Christmas Day's feast of 6,000 calories

Britons will eat an average of 3.63 roast potatoes and 2.95 chipolatas during Christmas dinner.

The most popular average start time for the meal is 2.24pm, a poll by YouGov for Sainsbury's has found. Turkey breast is the most popular type of poultry to have with the dinner, along with an average 2.54 spoonfuls of Brussels sprouts, the survey disclosed.

One third (35 per cent) of respondents expected to toast the meal with champagne, while 37 per cent chose sparkling wine. On average, 5.25 people will sit around the table for Christmas dinner.

During the course of December, 25 per cent of people will eat on average 6,000 calories compared with the 2,000 per day which is recommended for women and 2,500 for men.

A Sainsbury's nutritionist, Charlie Parker, said yesterday: "It's a relief that Christmas comes just once a year, because if we ate like this every day we'd be in trouble."

But she said that turkey meat was a good source of low-fat protein while potatoes and parsnips were full of fibre.

"While the festive plate might be heaving, it's still possible to make it well-balanced and highly nutritious if a little heavy on the calories," she added.

More than three-quarters (77 per cent) of the women questioned for Sainsbury's expected to be in charge of the cooking on Christmas Day.