The nation’s biggest supermarket launches fourth annual Tesco Christmas Report, offering a unique look into how Britain plans to celebrate Christmas 2021
Tesco has lifted the lid on how the nation plans to spend the festive season in its fourth annual Christmas Report.
Key trends for this year’s festive season include; a growing preference for Christmas brunches and ‘Instagrammable’ spreads, a continued thirst for no and low alcohol, increasingly ‘conscious’ celebrations, a surge in popularity for turkey, and a bleak outlook for traditional Brussels sprouts as younger generations abandon them.
With the supermarket’s data revealing that 86 percent of UK adults claim that nothing will stand in the way of them having a joyful Christmas this year, one thing is for sure – Christmas is officially back, and the nation will be celebrating in style.
Going big and celebrating early
With a desire to return to pre-pandemic celebrations, it’s no surprise that the nation is keen to embrace the festive season like never before. Nearly half (47 percent) of the people surveyed want to spend more time with family than in previous Christmases, while 20 percent want to spend more time with friends. Additionally, a third (33 percent) plan on socialising more, and one in six (15 percent) plan on hosting more parties than in previous years.
However, when it comes to celebrations on December 31st, 18 percent of 18–34-year-olds claim to have started a new New Year’s Eve tradition last year that they’ll be continuing this year – the ‘big night in’. So instead of going out this year, they will be staying at home for when the clock strikes midnight.
With so many people more excited for the festivities than usual, the celebrations are set to begin early with over one in 10 (12 percent) families putting the tree and decorations up by the end of November.
The rise of Christmas brunch
While we’re looking for a return to normality overall, there are new trending occasions that Tesco predicts could become traditions in the not-too-distant future, such as Christmas brunch.
The supermarket’s data revealed an interesting trend for an earlier celebratory meal come Christmas Day, with the festive brunch gaining in popularity particularly among younger adults (18–34-year-olds), a fifth (19 percent) of whom said they would replace their traditional Christmas lunch in favour of a brunch affair.
Insta-perfect centrepieces
When it comes to Christmas dinner, it can’t just be any roast dinner, it’s also got to look great – almost a third (31 percent) of younger adults (18-34-year-olds) plan to put in extra effort to make their festive offerings more Instagrammable this year.
However, it’s not just the youngsters – one in six (16 percent) UK adults of all ages claim they’ll be going all out to make this year’s spread look picture perfect, with men slightly leading the charge (18 percent versus 16 percent).
Popular tactics used to ensure festive offerings are looking good for the ‘gram this year include serving food on platters as opposed to everyday dinner plates (31 percent) and using festive plants and flowers as additional decoration (31 percent).
Food innovation is a key trend for Christmas 2021, with over a third (38 percent) of UK adults seeking out innovative dishes and products. This is especially true of 18-34-year-olds, with 62 percent planning to be innovative with their food and drink choices this year.
Ways in which they plan to do this include buying new, talkable products (20 percent), opting for twists on classics (20 percent), and looking to social media trends for inspiration (15 percent). With this in mind, Tesco has launched a showstopping range of treats such as Tesco Finest Black Forest Christmas Pudding and the Tesco Speculoos Profiterole Gateau.
Turkey reclaims its crown
Despite an increased focus on ‘talkable’ and innovative festive food, when it comes to the centrepiece, turkey is still king. In fact, 68 percent of UK adults plan to tuck into a turkey roast on the 25th, suggesting that many are craving the return of a traditional family Christmas.
Whether it is a full bird, such as a Tesco Finest British Free Range Narragansett Turkey, or smaller crowns, the Christmas bird is more popular than ever.
Plant based Christmas
While traditional turkey is very much in vogue, a quarter (27 percent) of UK adults will be catering for vegan, vegetarian or plant based guests this Christmas.
That said, a quarter (26 percent) of vegans and vegetarians are actually considering pausing their usual diets on the big day so they can enjoy the many meat and dairy dishes on the Christmas table. For those keeping temptation at bay, Tesco is making it easy to enjoy a meat-free celebration with mouth-watering alternatives, like the Tesco Plant Chef Meat-Free Festive Vegan Roast and the Wicked Kitchen No-Turkey Roast Crown.
