Christmas pudding with brandy sauce: how much it costs to make, per portion
Christmas pudding with brandy sauce costs £0.88 a portion in ingredients (£7.00 for a batch of 8), from UK pack prices dated 25 October 2026. To reach 68% GP, the UK food benchmark, it needs to sell for at least £3.28 including 20% VAT (£2.73 without).
The festive menu's default dessert: a ready-made 800 g Christmas pudding cut into eight wedges, with warm brandy sauce. Costed from Morrisons shelf prices read on 25 October 2026.
The lowest price is the one that just reaches 68% GP, the UK food GP benchmark (UKHospitality × Christie & Co, 2022: 65.9–69% food GP across every segment). It covers the ingredients at a normal margin, not staff, rent or energy, and most cafés, pubs and takeaways charge more for simple dishes. Check what places near you charge. GP is worked out on the ex-VAT price.
Open in ChefSums — edit, cost, scale →
Ingredients and cost, 8 portions
| Ingredient | Pack price | Pack size | Used | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christmas pudding, 800 g (serves 8) | £4.50 | 800 g | 800 g | £4.50 |
| Brandy sauce | £2.50 | 500 g | 500 g | £2.50 |
| Batch total | £7.00 | |||
| Per portion (÷ 8) | £0.88 | |||
Cost per line is pack price × (amount used ÷ pack size), the same sum the tool runs. Change one pack price and every line that uses it moves.
What it really costs: waste and staff time
| Ingredients | £0.88 |
| Waste allowance, 5% (trim, ends, the odd one binned) | £0.04 |
| Staff time: 5 min hands-on for the batch of 8 at £12.71/hr + 25% on-cost | £0.17 |
| Food, waste and staff per portion | £1.09 |
At the lowest price (£2.73 ex VAT) that is 40% of the price, before rent, energy and everything else. Many UK sites aim to keep food plus staff (prime cost) at or under 60–65% of sales. The staff line counts hands-on prep only, not unattended cooking, and uses the April 2026 National Living Wage; put your own rate, minutes and waste in the calculator's real cost section or the prime cost calculator. Every dish side by side: the UK dish cost index.
Method
- Steam or microwave the pudding as the pack directs until piping hot all the way through.
- Warm the brandy sauce gently in a pan.
- Cut the pudding into eight wedges and pour over about 60 g of sauce each.
Costing notes
Retail lines. JJ Foodservice listed no Christmas pudding or brandy sauce on 25 October 2026, so both are Morrisons shelf prices. A premium pudding at twice the price adds about 56p a portion.
Where the prices came from
JJ Foodservice collection prices (single-unit price, no multi-buy tiers) and Morrisons shelf prices, read on 25 October 2026. Morrisons lines are used where JJ Foodservice listed no equivalent that day; wholesale is usually lower, so treat those lines as cautious. Prices are as listed; JJ does not label VAT on most lines, and most raw food is zero-rated in the UK while alcohol and some ingredients carry standard-rate VAT. Your supplier's price is the one that matters: open the recipe and type it in.
- Christmas pudding: Morrisons Rich & Fruity Christmas Pudding, serves 8 (retail), 800 g, £4.50 shelf price — Morrisons (retail), accessed 2026-10-25
- Brandy sauce: Morrisons Brandy Sauce with French Brandy (retail), 500 g, £2.50 shelf price — Morrisons (retail), accessed 2026-10-25
More costed dishes: seasonal
- Mince pies — £0.30 a portion
- Nut roast — £0.72 a portion
- Bread sauce — £0.13 a portion
- Braised red cabbage — £0.20 a portion