Sticky toffee pudding: what it costs to put on the plate
A tray of date sponge and a pan of toffee sauce, twelve portions, costed from pack prices dated 7 September 2026. The pudding almost every pub sells and almost nobody costs.
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Ingredients and cost, 12 portions
| Ingredient | Pack price | Pack size | Used | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medjool dates | £28.49 | 5000 g | 400 g | £2.28 |
| Bicarbonate of soda | £1.99 | 1000 g | 8 g | £0.02 |
| Unsalted butter | £31.99 | 5000 g | 350 g | £2.24 |
| Light brown soft sugar | £3.75 | 1000 g | 350 g | £1.31 |
| Dark muscovado sugar | £7.38 | 1000 g | 150 g | £1.11 |
| Eggs (medium) | £3.49 | 30 each | 4 each | £0.47 |
| Self-raising flour | £1.79 | 1500 g | 300 g | £0.36 |
| Black treacle | £1.75 | 454 g | 40 g | £0.15 |
| Vanilla extract | £4.45 | 95 ml | 10 ml | £0.47 |
| Double cream | £3.79 | 1000 ml | 500 ml | £1.90 |
| Golden syrup | £17.99 | 7260 g | 50 g | £0.12 |
| Batch total | £10.42 | |||
| Per portion (÷ 12) | £0.87 | |||
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.
Method
- Stone and chop the dates, cover with 400 ml boiling water, add the bicarbonate and leave 10 minutes; blend roughly.
- Cream 100 g of the butter with the light brown sugar, beat in the eggs one at a time, then the treacle and vanilla.
- Fold in the flour, then the date mixture. Pour into a lined tray and bake at 180 °C (355 °F) for 30-35 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
- Sauce: melt the remaining butter with the muscovado, golden syrup and cream; simmer 3 minutes until glossy.
- Portion the sponge, soak with half the sauce, and serve hot with the rest over. Cream or ice cream to serve is not costed.
Costing notes
Under a pound a portion for ingredients: this is the highest-margin plate on most pub menus. Butter and cream are two-fifths of the cost, so a dairy price rise shows here first. Dates are costed from a 5 kg wholesale case; a 250 g retail pack roughly doubles that line. Ice cream, cream or custard to serve is not included: add a row.
Where the prices came from
JJ Foodservice collection prices as shown on its public search pages on 7 September 2026 (delivery prices run about £1-2 a case higher). The site does not label VAT on most lines: raw food is zero-rated in the UK, while oil, vanilla and alcohol carry standard-rate VAT. Where JJ had no line that day, a Tesco retail price is used and marked. Your supplier's price is the one that matters: open the recipe and type it in.
- Medjool dates: Medjool Dates 1x5kg (FRU136), 5 kg, £28.49 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-09-07
- Bicarbonate of soda: JJ Signature Bicarbonate of Soda 1x1kg (SPI797), 1 kg, £1.99 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-09-07
- Unsalted butter: Lakeland Unsalted Butter 20x250g (DAI186), 20 x 250 g, £31.99 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-09-07
- Light brown soft sugar: Tesco Light Brown Soft Sugar 1kg, 1 kg, £3.75 — Tesco (retail), accessed 2026-09-07
- Dark muscovado sugar: Dark Muscovado Sugar 1kg (Tesco Marketplace), 1 kg, £7.38 — Tesco (retail), accessed 2026-09-07
- Eggs (medium): Medium Eggs Size 3 1x30 (EGG024), 30, £3.49 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-09-07
- Self-raising flour: Wright's Self Raising Flour 1x1.5kg, 1.5 kg, £1.79 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-09-07
- Black treacle: Lyle's Black Treacle 454g, 454 g, £1.75 — Tesco (retail), accessed 2026-09-07
- Vanilla extract: Dr. Oetker Madagascan Vanilla Extract 95ml, 95 ml, £4.45 — Tesco (retail), accessed 2026-09-07
- Double cream: Meadowland Double Cream 1x1L (CRE039), 1 L, £3.79 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-09-07
- Golden syrup: Lyle's Golden Syrup 1x7.26kg (ICE053), 7.26 kg, £17.99 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-09-07