Associate director Jon Adlard at Frontier Economics has done God’s own journalism to compile a comprehensive overview of how much a standard JD Wetherspoon PLC (LSE:JDW) curry costs across the UK.
Adlard’s investigation comes six years after a 2017 article by the FT’s Bryce Elder, in which he led a cohort across the UK to gather curry prices with a drink) from 213 pubs.
One of the most striking results of that 2017 study was the price disparity between pubs, with nearly a £4 difference between the cheapest (£5.4) and most-expensive curry (£9.15).
“The picture emerging here is of obsessive menu engineering and predatory cynicism,” Elder determined.
Prices have streamlined significantly since then.
Per Adlard’s recent study, there is currently an 80% chance of paying £9.03 for a ‘Spoons curry.
According to the findings: “Beyond this price point – which dominates Wetherspoons pubs – there’s a small number of pubs (11) where you stand to pay less than this (but not by much), and more than 150 where you’ll pay more.”
Popular price increments above the £9.03 mean average among polled pubs were £9.57, £10.11 and £10.64.
As of June 2023, Truro in Cornwall had the highest mean curry price at £10.84.
Credit: Jon Adlard
However, the single most expensive curry was served up at the Mardi Gras pub in Manchester, where a curry will cost a whopping £12.47.
A mere hour’s drive away from The Mardis Gras will get you to the cheapest curry among polled pubs at The Elihu Yale in Wrexham for just £8.55.
Credit: Jon Adlard
Interestingly, the J D Wetherspoon seems to charge a premium on curries dished out in coastal locations.
Is this indicative of seasonal pricing?
“This doesn’t seem to be case,” stated Adlard. “A quick look at some equivalent data from February 2023 indicates that coastal regions (in particular the South West) were also the most expensive options for a chicken tikka masala during the depths of the British winter.”
If Truro’s lofty price point is a bit steep, you can head to Blackpool. Though it is still among the pricier places for a curry and a pint, at £9.90, is still a better deal than you’ll get elsewhere.