Price freeze for New Year

The festive season has led to most wholesalers reporting no changes in prices for the coming week.

Our Manchester meat wholesaler also attributes the price freeze to short supplies from abattoirs that closed for the whole Christmas period.

Do, however, watch lamb prices, which look set to rise by the end of this week. Also keep an eye on poultry prices, which have already started to rise and will continue to do so throughout the month. But chicken breasts and turkey cuts are down.

Pork prices are likely to go down during the first half of the month. But with hindquarter cut prices falling in January, the forequarter cuts will rise to compensate. Our Cardiff wholesaler adds that steak cuts look set to drop in price.

Fish, on the whole, has seen no change this week. There were few fresh fish available at the time of going to press because boats did not go out during the Christmas and New Year period. Our Birmingham supplier is quoting the frozen equivalent price, and our Bristol supplier noted "no change due to no fish being available". Our Cardiff supplier, however, tells of one-off changes such as brill, grey sole and red mullet dropping in price, while cod sees a rise.

Fruit is in reasonably good supply at the moment, with a wide variety to choose from. Apples, including Bramley, Golden Delicious and Red Delicious, have seen rises during the New Year.

White seedless grapes see a big price increase, as do pears. Avocados, though, are down in price. Lettuce prices overall are on the up - in particular, Lollo Rosso - but cos prices are down.

Aubergines, beans and courgettes are rising in price. Cabbages, meanwhile, are falling. Sprouts have seen a huge price rise in the New Year period, while swedes and turnips are well down.

Prices look set to see a definitive change during the latter part of this week and early next week, when trade conditions will return to normal.

These prices were correct at the time of going to press (Tuesday 3 January).