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Peak sausage roll?
The Guardian
|September 20, 2025
Takeaway treats off menu for many as inflation bites
When George Osborne came unstuck with his "pastygate" budget 13 years ago a Greggs sausage roll cost 66p: a price seemingly from another planet for today's consumers.
The Conservative chancellor's plan to impose VAT on hot food - including Cornish pasties and sausage rolls - would have resulted in a 20% price rise. The response - led in part by the Newcastle-based bakery chain - was swift: Osborne, branded posh and out of touch, was forced into an embarrassing U-turn.
Since then, the price of a Greggs sausage roll has almost doubled to £1.30 as consumers face a renewed rise in food price inflation.
Growing numbers of people are stopping to think twice about buying a takeaway treat or grabbing their lunch on the go, as the cost of living squeeze pushes consumers to the limit of what they are willing to spend.
This story is from the September 20, 2025 edition of The Guardian.
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