The restaurants and supermarket cafes where kids can eat for £1 (or even free!) this Christmas

This week there was encouraging news from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which showed that food prices are finally rising more slowly than a year ago.

However, the cost of food is still 9.2% higher than a year ago, with households facing more expensive trips to the supermarket than in the run-up to Christmas 2022.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said although the latest ONS figures were positive, many were still struggling. He said: ‘Now that inflation has more than halved, we are starting to remove inflationary pressure from the economy. But many families are still struggling with high prices, so we will continue to prioritize measures that help reduce pressure on living costs.”

However, there is encouraging news for parents: many restaurants and supermarkets have quietly continued with the school holiday offers introduced to help struggling families – meaning many are still available for the Christmas holidays.

Website for financial tips moneysavingcentral.co.uk reports on the places offering deals such as ‘kids eat for £1’ or ‘kids eat free’.

Here FEMAIL goes through some of the offers available:

Asda’s kids eat for £1

The supermarket’s Kids Eat for £1 deal was extended over the summer until December 31.

No adult purchase is required and both hot and cold menus are available.

The chain is also still offering its ‘winter warmer’ deal; people aged 60 or over can get soup, a sandwich and unlimited tea and coffee for £1 in the 205 cafes; the current offer runs until the end of February 2024.

Bella Italia – offer from Monday to Thursday

The Italian chain is offering three-course kids’ meals for children aged two to 11 for £1 between Mondays and Thursdays when you buy one main course for adults.

IKEA – kids eat from 95p

The home decor giant continues to offer its pasta, sauce and a drink for kids for just 95p, while all other kids’ meals on the menu are just £1.50. The offer is available from 11am and is valid every day of the week.

Preto – children eat free from 4pm on weekdays

Children up to the age of ten can receive a free meal in the Brazilian steakhouse chain if an adult purchases a meal after 4 p.m. on a weekday; adults only need to download the voucher on the website in advance.

Sainsburys cafe – £1 meals for children

Available every day from 11:30 am until the supermarket closes. Sainsburys cafes are continuing to feed their kids for a special £1 offer over Christmas.

Young people can enjoy a hot main meal or children’s packed lunch for £1 when purchasing an adult hot main meal – from £5.20.

Dobbies Garden Centers – children eat free with the adult meal

The garden center chain continues its offer of a free children’s breakfast or meal with the purchase of one adult main course – and it is available every day of the week. Please note, there are some exceptions: Andover, Lelant, Marple, Reading, York, Anchorwood.

The Real Greek – Adults spend a tenner, children get in for free

Fancy a Greek party? Restaurant chain The Real Greek has launched a Christmas holiday deal for families running from December 22 to January 7.

What is the offer? Kids eat free when adults spend £10 – and is available to all children under 12.

Travelodge and Premier Inn – two free breakfasts with purchase for adults

Both budget hotel chains offer unlimited breakfast deals when you check in.

The Travelodge can accommodate two children under the age of 15 for breakfast if one adult guest purchases an all-you-can-eat breakfast. Meanwhile, you can buy a similar all-you-can-eat meal at Premier Inn for £9.99, with two children under 16 eating free.

Huge boost for Brits as inflation drops to 3.9% in November – fueling hopes that interest rates will fall soon

The British got a huge boost today when inflation fell to 3.9 percent in November.

The overall CPI fell much more than expected, from 4.6 percent the previous month.

The figure fueled hopes that the Bank of England could start cutting interest rates sooner than expected, and that Chancellor Jeremy Hunt would have more room for tax cuts.

Markets quickly adjusted to the price, with a 50-50 chance that the first rate cut would come in March, while the pound fell against the US dollar as investors revised their forecasts for high government bond yields.

Slower increases in fuel and food costs were the main factors in the lower inflation, surprising analysts who had expected a level of 4.4 percent.

Crucially, core inflation fell to 5.1 percent from 5.7 percent in October. The annual CPI rate for goods slowed from 2.9 percent to 2.0 percent, while for services it fell from 6.6 percent to 6.3 percent.

ONS chief economist Grant Fitzner said: ‘Inflation has fallen again to the lowest annual level in more than two years, but prices remain significantly above what they were before the invasion of Ukraine.

‘The biggest driver of this month’s decline was a fall in fuel prices, following an increase at the same time last year. Food prices also weighed on inflation, as it rose much more slowly than this time last year.

‘There was also a fall in prices for a range of household items and the cost of second-hand cars.’

Rishi Sunak seized on the news and posted on social media: ‘A year ago inflation was 11.1%. Today that has fallen to 3.9 percent. This is good news for everyone in this country.”

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said: ‘With inflation having more than halved, we are starting to remove inflationary pressure from the economy.

‘Alongside the corporate tax cuts announced in the Autumn Statement, this means we are back on the path to healthy, sustainable growth.

‘But many families are still struggling with high prices, so we will continue to prioritize measures that help reduce pressure on living costs.’