Cost of the beloved Ulster Fry rising dramatically with rate of inflation

The Ulster Fry is a staple delight in Northern Ireland, and many of us wouldn’t think about starting our day without one, although nutritionists would probably advise us to save the carb and calorific high meal, usually replete with greasy gorgeousness, for one special treat day a week if only for the sake of our cholesterol.

Certainly, due to the rising costs of its staple ingredients – it may of necessity have to become a less frequent indulgence in most households across the province.

Food costs have soared in the UK by 18% in February compared to 16.8% in January of this year.

The rise is due to a number of driving forces like geopolitical instability in Ukraine, the Middle East and elsewhere.

The Ulster Bank's Ulster Fry Index looks at the price of each item on the menu and compares it to the same time last year.

It found that overall, a fry is up by a truly sizeable 19% with some individual ingredients sky-rocketing.

Ulster Bank chief economist Richard Ramsey said: "If you rewind a year ago to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, that led to surge in energy costs. fertiliser costs, and animal feed costs.

"All of those things have worked their way through the system and that's feeding through into higher food prices today."

Richard Ramsey said food inflation hasn't peaked yet but "we've seen food prices rise over 18% in the last year".

"It took food prices 11 and a half years to rise by that same amount. That shows how dramatic the increase has been over the last 18 months.”

Most of the ingredients of the Ulster Fry arrive on our plates thanks to the industry of farmers, so significantly more expensive sausages, eggs and bacon are also an indicator of how hard the agri-sector is currently being squeezed.

Ramsey concluded: "Farmers are having to pass those costs on and the supermarkets know that consumers household income is being squeezed so much. They're trying to beat down the prices of the food producers and the farmers.

"Everyone wants cheaper prices but the famers are the ones potentially getting squeezed."