Fry Up Index

How is each ingredient price calculated? ▼

Not all ingredients are tracked the same way. Here's exactly how each one works.

● Live ONS Price

The ONS sends price checkers into shops across the UK every month to record the actual shelf price. These are real pence-per-unit figures — no modelling, no estimates. The most accurate data available.

Back Bacon	DOIF
Pork Sausages	CZOQ
Toast	CZOH
Flat Mushrooms	CZNC
Plum Tomatoes	CZNJ
Coffee	CZNP

◑ Hybrid — Last known price, tracked forward by CPI

The direct ONS price series for these items was discontinued. We anchor to the last real price recorded and use a related CPI sub-index to estimate how that price has moved since. Think of it as: we know what it cost in that final reading, and we know how that food category has inflated since.

Free Range Eggs	J9DM → D7D8 Milk, cheese & eggs
Butter	KW9B → D7D9 Oils & fats

◆ CPI est.

No direct ONS price exists for these items. We use a known base price from 2021 and apply the relevant ONS Consumer Prices Index sub-index — the same inflation methodology the government uses to measure food price changes. The 2021 base price for each item is derived from a national average across the top five UK supermarkets.

Hash Browns	L79Q Frozen potato products
Baked Beans	J2M8 Canned vegetables & pulses
Black Pudding	D7D6 Meat & meat products
Cooking Oil	D7D9 Oils & fats

But this isn't what I have in my fry up? ▼

Everyone's fry up is different — some skip the black pudding, others only have one sausage. The Index tracks the full, uncompromising fry up with every component included, which means the price you see is the most you'd ever pay. Yours will almost certainly cost less. By using the complete version as our benchmark, we give you the most accurate and consistent measure of how fry up prices are changing over time.

How do you calculate the cost of a fry up? ▼

Every month, the UK government's Office for National Statistics (ONS) sends people into supermarkets and shops across the country to record the actual shelf price of hundreds of everyday items — bacon, eggs, bread and more. We take those real retail prices, work out exactly how much of each ingredient goes into a standard fry up (2 eggs, 2 rashers of bacon, etc.), and add it all up. The number you see is what a full English would cost you at an average UK shop — no guesswork, just official government price data.

What is the ONS? ▼

The ONS (Office for National Statistics) is the UK government's official number-crunching body. They track the prices of thousands of everyday items every month — everything from bread to bacon — to measure how the cost of living is changing. All the price data on this site comes from them.

How often is the data updated? ▼

The ONS publishes new inflation data roughly once a month, usually about six weeks after the reference period. So the prices you see here are typically one to two months behind today — but they're official, verified figures rather than supermarket estimates.

Why does the Fry Up Index matter? ▼

Bacon, eggs, sausages — these aren't luxuries. Tracking their price is a surprisingly honest window into the cost of living crisis, and frankly if we can't afford a proper fry up, something has gone very wrong with this country.