Costing a recipe www foodafactoflife org uk Food

Costing a recipe www. foodafactoflife. org. uk © Food – a fact of life 2019

Why cost a recipe? • Know the cost of a recipe before it is made. • Calculate the cost of the ingredients used, not the ingredients purchased. • Compare the difference in cost of changing ingredients in a recipe on the total cost. • Calculate the cost per portion. www. foodafactoflife. org. uk © Food – a fact of life 2019

Amount purchased v amount used The amount of an ingredient purchased will most likely be different to the amount that is required by a recipe. For example: • butter is purchased in 250 g ‘blocks’, but the recipe may only need 50 g; • milk is sold in litres (pints), but the recipe may only need 100 ml; • apples may be sold in bags of six, but the recipe may only need two. Therefore there is a difference in the cost of the ingredients purchased compared to the cost of the ingredients used by a recipe. www. foodafactoflife. org. uk © Food – a fact of life 2019

Step 1: Create a costing chart, or use a template. The chart will need the following headings: Ingredient name Cost of quantity purchased (£) Quantity purchased Quantity needed in recipe Cost of ingredient used in recipe (£) www. foodafactoflife. org. uk © Food – a fact of life 2019

Step 2: Find out the cost of the ingredients. This might be through looking at the receipt or by using one of the following websites: www. asda. com www. morrisons. co. uk www. mysupermarket. co. uk www. ocado. com/ www. sainsburys. co. uk www. shop. co. uk Consideration The cost of ingredients may be different in supermarkets, local shops, farm stores and markets. Brands of the same ingredient may have different costs. In addition, costs can change during the year, e. g. due to season, demand, crop failure. www. tesco. com www. waitrose. com www. foodafactoflife. org. uk © Food – a fact of life 2019

Step 3: Add ingredient details Add the details to the chart: Ingredient name Cost of Quantity quantity purchased (£) Quantity needed in recipe Butter £ 1. 50 250 g 25 g Cost of ingredient used in recipe (£) • quantity purchased Milk £ 0. 98 1000 ml 100 ml • quantity needed in the Eggs £ 1. 20 6 2 Mixed herbs £ 1. 45 11 g 2 g • ingredient name; • cost of amount purchased; (gram, litre, unit); recipe (grams, litre, unit). www. foodafactoflife. org. uk © Food – a fact of life 2019

Step 4: Calculate cost of purchase Calculate the cost of purchasing all the ingredients. Ingredient name Cost of Quantity quantity purchased (£) Quantity needed in recipe Add up the ‘Cost of quantity purchased’ column. Butter £ 1. 50 250 g 25 g Cost of ingredient used in recipe (£) This is the total amount spent on the ingredients – but not what is used in the recipe. Milk £ 0. 98 1000 ml 100 ml Eggs £ 1. 20 6 2 Mixed herbs £ 1. 45 11 g 2 g £ 5. 13 www. foodafactoflife. org. uk © Food – a fact of life 2019

Step 5: Calculate cost of ingredients used To calculate the cost of ingredient used, for each ingredient: Ingredient name Cost of quantity purchased (£) Quantity purchased Quantity needed in recipe • divide the ‘Cost of ingredient used in recipe (£) Butter £ 1. 50 250 g 25 g £ 0. 15 quantity purchased’ by the ‘Quantity purchased’; • then multiple by ‘Quantity needed in recipe’. £ 1. 50 ÷ 250 g x 25 g = £ 0. 15 Note: Cost figures are rounded up/down. www. foodafactoflife. org. uk © Food – a fact of life 2019

Step 5: Calculate cost of ingredients used Finally, add up the ‘Cost of ingredient used in recipe’ column – this will give the total for the recipe. Ingredient name Quantity purchased Cost of Quantity quantity needed in purchased (£) recipe Butter 250 g £ 1. 50 25 g Cost of ingredient used in recipe (£) £ 0. 15 Milk 1000 ml £ 0. 98 100 ml £ 0. 10 Eggs 6 £ 1. 20 2 £ 0. 40 Mixed herbs 11 g £ 1. 45 2 g £ 0. 26 In this example, it is £ 0. 91. £ 5. 13 £ 0. 91 Note: Cost figures are rounded up/down. www. foodafactoflife. org. uk © Food – a fact of life 2019

Step 6: Calculate cost per serving The cost per serving is calculated by: Ingredient name Quantity purchased Cost of Quantity quantity needed in purchased (£) recipe Butter 250 g £ 1. 50 25 g Cost of ingredient used in recipe (£) £ 0. 15 Milk 1000 ml £ 0. 98 100 ml £ 0. 10 Eggs 6 £ 1. 20 2 £ 0. 40 Mixed herbs 11 g £ 1. 45 2 g £ 0. 26 • dividing the total cost of the ‘Cost of ingredient used in recipe’ by the number of servings. For example, if the recipe served 3 people: £ 0. 91 ÷ 3 = £ 0. 30 each £ 5. 13 £ 0. 91 Note: Cost figures are rounded up/down. www. foodafactoflife. org. uk © Food – a fact of life 2019

Costing a recipe For further information, go to: www. foodafactoflife. org. uk © Food – a fact of life 2019