Sausage rolls: how much it costs to make, per portion
Sausage rolls costs £0.40 a portion in ingredients (£4.84 for a batch of 12), from UK pack prices dated 25 October 2026. To reach 68% GP, the UK food benchmark, it needs to sell for at least £1.51 including 20% VAT (£1.26 without).
Large café and bakery sausage rolls made from skinned Cumberland-style sausages wrapped in puff pastry. Twelve rolls, 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, 12 portions
| Ingredient | Pack price | Pack size | Used | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cumberland-style pork sausages, skinned | £15.99 | 60 each | 12 each | £3.20 |
| Puff pastry | £49.99 | 20000 g | 600 g | £1.50 |
| Egg (to glaze) | £3.79 | 30 each | 1 each | £0.13 |
| Ground black pepper | £22.99 | 1750 g | 1 g | £0.01 |
| Batch total | £4.84 | |||
| Per portion (÷ 12) | £0.40 | |||
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 | £0.40 |
| Waste allowance, 5% (trim, ends, the odd one binned) | £0.02 |
| Staff time: 20 min hands-on for the batch of 12 at £12.71/hr + 25% on-cost | £0.44 |
| Food, waste and staff per portion | £0.86 |
At the lowest price (£1.26 ex VAT) that is 68% 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
- Skin the sausages and lay the meat in a line along strips of puff pastry.
- Brush the edge with egg, fold over and seal, then cut into twelve rolls.
- Brush with egg, score the tops and bake at 200 °C for 25 to 30 minutes until golden and the filling reaches 75 °C.
Costing notes
VAT. A sausage roll sold hot is standard-rated. Sold cold to take away it is zero-rated; eaten in it is standard-rated (HMRC VAT Notice 709/1). The prices above are worked on 20% VAT.
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.
- Cumberland-style pork sausages: JJ Butchers Cumberland-style pork sausages 6s, 3.63 kg (SGS035), 60 sausages, £15.99 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-10-25
- Puff pastry: Pukka pre-sheeted puff pastry rolls, 2 x 10 kg (PAS106), 20 kg, £49.99 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-10-25
- Egg: Medium eggs, tray of 30 (EGG024), 30, £3.79 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: bakery and cakes
- Victoria sponge — £0.37 a portion
- Scones with jam and clotted cream — £0.80 a portion
- Chocolate brownies — £0.33 a portion
- Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting — £0.49 a portion