The whole month of December saw a surge in red meat and dairy sales, representing a record £13.7 billion spent, according to AHDB figures.
There was also a record-breaking Christmas period week for sales, with £4.8bn spent on grocery, an increase of 4% year-on-year.
It was a Christmas cracker for meat sales, AHDB says, with spend on total meat, fish and poultry (MFP) growing by 11.6% during the two week run up to Christmas Day.
Turkey was still the UK’s favourite roasting joint at Christmas, with 56% of shoppers preparing it, according to the figures.
Looking at cuts specifically, whole turkey and crowns/joints accounted for 31.9% of Christmas centrepiece volumes in the two weeks to Christmas.
Total turkey was also the only protein in the MFP category to see volumes down on pre-Covid levels.
Despite its higher than average price, total beef volumes grew, as did total lamb volumes, which saw a 17.3% rise.
Pork was the only red meat to have lost shoppers through switching to other proteins, however those who did buy pork bought more of it, resulting in total pork volumes growing by 3.7%.
In the two weeks leading up to Christmas, shoppers spent more than £593 million on total dairy products - including plant-based - but cows’ dairy equated to 94% of these total sales, a 2% increase on the previous year.
Overall, cows’ cheese saw an almost 4% increase in volume purchased this Christmas, with double cream and crème fraiche also performing well.
AHDB’s consumer insight analyst, Charlotte Forkes-Rees said: “It’s great to see such great retail performances across our meat and dairy sectors over Christmas, and we hope this continues in 2024.
“AHDB continue to promote the natural health benefits of both red meat and dairy to provide accurate information and reassurance for all consumers."
It comes as AHDB is currently airing TV adverts showcasing British beef, lamb and dairy to the general public as part of its Let's Eat Balanced campaign.
The theme for the January 2024 campaign is 'THIS and THAT', encouraging consumers to adopt 'a sustainable, healthy and nutritiously balanced diet'.
The adverts, which launched on 1 January, are highlighting that beef, lamb, and dairy are natural sources of protein and vitamin B12 which helps to reduce tiredness.
