Inflation: Burgers and kebabs off the menu as prices soar

The weather is not the only thing putting a dampener on impromptu barbecues, as consumers balk at the soaring cost of burgers, sausages and chicken to put on the grill.

- Zoe Wood

At nearly £4, a four-pack of supermarket own-label beef quarter-pounders costs 53%, or £1.37, more than this time last year, according to price analysts Assosia. With steak and kebabs also off the menu because they are too pricey, Britons are switching to poultry.

However, this extra demand is pushing up the price of chicken. A 600g pack of chicken thighs, for example, now costs £5.54. This is an increase of 64p, or 13%, on last year, based on the pre-promotion prices across Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons.

Inflation has been mounting in the red meat and poultry aisles since the turn of the year, in what Andrew Keeble, managing director and founder of Heck Sausages, described as a "perfect storm".