Cardiff Grandma who is charging her family for Christmas dinner for SEVENTH year in a row announces price hike due to cost of living crisis

A grandmother in Cardiff is charging her family for Christmas dinner for the seventh time in a row, raising her prices by £2 for the 2023 banquet.

Caroline Duddridge charged her adult relatives £15 last year for the festive spread, whilst her youngest grandchildren were asked to pay £2.50 each.

In 2022, her three daughters paid £5 less then the two sons because they were part-time workers with family duties. 

This year, because of rising food prices, the women in the family will be asked to pay £2 more to cover the cost of the Christmas feast. 

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Caroline explained: 'I have put the girls' prices up (this year) by £2 because I did get a bit of stick from people saying I was being sexist - not that I listen to public opinion, particularly. 

The 63-year-old says it's a 'no brainer' to charge her family for Christmas dinner and is an 'important lesson for the kids' to make sure the cost is spread evenly between everyone, especially amid a cost of living crisis.

However, she fears the price hike will still not be enough to meet the amount supermarkets charge, describing a general food shop in the current climate as 'horrifying'. 

Speaking to Radio 5 Live, she said: 'I'm not sure it will [cover the cost], because when you buy a few bits and pieces it comes to like £30 or £40 and it's barely a bag full.

'This is not Christmas stuff either but just general shopping - it's just horrifying and you wonder where it's all going to end.'

The partners of immediate family members are asked for similar amounts. 

Caroline's four grandchildren over five payed £5 and her two three-year-old grandchildren £2.50. 

Caroline, living in the Fairwater district in Cardiff, first got the idea to make guests fork out for her turkey dinner when her husband died in 2015.

Every year, she calls up her five children - who are between 24 and 37 years old - and despite receiving complaints, she says everyone gets the money in.

'The amount I charge for dinner includes electricity. It's a no brainer for me… it's the only way to go,' she said to Fabulous Magazine last year.

''The amount I charge for dinner includes electricity. It's a no brainer for me… it's the only way to go.'  

The grandmother added that she makes sure to keep her spread as cost effective as possible, spending 'dozens of hours' scouring for picks that don't hurt her wallet.

Caroline argues her fees are still good value for money, feeding the family from Christmas Eve until Boxing Day.

For the fee paid, they will get a mini buffet of sandwiches before a slap-up turkey dinner with all the trimmings on Christmas Day, along with a nut roast and a choice of four desserts, followed by a full buffet on December 26.

She added: 'I also do food for my parents and take it round to them - they find it a bit too much coming to mine now.' 

The family members are expected to have sent her the money by December 1, making it easier for her to 'keep track of stragglers'.

I log into my bank account and check who has made their Christmas dinner payment in November,' she explained.  

She told 5 Live that while some may brand her a 'bit of a Scrooge' - her friends think it's a good idea.  

'There were the usual trolls, but some people thought it was really good idea - they even said they were going to adopt it themselves,' she said to 5 Live. 

In 2022, it was revealed that a fifth of families in the UK say they are going to ask their guests to pay towards their Christmas dinners.

New research from the household finances firm Nous suggests over half of those surveyed were worried about how they would afford to pay for things over the festive period.

And 36% said they would reduce spending on Christmas food and 34% will lessen how much cash goes on Yuletide drinks.

Combined with the soaring costs of Turkey amid a feared shortage of the birds this December, it could make for stressful meal around the dinner table.