Popularity of pigs in blankets soars and younger generations ditch the traditional Brussels sprout
The popularity of pigs in blankets continues to soar, with just under two thirds of UK adults claiming them to be their favourite trimming (63 percent) – a 24 percent increase on last year.
A quarter (24 percent) of 25-34-year-olds will eat more than 10 over the Christmas season.
To offer an innovative spin on the side-dish favourite, this year Tesco has launched inventive varieties such as Tesco Finest Pigs in Blankets Candy Canes with Orange & Maple Glaze, and plant based options such as Plant Chef Meat Free Bangers in Blankets and Wicked Kitchen Choriz-NO Pigless Duvets.
Meanwhile, the good old roast potato was named the most essential veg on the Christmas lunch plate for 87 percent of people, replacing carrots, which took the top spot last year but has fallen to third place this year.
Taking the second spot is the divisive Brussels sprout (61 percent), with a 22 percent uplift from 2020 in people citing it as the most essential vegetable on the Christmas dinner plate.
However, the sprout’s position as a festive staple might be at risk, with a clear pattern emerging that shows the vegetable’s popularity waning with each generation. Those aged 75+ are the biggest advocates, with 65 percent declaring their love for them, but this drastically drops to just 26 percent when it comes to 18-24-year-olds.
But even though the vegetable continues to split the nation, more of us still love them than hate them, with 49 percent claiming to ‘love’ them, while only 21 percent claim to ‘hate’ them.
Cheese please
Over two thirds (71 percent) of the nation will tuck into a cheese board on Christmas Day, with Cheddar (52 percent), Brie (36 percent) and Stilton (24 percent) set to be the top cheeses chosen.
However, younger adults (18–34-year-olds) were four times as likely to opt for adventurous cheese like Halloumi (12 percent) compared to the over 60s (3 percent). Its new position as a festive staple saw sales of Halloumi soar by 33 percent in the five weeks leading up to Christmas last year.
A not so merry Christmas
For the big day itself, red wine was named the top tipple of choice by 29 percent of UK adults, overtaking white (27 percent), which took the top spot in 2020.
The nation is also partial to a glass of the finer things, as nearly a fifth (19 percent) say they’ll have Champagne on Christmas day.
However, the recent growth in mindful drinking seems set to continue with a quarter (24 percent) of UK adults set to opt for no and low alcohol tipples only on the big day itself – a 10 percent increase on last year (15 percent). Brighton (40 percent), Norwich (40 percent) and Cardiff (35 percent) are the capitals of this growing trend.
Conscious Christmas celebrations
Last year was a year like no other – but there are signs that the events have made more people aware of social issues and become more active in their communities.
This Christmas 34 percent of Brits will donate to a food bank, with one in five (20 percent) gifting via an in-store collection point, whilst one in 10 (9 percent) will give warm clothes to the homeless or to a shelter, and a further 9 percent will help a neighbour in need.
Giving to charity will also prove to be important to many, particularly amongst the older generation (55-74-year-olds) with just under a third (33 percent) of this age group donating money to a charity.
The younger generation are also being thoughtful in innovative ways, with over one in 10 (11 percent) 18-34-year-olds asking for charity donations in lieu of Christmas gifts.
As well as charitable acts, this Christmas is also set to be an environmentally aware one. Over 36 percent of the nation plans on being more sustainable over the festive period and 49 percent claim that thinking about the environment will impact their purchasing decisions this Christmas.
Ways in which the nation plans to be more sustainable this Christmas include reusing old Christmas decorations (49 percent), recycling wrapping and packaging (43 percent), buying loose fruit and veg (42 percent), being more precise with quantities to ensure minimal food waste (36 percent) and cooking with leftovers (33 percent).
Alessandra Bellini, Tesco Chief Customer Officer said: “As we enjoy the freedom to extend the dinner table and make wonderful memories, it’s perhaps no surprise that 86 percent of the nation say nothing will stop them from having a joyful Christmas in 2021.
“In our fourth annual Tesco Christmas Report, we’ve lifted the lid on what the seasonal comeback will look like – from reviving family traditions to finding new food occasions and being sustainably savvy throughout celebrations.
“However you choose to spend this Christmas, Tesco is here to help you mark the moments that matter, with innovative, quality products at excellent value for money. On behalf of Tesco, we wish you a Merry Christmas.”
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