Christmas Lunch: The Real Cost

29 November 2012

New research from bookatable.com shows that the cost of Christmas lunch can vary massively depending on where you live and where you choose to dine.

Bookatable.com set out to find the most popular Christmas menu in each county and what people are willing to pay for this festive meal.

They found that the most expensive Christmas lunch one could buy was at the Summer Lodge Hotel in Dorchester where you would be paying £195 for your Christmas lunch.

The most economical Christmas lunch can be found at the Cottage Balti in Nottingham where you can get three courses for just £11.95.

The most popular eats were as follows:

Buckinghamshire - £21.50 at Da Remo

Middlesex - £59.50 at Marco Pierre White

Lancashire - £69.95 at Vardons Restaurant at Shaw Hill Hotel

Dorset - £19.95 at Chiquito

West Midlands - £39.95 at Asha’s Indian Bar and Restaurant

Cheshire - £19.95 at The Old Hall Hotel

Nottingham - £11.95 at Cottage Balti

Hertfordshire - £29.95 at Jamie’s Italian

Cheshire - £27.95 at The Northern Quarter

Somerset - £40 at Café Rouge

Berkshire - £40 at Bella Italia

Hampshire - £19.95 at La Piazetta

Yorkshire - £40 at Café Rouge

Oxfordshire - £40 at Bella Italia

For those dining in London this year, the postcode makes all the difference. A three-course Christmas meal will cost an average of £37 per head, with a range from £16.95 in Balham to £185 in Trafalgar Square.

Patrick Tunmore, Bookatable Promotions Manager, said, “Whatever it is you love most about having a Christmas meal out, there will be a set menu and budget to suit you, as we’ve seen a huge amount of variety this year.

“Restaurants know that groups don’t always want the full works, and may just be using the holiday as an excuse to catch up with old friends or go out with colleagues, so more of them this year are offering economical alternatives.”