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In true festive spirit, A.F. Blakemore, wholesaler for Spar in Wales, central and south east England, has unveiled the items which Brits make a crisis dash for in the lead up to Christmas.

From humble tin foil to the missing fizz and ice, Spar has lifted the lid on the items that fly off the shelves on Christmas Day and in the week leading up to it.

The most forgotten items ahead of the big day that shoppers scramble to buy the following in the run up to Christmas include:

· On average around 20,000 metres of wrapping paper is sold

· Around 15,000 mince pies are sold every day

· 1,500 Terrys Chocolate oranges are sold every day

· Nine times more cream is sold than at any other time of year

· Ice sales increase by five times as hosts ready the Christmas cocktails

· Over 15,000 batteries sold for those new toys

On Christmas Day alone shoppers make a mad dash to buy items they’ve run out of, including:

· Four times more Yorkshire puddings sold than at any other time of year

· Three times more tin foil sold than any other time of the year

· Six times more prosecco than any other day across the year

Julian Taylor Green from Spar Western Downs, Stafford, said: ‘Every year we see a mad dash of customers running in for those last-minute needs. Usually, it’s around 11.30am, when customers realise they’re out of something or have forgotten a key ingredient. In our shop it’s usually salt, gravy or tin foil that’s the first to go!’

To celebrate the mad dash, Spar has released a series of exclusive must-haves for the festive season. Shunning the usual fancy hors d’oeuvres, instead the must-haves include the following for families. These include black bags, flour, milk, eggs, tin foil, gravy and stuffing.