How much? Why the price of a Greggs sausage roll has shot up over the last 6 years

A decade ago, you probably judged the price of inflation by looking at how much a Freddo chocolate bar costs. That's what I used to do anyway.

And perhaps, also like myself, that's now changed for you and inflation is judged by how much another British iconic food product would cost you.

The Greggs sausage roll is loved by many across the country and is often the go-to quick lunch when you find yourself out and about. It just tastes so good and the brand has clearly kept up with the times with a vegan alternative and other menu items.

The company is enjoying a purple patch currently resulting in the announcement this month that eight new branches including a drive-thru would open in September 2023. Greggs already runs around 2,300 shops in the UK.

But if you take a look back, you can see how sharply the price of a sausage roll has increased.

What feels like a long time ago now back in 2017, the price of a sausage roll had just been increased to 90p - to the outrage of many online.

In a move where the company increased the price of a number of menu items, it was the sausage roll price increase by 5p that left many fans in horror.

Fast forward to 2021 and the price of a sausage roll hit the £1 mark for the first time. Being a major talking point, people have previously spoken about being able to buy four sausage rolls for £1 in their lifetimes - showing how much prices had risen.

But it's in 2022 that we really see the price of sausage rolls shoot up.

At the start of the year, the price was increased to £1.05. It was then pushed up again around five months later in May to £1.10.

But it didn't stop there, come October 2022, sausage rolls would set you back £1.15.

And with its fourth price hike in around a year, sausage rolls now cost £1.20 and have done since January 2023.

Speaking about the price hike earlier this year, Roisin Currie, Greggs CEO, said that despite consumers facing cost-of-living pressures, its meals remain "good value" and are therefore still attractive to customers.

She added that it was “too early to tell” how cost inflation will pan out this year, but expects it to be a similar situation to last year - hinting that Greggs could put in place further price rises in the future.