Christmas shoppers in London are being warned not to forget the carrots, as new research revealed it’s the most popular item missed in the Christmas shop.
The study, by Iceland Foods, found more than three quarters of Brits (78%) forget a key Christmas dinner item every year, resulting in the supermarket making a major change.
Festive forgetfulness is a nationwide issue and with more than a third (35%) admitting they leave their festive food shop until the eleventh hour, it leaves little chance of a last-minute rescue mission.
According to the data, cranberry sauce is the festive favourite most likely to be forgotten by Brits, with as many as one in five (20%) forgetting the Christmas staple. This is followed closely by stuffing (18%), Yorkshire puddings (13%), pigs in blankets (12%), and carrots (10%).
The forgetful fever is so widespread that Iceland has now made a major move to help save Christmas dinners across the UK.
The supermarket has rolled out giant in-store reminders with over-the-top signs in selected stores urging customers not to forget their festive favourites.
Richard Walker, executive chairman of Iceland Foods, said: “There’s nothing worse than sitting down to your Christmas dinner and realising you’ve left the cranberry sauce in aisle three.
“Whether it’s pigs in blankets, stuffing or the trusty Yorkshire pudding, every bit plays a part in making the perfect festive feast. That’s why this year we’re going all out with in-store signage; to help cure festive forgetfulness and make sure no one’s Christmas dinner is missing those all-important trimmings.”
The signage is sure to get shoppers’ attention, and each store has their own specific signage depending on what their locals forget most.
In Liverpool, Leeds and Sheffield where almost one in five (19%) forget the stuffing, shoppers are greeted with giant posters screaming:
“DON’T FORGET THE STUFFING”
Meanwhile in Edinburgh, where a quarter (25%) are guilty of forgetting Yorkshire puddings, the signs read:
“REMEMBER THE YORKSHIRE PUDS!”
In Norwich, one in five (20%) say their plates are missing the sausage and bacon staples.
Reminders in stores read: “BRING HOME THE PIGS IN BLANKETS”
In London, “DON’T FORGET RUDOLPH’S FAVOURITE SNACK” signage will greet customers who are most likely to forget carrots and for all other cities, such as Manchester, where cranberry sauce is the culprit, signs, that went up this week, read: “CHECK YOUR BASKET FOR CRANBERRY SAUCE”.
On the subject of forgetfulness, Iceland is reminding customers that its extensive frozen range, from party food to luxury turkey, lamb leg and pork crackling joints, means the whole Christmas dinner can be sorted well in advance, avoiding last-minute stress. With same-day delivery available, shoppers can relax knowing they’re covered getting the essentials safely in the freezer.
According to the research, the most forgotten items for each city are as follows:

City
Most Forgotten Item
% Forgetting It
Belfast
Stuffing
20%
Birmingham
Cranberry sauce
22%
Brighton
Cranberry sauce
26%
Bristol
Cranberry sauce
22%
Cardiff
Cranberry sauce
26%
Edinburgh
Yorkshire pudding
25%
Glasgow
Cranberry sauce
24%
Leeds
Stuffing
21%
Liverpool
Stuffing
19%
London
Carrots
20%
Manchester
Cranberry sauce
23%
Newcastle
Cranberry sauce
15%
Norwich
Pigs in blankets
20%
Nottingham
Cranberry sauce
24%
Plymouth
Cranberry sauce
26%
Sheffield
Stuffing
22%
Southampton
Cranberry sauce
29%

To see Iceland Foods full and extensive Christmas range, visit: www.iceland.co.uk/christmas