NZ Lamb crowned meat of choice for Christmas dinner, according to survey

New Zealand lamb has been named as the preferred protein of choice for Christmas dinner this year.

The results of the year’s most important vote are in, which finds New Zealand lamb is the protein of choice on Kiwis’ plates this Christmas.

According to the Great Kiwi Christmas Survey, New Zealand lamb is this year’s winner for Christmas dinner, taking out 38.3 per cent of the vote.

This was followed closely by ham at 35 per cent, and beef at 13.1 per cent.

The survey is the fifth edition of the poll run by Retail Meat New Zealand in conjunction with Beef + Lamb New Zealand and NZPork.

The polls asked more than 1000 Kiwis about everything from what style of Christmas they’d be having to when the appropriate time to begin playing Christmas music is.

Nearly three-quarters of all respondents (69.1 per cent) said spending time with family was their favourite part of the festive season, up from 61.6 per cent last year.

Of those polled, 17 per cent said they would be celebrating with more family and friends this year due to the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions, with 39.6 per cent saying they’d be scaling down Christmas due to economic pressure.

Beef + Lamb New Zealand CEO Kit Arkwright said the holiday season was a great time of the year for Kiwis to come together and celebrate with family and friends.

“Food is always an important part of celebrations at this time of the year, and it’s no surprise that New Zealand lamb will be the centerpiece for many Kiwis as they celebrate the festive season,” Arkwright said.

“It’s a traditional favourite for the Christmas table, and is not only delicious, but can easily feed a crowd.

“What’s more, there are some great deals to be had on lamb legs this week, so fill up your fridges and freezers.”

According to the survey, most New Zealanders would be opting for a traditional style meal, with a barbecue coming in as a second preference and 18.5 per cent saying they’d be catering to a big crowd.

Of those polled, 36.8 per cent said they expected to have ten or more people for Christmas Day, and 40.2 per cent would be spending two to three days preparing for their Christmas feast.

More than half (58.3 per cent) said they’d be eating their main Christmas meal between midday and 2pm on Christmas Day, with 24 per cent eating after 2pm.

Cooking their Christmas meal in an oven came out at the top of the poll, the barbecue following closely behind, with 61.8 per cent saying they expected to have at least two days’ worth of leftovers to wade through.

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas either without a mouth-watering dessert, with pavlova once again taking out the top spot, with 68.5 per cent saying they’d be adding the iconic Kiwi classic to their Christmas menu.

Trifle came in second, followed by strawberries and icecream in third place as the top sweet treats.

The question of when to begin playing Christmas music received the highest percentage of votes (79.2 per cent), with respondents agreeing Christmas music should only be played in December.