Should Christmas dinner be had at home or the pub?

12-Dec-2019 - Last updated on 12-Dec-2019 at 10:51 GMT

Forking out: consumers avoid dining out for Christmas due to anticipated cost

Family feuds, dietary requirements and the washing up are among the reasons consumers are opting for Christmas dinner at the pub this year, but cost remains a barrier.

Catering company Nisbets surveyed 1,000 UK residents, with 90% choosing to stay in and cook due to the anticipated cost of Christmas dinner at a pub – with 35% of Brits believing it is too expensive.

Price difference

The research calculated the prices of ingredients for a Christmas dinner at home for two adults and three children, which added up to £135, or £27 per person – this included a starter of soup and prawn cocktail, a dessert selection, cheese and a bottle of prosecco.

But, when analysing the price of a three-course meal with a bottle of prosecco in three pubs across the UK (excluding London), the average price for a family of five totalled £164, or £32.80 per person.

For just £30 extra, the analysis by Nisbets showed that families of five could avoid worrying about spending their day prepping, cooking, or doing the washing up.

Added benefit

Dining out was also revealed to come with the added benefit of choice, with diners able to pick from an average of five starters, five main courses and three desserts.

Families with different dietary requirements could even save money by dining out, as there would be no need to fork out on different starters, mains and desserts for those who are vegan (up to an extra £40) or gluten free (up to an extra £30).

Nisbets head development chef Dean Starling said: “Dining out is a great option for those families where people have wildly different dietary requirements.

“It’s also great for those who don’t really like cooking, people with little space in their homes and those working around Christmas who may be short on prep time.”

Washing up burden

Of those already converted to dining out, the most popular reasons for doing this were less hassle (22%), attending to relatives’ dietary requirements (22%), and fewer arguments (16%).

Starling continued: “Instead of having to plan, buy, prep, cook, serve, and clear away three or four different types of dishes, families can head to a restaurant and choose their own meal.

“And nobody has to worry about the washing up.”