THE cost of an Easter Sunday lunch at home has soared by 17 per cent — despite food inflation easing.
Families will pay an average £24.01, up from £20.49 in 2023, despite supermarket promotions.
A lamb roast jumped from £8.79 per kilo to £11.05 — 25 per cent in 12 months.
That is five times the rate of wider food inflation which eased to five per cent in February, stats show.
Poor weather at the start of the year waterlogged farmers’ fields and made spuds and carrots more expensive, analysis by The Sun reveals.
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A kg of carrots is now 78p, up 23 per cent.
White potatoes are 80p a kg compared to 72p last year.
Mint sauce is an average £1 a jar compared to 95p and broccoli £2.52 compared to £2.27 in 2023.
Lamb shoulder is £11.01 — a 12-month jump from £8.79 — and a 75cl bottle of red wine is £7.90 compared to £7.11 last year.
Lamb is the traditional meat for Easter lunch and when breaking fast during Ramadan.
Analyst Glesni Philips of HCC Intelligence said: “Both occur in March.
“Peak consumption of lamb is usually seen during religious festivals.”
But farmers cut their flocks when fertiliser and feed bills rose — hiking the price of lamb in stores.
The £8 per kilo “deadweight” price of lamb is at an all-time record high, says the National Sheep Association.
HAVENLY HOLS
HOLIDAY park firm Bourne Leisure is enjoying an Easter booking boost with sales up 16 per cent compared to this time last year.
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The owner of Haven Holidays said it expects 29,000 extra guests at its UK sites this weekend.
Boss Paul Flaum said: “2024 looks like being a record year for staycations.”
MUMMY TRAP
ALMOST three in ten adults with a child under five have had to reduce their working hours or quit their job because they cannot afford childcare, new research indicates.
A study by retirement and savings firm Phoenix Group shows women are far more affected than men — 43 per cent against 15 per cent.