Cost of pancakes rise in Mayo as St. Valentine's Day expenses are also up
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has calculated the cost of making a basic pancake today has risen by 3% over the course of the last 12 months.
The National Average Prices basket of goods and services shows the cost of buying the ingredients for a basic pancake mix using eggs, milk, and flour has gone up by 3% in the 12 months to December 2023, the most recent 12-month period for which figures are available.
The cost of 2kgs of white, self-raising flour has gone up by 10% over that 12-month period, while the price of a half-dozen large eggs has increased by 3%.
The only basic ingredient for pancakes that has fallen over that period is 2lt of full fat milk, which is down 3% in the year.
In terms of actual prices, flour has gone from €2.39 to €2.62, eggs have increased from €2.16 to €2.21, while the average price of 2lt of milk fell from €2.26 to €2.18 over the 12 months to December 2023.
If you want to add a sprinkling of sugar to your pancake, the cost for 1kg of white, granulated sugar has risen by 24% over the course of the 12 months.
By adding that spoonful of sugar to your pancake, the total cost of making pancakes goes up by 6.4% over the 12 months to December 2023.
In terms of prices, the average price for 1kg of white, granulated sugar has gone from €1.51 to €1.88 over that period.
It is worth noting the average price of lemons or lemon juice are not included in the average basket of goods and services.
Looking ahead to St Valentine’s Day tomorrow, analysis of the National Average Prices basket also reveals that it might also be more expensive to shower your special someone with traditional gifts such as chocolates and flowers.
Chocolates have risen by almost 9% in the 12 months to December 2023, while flowers are up slightly by 0.7%.
St. Valentine’s Day also falls on Ash Wednesday this year, a time usually associated with lent when people might give up cigarettes or alcohol for 40 days.
Looking at those items, the cost of cigarettes has increased by 6%, with the price of a box of 20 filtered cigarettes going from €15.39 to €16.34 in the 12 months to December 2023.
The price of a pint of stout has gone from €5.20 to €5.64, or has risen by 8%, in the 12 months to December 2023, while the price of a pint of larger has gone from €5.73 to €6.06 or was up almost 6% in the year.