It’s a time for tradition but many Brits are keen to try something different to the usual roast turkey and mulled wine this Christmas.

Almost half of respondents to the latest Greene King Leisure Spend Tracker say the Yuletide is a good time to try a different dish and over a third a different drink. Young people are most willing to embrace change, with over half of under 24s saying Christmas gave an ideal opportunity to try a new tipple or different food. The over 55s are the most rooted in their traditions, though happy to experiment with new foods, they are less open to the idea of new drinks. Women are more enthusiastic to embrace change than their male counterparts, with over half intending to try a new meal and over a third a new drink this Christmas.

Commenting on this month’s Leisure Spend Tracker, Kenny Skelton, Greene King CRM, digital and insights director, said: “People save up all year for Christmas and see it as a great occasion to push the boat out and try something a bit different. The roast turkey with all the trimmings is still beloved by punters at Christmas time, but now customers are more adventurous and expect greater choice and new options on their Christmas menus.”

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

• In November, the average British household spent £206 on out of home leisure, a £17 (9%) increase year-on-year and a £6 (3%) decrease month-on-month.
• The short-term changes in spending are small, with Eating Out -£5 (-5%) and Drinking Out -£2 (-4%) seeing decreased spending month-on-month. • Such reductions in spending are customary in the run up to Christmas, although this year’s fall is lower than 2015’s, which saw a £17 (-8%) fall in total leisure spending.
• Year-on-year, the increases across Eating Out, Drinking Out and Other Leisure, are likely to be driven by steady increases in leisure spending across 2016 in tandem with the poor performance of leisure in November 2015 after the Paris terror attacks.
• Much like Eating Out, Drinking Out has had a very strong year and continued this trend in November.
• There has been an overall increase in spending on Drinking Out in GB by £6 (+16%) year-on-year. Month-on-month, belt-tightening ahead of the Christmas season has seen spend fall by £2 (-4%).
• Year-on-year, the greatest increase in Drinking Out spend was found in households in London and the South East, where spend rose by £9 (+22%). This was closely followed by an £8 (+20%) rise amongst households without kids.