Turkey and stuffing sandwich: how much it costs to make, per serve
Turkey and stuffing sandwich costs £2.21 a serve in ingredients, from UK pack prices dated 25 October 2026. To reach 68% GP it needs at least £6.91 to take away (zero-rated) or £8.29 eaten in, including 20% VAT.
The sandwich every café puts on in December: roast turkey breast, a stuffing ball and cranberry sauce on thick white bread with mayonnaise and lettuce. Costed from JJ Foodservice and Morrisons prices read on 25 October 2026, with the turkey counted at raw weight.
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.
VAT: cold food such as a sandwich or wrap sold to take away is zero-rated; eaten on your premises (including your own tables outside) it is standard-rated at 20%, and so is anything you heat before selling it. HMRC VAT Notice 709/1, section 4.1: “Cold takeaway food and drink is zero-rated, as long as it’s not of a type that’s always standard-rated” (Catering, takeaway food).
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Ingredients and cost, one serve
| Ingredient | Pack price | Pack size | Used | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thick white bread, 2 slices | £1.59 | 800 g | 88 g | £0.17 |
| Turkey crown (raw weight for 60 g carved) | £26.00 | 2400 g | 110 g | £1.19 |
| Cooked stuffing ball, 1 | £33.09 | 1000 g | 20 g | £0.66 |
| Cranberries (as sauce) | £3.79 | 1000 g | 15 g | £0.06 |
| Sugar (in the sauce) | £15.79 | 10000 g | 5 g | £0.01 |
| Mayonnaise | £11.49 | 5000 ml | 15 ml | £0.03 |
| Iceberg lettuce | £8.79 | 10 each | 0.04 each | £0.04 |
| Salted butter | £29.99 | 5000 g | 8 g | £0.05 |
| Total | £2.21 | |||
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 | £2.21 |
| Waste allowance, 5% (trim, ends, the odd one binned) | £0.11 |
| Staff time: 4 min hands-on per serve at £12.71/hr + 25% on-cost | £1.06 |
| Food, waste and staff per serve | £3.38 |
At the lowest price (£6.91 ex VAT) that is 49% 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
- Butter the bread and spread one slice with mayonnaise.
- Layer the lettuce, about 60 g of sliced roast turkey and a crumbled stuffing ball.
- Add a spoon of cranberry sauce, close and cut in half.
Costing notes
The turkey is costed at raw weight. 110 g of raw crown gives about 60 g of carved breast after bone, skin and roasting loss (turkey yield). Costing the 60 g at the raw price would make the sandwich look about 45% cheaper in turkey than it is.
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.
- Thick white bread: Kingsmill thick sliced white bread 800 g (BRE062), 800 g, £1.59 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-10-25
- Turkey crown: Morrisons Frozen Large Basted Turkey Crown 2.4-2.8 kg (retail; costed at the 2.4 kg minimum), 2.4-2.8 kg, £26.00 shelf price — Morrisons (retail), accessed 2026-10-25
- Cooked stuffing ball: Cooked sage and onion stuffing balls, 20 g each (SPI771), 1 kg, £33.09 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-10-25
- Cranberries: Greens frozen cranberries (FRU093), 1 kg, £3.79 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-10-25
- Sugar: Tate & Lyle granulated sugar (SPI021), 10 kg, £15.79 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-10-25
- Mayonnaise: JJ real mayonnaise (SAU341), 5 litres, £11.49 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
- Salted butter: Lakeland salted butter, 20 x 250 g (DAI185), 5 kg, £29.99 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-10-25
More costed dishes: seasonal
- Carrot and swede mash — £0.24 a portion
- Christmas turkey dinner — £3.93 a portion
- Roast turkey crown — £2.68 a portion
- Roast potatoes — £0.22 a portion