Shoppers looking for a sweet treat this Christmas may have to pay more than they bargained for with a festive favourite facing a price increase across the board.
Mince pies in some shops will cost up to 40 per cent more after a poor harvest in the international sultana market.
Some of Tesco’s premium mince pie packs, including their salted caramel crumble topped pies, have seen a nearly 50 per cent increase in price from £1 to £3.50.
Elsewhere, a pack of mince pies could cost you between nine and 20 per cent more.
According to the Telegraph, the price of a pack of mince pies is up by an average of 26 per cent over the last two years, including both luxury and own-brand pies in shops such as Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s.
In the last year alone, an own-brand pack of six mince pies in those supermarkets has risen by 11p.
In other upmarket stores such as Waitrose and Marks & Spencer, a premium box of the baked goods, made with Cognac, will set you back £4.
It comes after two consecutive years of bad harvests in Turkey, the largest producer of sultanas, which is a key ingredient in a mince pie, along with other dried fruits and spices.
The country’s sultana crop for the 2023/2024 season was below average as a result of unexpected rain and mildew disease.
Turkish sultanas are currently selling at $3,600 a tonne (£2,800), down from $4,060 (just over £3,184) in July.
Jara Zicha, senior market analyst on nuts, dried fruits and spices at Expana, told the Telegraph that sultana prices ‘remain inflated following two years of lower production in Turkey’.
He attributed it to ‘very heavy rainfall causing disease on vines and production losses’ in May and June.
Prices are also being hiked elsewhere as a result with a Suffolk based bakery charging £25 for six pies.
Pump Street Bakery, located in the village of Orford, has priced each mince pie at £4.16 – more expensive than even the most premium stores.
The bakery says it takes ‘great care’ in making the mince pies, which they make using pastel de nata molds to shape the pastry, which is then filled with mincemeat made in-house with fresh apples from High House Farm in Woodbridge.
It also incorporates Vostizza currants which they use in their Eccles cakes, along with raisins, sultanas and lemon, orange peel, spices and brandy.
Last year, the bakery was selling the same mince pies for £18 for six, meaning their prices have increased by 38.8 per cent, or £7.
It comes after the Mail found that taking the family on traditional days out close to Christmas now costs around £500 – or more than a city break in Europe.
A family of four can expect to pay hundreds of pounds in total to visit a local Santa’s grotto, a Christmas lights display, a pantomime and a family theatre show, with drinks, snacks and merchandise easily costing at least £15 per outing on top.
It would cost around £455 for two adults to take two children to visit a Christmas light display, a Santa’s grotto, a pantomime and a family theatre show in London.
The cost to do the same activities in other cities around Britain – Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham, Newcastle and Cardiff – was an average of £355.
By contrast, the same family could buy a mid-December Christmas markets weekend break to Prague from Lastminute.com – including flights and two nights in a 3-star hotel – for just £392.
Experts say parents feel under increasing pressure from social media to treat their children to ‘memory making’ activities at Christmas – but these are becoming increasingly expensive.
Two thirds of nearly 3,000 parents surveyed say the rising cost of living has negatively impacted their family life, with 43 per cent admitting they have had to cut spending on days out and activities, according to research by the charity Unicef.
‘There is pressure on parents all year round but there is something extra about the pressure parents now feel to deliver a “magical” Christmas for their children,’ said psychotherapist Georgina Sturmer, who has worked as a counsellor for a parenting charity.
Ms Sturmer added that social media was piling stress on to parents at Christmas at a time of rising costs, through a combination of targeted advertising of events and pictures posted by other parents and influencers. At events, products like rides, pricey sweets and merchandise are often promoted in front of children, making it hard for parents to say no.
‘Together, this can make parents feel guilty and resentful if they can’t afford to do these things,’ Ms Sturmer added.