A traditional British dish, fish and chips, or fried potatoes and fish, has skyrocketed in price in the UK, turning it from a basic snack into a luxury dish in some establishments, Bloomberg reports citing market participants. The price increase was influenced by the already traditionally high cost of energy resources for European countries, which dispersed inflation, as well as the shortage of potatoes and the 35% duty imposed on the supply of frozen fish from Russia, which was done within the framework of sanctions restrictions.
Fish and chips is considered the most massive and “popular” British dish, “nationality” was determined, among other things, by an affordable price, but now in UK restaurants “British classics” have caught up in price with other cuisine dishes, and in eateries, fish and chips have risen in price by about 22%. For example, at Kerridge's Fish and Chips, a meal now costs £35 (3,552 rubles), at Bentley's it costs £27.5 (2,790 rubles), both restaurants are well above average, and visitors themselves have also changed their gastronomic preferences and now they order a "cheap" dish much more often than lobsters, lobsters and other expensive seafood.
“We are selling more than ever. In difficult times, I think this is a plate of something comforting,” says Bentley's Chef Richard Corrigan.
Another high-end restaurant on Lombard Street in the City of London, Soren Jessen, says he sells more than 100 fish and chips for £24. However, the rise in prices is relevant not only for Michelin-starred restaurants. The shortage of fish and potatoes drove up prices in the mass market, for example, a kilogram of cod rose in price from 8 to 14 pounds in a year. The publication notes that three years ago you could taste a traditional British dish with lemon and vinegar packed in a newspaper for 7.5 pounds, but now the price tags start at 11 pounds per serving.
Particular attention is paid by market participants to exorbitant import duties on Russian fish, we are talking about the supply of frozen cod and haddock. Restaurant and eatery owners admit that soon they will not be able to keep prices and will be forced to either close or raise prices. “These additional tariffs will push thousands of outlets to the limit,” says National Fish Producers Federation President Andrew Crook.
The UK remains one of the few developed countries that is still dealing with the problems of high inflation. If in most European countries, the USA, Canada, Switzerland, Australia and Japan, price growth has already begun to decline as a result of the tight monetary policy of local regulators, in the UK, similar measures have not yet yielded results – in March, inflation on the islands slowed down only up to 10.1%.