M&B: Over 1m will dine out on Christmas Day

The managed pub operator said it had seen increased bookings across its estate for the big day, with the top ten booking hotspots from guests in Birmingham, London, Leeds, Bristol, Liverpool, Sheffield, Sutton Coldfield, Glasgow, Nottingham and Coventry.

The company, which operates brands including Harvester, Toby Carvery, Miller & Carter and Sizzling Pubs, has 72,000 turkeys, 2,500 tonnes of potatoes, 235 tonnes of Brussels sprouts and 103,000 mince pies on order.

It said that according to the 250,000 meals it already had on order, sales of chocolate brownies are outselling the traditional Christmas pudding, and in Harvester nearly 50% of the meals set to be served will not be turkey.

Catriona Kempston, marketing director at M&B, said: “As we try to cram more and more into our Christmas Day, avoiding motorway queues and instead giving families time together in a relaxing, welcoming environment as well as getting home cooked food meets the tradition of Christmas, but with a twist.

“We are a Nation of bakers, but now more than ever time spent with our loved ones is coming first and though the tradition of cooking at home is still prevalent, the hours that can be given back by dining out this Christmas is outweighing it.”