Most expensive Christmas turkey costs £144 at M&S but you can get one for £13.49

This is not just any Christmas turkey… it’s a £144 Marks & Spencer Christmas turkey. The 20lb beast from Pembrokeshire is believed to be the most expensive on the high street.

Prices of turkeys have risen by an average of £3 since last year, though the smallest ready-basted bird at Aldi is a more affordable £13.49.

Tom Holder, of the British Retail Consortium, told how there are many reasons behind the price hike. He said: “The weaker pound will have had an impact on driving up the global cost of turkey. Land transport is expensive at the moment and so is animal feed.

“A lot of soy comes from Ukraine and possibly Russia. The avian flu is having an impact on the amount of turkey available. Poultry farmers will have rising costs from electricity, food and staffing, plus there’s been a shortage of staff at abattoirs.”