Recipe books will be lining the counter tops of Australian homes this Christmas as people set their minds to cooking the perfect turkey or ham for the big day.
Around 3 in 4 (74%) of us will celebrate Christmas lunch or dinner at our home or the home of a relative or friend. A further 1 in 10 (11%) Australians will leave the cooking to someone else this year and celebrate at a restaurant.
After a difficult year for many during COVID, around 1 in 2 (46%) Australians plan to splurge on their Christmas lunch or dinner this year, which will be great news for food and beverage suppliers across the country.
Many are having a traditional Christmas dinner, with hams, turkey and other meats, topping the list of indulgence items, with over 6 in 10 (61%) Australians identifying this as the top item they will spoil themselves. This is followed closely by seafood (53%) and desserts (47%).
NAB Executive for Agribusiness Julie Rynski said the Christmas feast represented a great opportunity to support local producers.
“Let’s all get behind Aussie farmers this Christmas – they have stood strong throughout this pandemic, kept us fed and kept this economy moving with world-class produce,” Ms Rynski said.
“After a bumper harvest season and great rains, Australian fruit, vegetables, meat and of course seafood has never been better.
“Cooking the Christmas meal at home is a great opportunity to explore the very best that Australia has to offer when it comes to fresh and seasonal produce. I’ll be whipping up my favourite glazed ham using our very own Maggie Beer’s verjuice as the key ingredient.”
Ben Shanley, founder of Myanbah Farm based in the Hunter Valley, said demand had been stronger than ever ahead of the festive season.
“We are so proud that our cranberry sauce will be taking centre stage on the Christmas tables for so many Australians this year. It’s been an incredibly tough few years for us, but we are beginning to see the benefits of all our hard work and persistence,” Mr Shanley said.
“We’ve seen a rush on lemon butter for pavlovas and caramelised fig and honey balsamic for roast lambs – our customers are definitely gearing up for a decadent Christmas feast at home.”
NAB economists note there is a generational shift happening in where we celebrate Christmas.
While over 8 in 10 (84%) Traditionalists will celebrate at home, this compares to just 66% for Gen Zs. Noticeably more people in the Gen Y group – almost 1 in 5 (17%) – are having lunch or dinner away from home, compared to just 1 in 20 Traditionalists and Baby Boomers.*
By state, significantly more people in SA/NT planned to have lunch or dinner at home (83%), particularly when compared to WA (65%), with around 3 in 4 people in all other states also at home.
