Lamb steals the Christmas spotlight

Lamb made an unexpected comeback at Christmas 2025, emerging as the standout winner in festive meat trends as consumers moved away from traditional turkey centrepieces.

New AHDB data shows that while overall grocery spending hit a record £13.8bn, turkey was the clear loser of the season, with whole birds and primary cuts falling 12% year‑on‑year. In contrast, lamb — which had seen softer demand for much of 2025 — surged back into favour.

In the crucial two weeks to 28 December, lamb leg roasting joints jumped 24.7% in volume, driven by sharp, value‑led promotions and shoppers seeking an impressive but affordable alternative to turkey. The uplift helped lamb outperform the wider meat, fish and poultry category, which grew 0.8% overall.

Beef roasting joints also performed well (+8.6%), while pork shoulder was another major winner, soaring 43.7% over the same period.

Cheese saw 504,000 more purchase occasions than last year, with cow’s cheese volumes up 4.4%. Cheddar (+6.3%), British blue (+0.8%) and snacking cheeses (+26.7%) all contributed to the rise, reinforcing the cheeseboard’s status as a festive staple.

Cream and butter also benefited from the seasonal uplift. Cow’s cream volumes rose 1.6%, while butter climbed 3.4%, led by strong block butter growth (+6.9%) — likely boosted by home baking and cheeseboard pairings.

Despite nearly half of consumers saying they intended to cut back on Christmas spending, food remained a “protected” category. Premium own‑label lines appeared in 92% of baskets, signalling that shoppers were still prepared to treat themselves when it came to festive meals.

AHDB retail & consumer insight analyst Charlotte Forkes‑Rees said the shift in red meat performance points to changing habits: “Consumers are clearly rethinking their Christmas centrepieces. Lamb’s resurgence shows people are exploring alternatives to turkey, and we expect that trend to continue into 2026.”