Rise in UK Thanksgivings driven by growing appetite for US foods, retailers say

Sales of Thanksgiving products have been increasing, with one farm reporting a 38% uptick in sales of turkeys in the fortnight leading up to the holiday last year. Photograph: AlexRaths/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Thanksgiving was once a holiday Britons knew only from American films, but a growing appetite for US cuisine, from Southern-style comfort food to pumpkin pie, is driving a rise in UK celebrations.

Retailers and restaurants are reporting increased sales and bookings in the run-up to the American holiday, boosted by British enthusiasm for US flavours and a rising number of American expats now living in the UK.