Prawn cocktail: how much it costs to make, per portion
Prawn cocktail costs £1.41 a portion in ingredients (£14.07 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 £5.28 including 20% VAT (£4.40 without).
The pub and Christmas-menu classic: coldwater prawns on shredded iceberg with Marie Rose sauce, a lemon wedge and buttered bread. Ten starters, costed from JJ Foodservice 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooked and peeled coldwater prawns | £22.99 | 2000 g | 900 g | £10.35 |
| Iceberg lettuce | £8.79 | 10 each | 1.5 each | £1.32 |
| Mayonnaise | £11.49 | 5000 ml | 250 ml | £0.57 |
| Tomato ketchup | £10.99 | 8000 ml | 80 ml | £0.11 |
| Lemons (juice and wedges) | £4.99 | 15 each | 2.5 each | £0.83 |
| Bread | £1.59 | 800 g | 320 g | £0.64 |
| Salted butter | £29.99 | 5000 g | 40 g | £0.24 |
| Ground black pepper | £22.99 | 1750 g | 1 g | £0.01 |
| Batch total | £14.07 | |||
| Per portion (÷ 10) | £1.41 | |||
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 | £1.41 |
| Waste allowance, 5% (trim, ends, the odd one binned) | £0.07 |
| Staff time: 15 min hands-on for the batch of 10 at £12.71/hr + 25% on-cost | £0.40 |
| Food, waste and staff per portion | £1.88 |
At the lowest price (£4.40 ex VAT) that is 43% 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
- Defrost the prawns in the fridge overnight, then drain well and pat dry.
- Mix the mayonnaise, ketchup, a squeeze of lemon and pepper into a Marie Rose sauce.
- Shred the lettuce into glasses, top with about 90 g of prawns and the sauce.
- Serve with a lemon wedge and buttered bread.
Costing notes
Drain weight. Frozen cooked prawns lose water on thawing: USDA figures (limited data) put frozen cooked, shelled prawns at about 83% after thawing (prawn yield), so 900 g frozen gives about 750 g, 75 g a glass. Weigh after draining when you portion.
Where the prices came from
JJ Foodservice collection prices (single-unit price, no multi-buy tiers), read on 25 October 2026. 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.
- Cooked and peeled coldwater prawns: Norwegian cooked and peeled coldwater prawns 250/350 (FIS602), 2 kg, £22.99 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-10-25
- Iceberg lettuce: Iceberg lettuce, case of 10-12, costed at 10 (VEG476), 10 heads, £8.79 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-10-25
- Mayonnaise: JJ real mayonnaise (SAU341), 5 litres, £11.49 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-10-25
- Tomato ketchup: JJ tomato ketchup, 2 x 4 litres (SAU027), 8 litres, £10.99 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-10-25
- Lemons: Fresh lemons (VEG899), 15, £4.99 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-10-25
- Bread: Kingsmill thick sliced white bread 800 g (BRE062), 800 g, £1.59 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-10-25
- Salted butter: Lakeland salted butter, 20 x 250 g (DAI185), 5 kg, £29.99 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
More costed dishes: seasonal
- Chicken liver pâté with toast — £0.78 a portion
- Sherry trifle — £0.81 a portion
- Cheeseboard per head — £1.53 a serve
- Mulled wine — £2.84 a portion