Harrods shrugs off cost of living crisis with a £450 Christmas lunch

Christmas will be a cut price affair for many families this year as the country struggles with the riding cost of living.

But a lucky few for whom money is no object still take the view that economising on the turkey is for the little people – at least if the price of seasonal delicacies at Harrods is any guide.

Supermarkets have been vying to come up with festive fare at rock bottom prices to cater to their customers, millions of whom are on a tight budget.

Harrods is advertising an ‘ultra-gourmet’ dinner for six to eight people, prepared by its chefs and either collected from the store or dispatched from its world-famous Food Hall

Households are grappling with huge energy bills and rampant inflation, including big increases in the cost of food.

High Street grocery chains are marketing Christmas dinners for under a fiver for their cash-strapped clientele.

But while Asda is promoting a ‘Frozen Christmas Dinner for under £20’, Harrods, where the rich and famous shop, is offering gourmet lunches that will set back its well-heeled customers a cool £450.

The store, in London’s Knightsbridge, is advertising an ‘ultra-gourmet’ dinner for six to eight people.

The feast will be prepared by Harrods chefs and either collected from the store or dispatched from its world-famous Food Hall to the customer’s door – London postcodes only – in one of its green-liveried vans.

Delights include a free-range turkey crown with smoked bacon, prunes and glazed oranges, pigs in blankets made from free-range Sussex pork and Brussels sprouts garnished with crispy sage, chestnuts and cranberries. 

For afters, there is a ‘decadent’ Christmas pudding and brandy butter made with Courvoisier VS Cognac.

For those who don’t fancy posh poultry, there is a Beef Wellington luxury dinner also priced at £450, or a cheaper – by Harrods’ standards – classic turkey lunch for £250.

The upmarket emporium also sells other foodie treats for Yuletide entertaining, including a block of duck foie gras terrine with French butter and sea salt flakes for £100.

Asda’s more modest dinner, by contrast, works out at just £3.24 a head based on serving six.

That is less than half the price of a Harrods porcini and truffle parfait for one. These exquisite delicacies, which come with a mandarin glaze, cost £8 to serve a single person.

Asda’s dinner features five items, including a bag of mixed vegetables, roast potatoes, Yorkshire puddings, pigs in blankets and a small frozen turkey at a total cost of £19.43.

The supermarket – which has always prided itself on its fierce focus on price – is marketing the products on its website.

Unlike Harrods shoppers, Asda customers will have to pick the products for themselves, either online or from the freezer cabinet – assuming they don’t have staff to do it for them. 

Mainstream grocers have responded to the financial pressures facing many families by trying to keep down the cost of Christmas food.

Tesco is promoting a ‘Frozen Dinner for £25’ with eight products, including a small turkey, roasties, Yorkshire puddings, vegetables and pigs in blankets.

Sainsbury’s says its ‘Christmas Roast’ with 11 products including a sherry trifle at £23.90 is just under £4 a head based on six people.

Aldi is in similar territory with its ‘Amazing Value Christmas Dinner’ which is marginally cheaper at £23.48 but does not include a trifle.

Marks & Spencer said a six-person dinner centred around an Oakham turkey can be had from its aisles for £20.95 or just under £3.50 a head.

Unlike the Harrods dinners, which are sold as a package, customers have to assemble the meals being marketed by the High Street food stores for themselves.

The supermarkets’s promotions show how families are trying to tuck in for a well-fed Christmas, even when money is tight.

But for most, indulging in a mouthwatering £450 banquet will remain in the realms of fantasy.

This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk