown out by almost one in ten, speaking to our need to buy a showcase big bird that exceeds the appetite and number of attendees. Families buy ‘just in case’ items because they feel under pressure to deliver an Insta-perfect festive experience, but it all adds up very quickly.

“The rise of the idea of a Pay Per Plate Christmas shows people are finally being honest about what the day actually costs. The data shows that most guests are relieved to chip in, but if you’re hosting this year and can’t stomach invoicing your guests, you can make cuts by simply asking what people actually want to eat. A quick group chat can stop you over-shopping, encourage people to bring along supplements like cranberry sauce, and take the pressure off in the kitchen – if you’ know you’ll be left with a bowl of sprouts and three-quarters of a Christmas cake on 28th December, strike it off the list. Sharing the cost and the workload is not bad manners; it is practical, and it makes Christmas better for everyone.”