DINERS FORK OUT ON XMAS.RECORD numbers of revellers munched their way through the credit crunch Credit Crunch An economic condition whereby investment capital is difficult to obtain. Banks and investors become weary of lending funds to corporations thereby driving up the price of debt products for borrowers. by forking over millions of pounds to eat out on Christmas Day. As Britain continues its relentless slide into recession, thousands of well-heeled punters booked themselves into Northern Ireland's top hotels for lavish banquets. The five-star Culloden Estate and Spa overlooking Belfast raked in at least pounds 100,000 after advance bookings for the big day doubled on last year. Manager Kem Akkari said: "Every day the downturn is on the news, but you would have looked in our restaurant and ballroom on Christmas Day and thought, 'Where is this crunch?' "We'd been fully booked for three months before Christmas and had people ringing begging for a table. "Last year we did 350 Christmas dinners - this year it was 600." Dozens more restaurants and hotels across Northern Ireland Northern Ireland: see Ireland, Northern. Northern Ireland Part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland occupying the northeastern portion of the island of Ireland. Area: 5,461 sq mi (14,144 sq km). Population (2001): 1,685,267. were kept busy by hundreds of pre-booked diners. The surprise figures come despite hundreds of store offers to help people enjoy a more frugal fru·gal adj. 1. Practicing or marked by economy, as in the expenditure of money or the use of material resources. See Synonyms at sparing. 2. Costing little; inexpensive: a frugal lunch. festive season. A Christmas dinner Christmas dinner is the primary meal traditionally eaten on Christmas Day. It is often seen as the main event of the day for which the family all gathers and eats together. price war kicked off between the "big four" supermarkets - Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons. - with claims they could deliver turkey with all the trimmings for the price of a fish supper. But discount stores Aldi and Lidl have seen a boom in sales as a result of the squeeze on spending. The budget food sector is said to be growing at around 20 per cent a year. CAPTION(S): LUXURY Culloden |
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