Cranberry sauce: how much it costs to make, per portion
Cranberry sauce costs £0.15 a portion in ingredients (£3.09 for a batch of 20), from UK pack prices dated 25 October 2026. To reach 68% GP, the UK food benchmark, it needs to sell for at least £0.58 including 20% VAT (£0.48 without).
Cranberry sauce made in ten minutes from frozen cranberries, sugar, orange and a splash of ruby port. Makes about 600 g, twenty portions of 30 g, costed from JJ Foodservice and Morrisons 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, 20 portions
| Ingredient | Pack price | Pack size | Used | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frozen cranberries | £3.79 | 1000 g | 500 g | £1.90 |
| Granulated sugar | £15.79 | 10000 g | 150 g | £0.24 |
| Orange (zest and juice) | £2.49 | 8 each | 1 each | £0.31 |
| Ruby port | £9.75 | 750 ml | 50 ml | £0.65 |
| Batch total | £3.09 | |||
| Per portion (÷ 20) | £0.15 | |||
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 | £0.15 |
| Waste allowance, 5% (trim, ends, the odd one binned) | £0.01 |
| Staff time: 5 min hands-on for the batch of 20 at £12.71/hr + 25% on-cost | £0.07 |
| Food, waste and staff per portion | £0.23 |
At the lowest price (£0.48 ex VAT) that is 48% 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
- Put the cranberries, sugar, orange zest and juice and the port in a pan.
- Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes until most of the berries have burst and the sauce coats a spoon.
- Cool, then chill; it sets further as it cools. Serve about 30 g a portion.
Costing notes
Frozen cranberries lose almost nothing. USDA figures put sound fresh cranberries at about 95% of the weight bought (cranberry yield), and frozen berries come already picked over.
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.
- Frozen cranberries: Greens frozen cranberries (FRU093), 1 kg, £3.79 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-10-25
- Granulated sugar: Tate & Lyle granulated sugar (SPI021), 10 kg, £15.79 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-10-25
- Orange: Oranges for eating, pack of 8 (FRU159), 8, £2.49 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-10-25
- Ruby port: Morrisons Ruby Port (retail), 75 cl, £9.75 shelf price — Morrisons (retail), accessed 2026-10-25
More costed dishes: seasonal
- Christmas pudding with brandy sauce — £0.88 a portion
- Mince pies — £0.30 a portion
- Nut roast — £0.72 a portion
- Bread sauce — £0.13 a portion