Flour crisis raises price of Yorkshire puds

YORKSHIRE pudding prices are expected to rise before Christmas after a sharp rise in flour costs caused by ruined wheat crops.

The cost of flour, their main ingredient, is expected to increase by at least 10 per cent over the course of the next two months due to a rise in wholesale costs, industry sources said. Millers are facing rising commodity prices after inflationary energy costs and a difficult harvest in the UK and the US.

Gary Sharkey, a director at Rank Hovis Milling, said: “Three weeks of rain on the ripened crop meant only 24 per cent of all UK breadmaking wheat now meets high quality specification. This will have a huge impact on the industry.”

It comes as the price of butter has also soared by more than 20 per cent in the UK in the past year, with prices hitting an all-time high in September. The boss of the dairy company Arla said a plunge in production could translate to a butter shortage by Christmas.

 The price of balsamic vinegar – typically made from the juice of grapes in Italy’s Modena region – could rise by 45 per cent after crop failures. However, most bottles bought in the UK are not authentic, which means they may not be hit by the price rise.