Fishcakes: how much it costs to make, per portion
Fishcakes costs £2.05 a portion in ingredients (£20.48 for a batch of 10), from UK pack prices dated 25 October 2026. To reach 68% GP, the UK food benchmark, it needs to sell for at least £7.68 including 20% VAT (£6.40 without).
Pub and café fishcakes made from cod loin and mash, breadcrumbed and fried, with tartare sauce. Ten cakes of about 160 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.
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Ingredients and cost, 10 portions
| Ingredient | Pack price | Pack size | Used | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cod loins, 180-200 g | £32.99 | 10 each | 5 each | £16.50 |
| Potatoes | £16.99 | 25000 g | 1250 g | £0.85 |
| Flat-leaf parsley | £1.39 | 100 g | 20 g | £0.28 |
| Lemon (zest) | £4.99 | 15 each | 1 each | £0.33 |
| Plain flour | £12.99 | 16000 g | 60 g | £0.05 |
| Eggs | £3.79 | 30 each | 2 each | £0.25 |
| Breadcrumbs | £10.49 | 3000 g | 200 g | £0.70 |
| Rapeseed oil (for frying) | £9.49 | 5000 ml | 200 ml | £0.38 |
| Table salt | £8.99 | 12500 g | 6 g | £0.00 |
| Ground black pepper | £22.99 | 1750 g | 1 g | £0.01 |
| Tartare sauce | £16.99 | 4540 ml | 300 ml | £1.12 |
| Batch total | £20.48 | |||
| Per portion (÷ 10) | £2.05 | |||
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 | £2.05 |
| Waste allowance, 5% (trim, ends, the odd one binned) | £0.10 |
| Staff time: 45 min hands-on for the batch of 10 at £12.71/hr + 25% on-cost | £1.19 |
| Food, waste and staff per portion | £3.34 |
At the lowest price (£6.40 ex VAT) that is 52% 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
- Peel, boil and mash the potatoes dry; poach the cod for 8 minutes and flake.
- Mix the fish, mash, parsley, lemon zest and seasoning and shape into ten cakes; chill until firm.
- Pass through flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs.
- Shallow fry until golden on both sides, finish in the oven at 190 °C for 10 minutes, and serve with tartare sauce.
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.
- Cod loins: JJ MSC skinless boneless cod loins 180-200 g (FSH447), 10, £32.99 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-10-25
- Potatoes: Chipping potatoes (POT112), 25 kg, £16.99 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-10-25
- Flat-leaf parsley: Morrisons Flat Leaf Parsley (retail), 100 g, £1.39 shelf price — Morrisons (retail), accessed 2026-10-25
- Lemon: Fresh lemons (VEG899), 15, £4.99 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-10-25
- Plain flour: JJ plain flour (FLO016), 16 kg, £12.99 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-10-25
- Eggs: Medium eggs, tray of 30 (EGG024), 30, £3.79 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-10-25
- Breadcrumbs: Golden breadcrumbs (FLO084), 3 kg, £10.49 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-10-25
- Rapeseed oil: KTC rapeseed oil (OIL110), 5 litres, £9.49 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-10-25
- Table salt: JJ table salt (SPI019), 12.5 kg, £8.99 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-10-25
- Ground black pepper: JJ ground black pepper (SPI596), 1.75 kg, £22.99 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-10-25
- Tartare sauce: Lion tartare sauce, 2 x 2.27 litres (SAU228), 4.54 litres, £16.99 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-10-25
More costed dishes: pub and restaurant classics
- Garlic bread — £0.32 a portion
- Halloumi fries — £2.27 a serve
- Ham, egg and chips — £2.07 a serve
- Yorkshire puddings — £0.08 a portion