It can be disheartening when you make your way into a supermarket and see that the price of your favourite products has gone up, and I was recently gobsmacked at the cost of one basic product in Marks & Spencer
Samantha Bartlett Assistant Editor, Social News
12:05, 08 Jan 2026
I was gobsmacked over the cost of one everyday item in M&S recently (file)(Image: Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
We all know that food prices have been steadily rising for the last few years as the cost of living crisis still grips the nation. However, that still doesn’t make it any less disheartening when you make your way into a supermarket and see that the price of your favourite products has gone up yet again.
A lot of people have resorted to buying supermarket’s own basic ranges to cut down the cost, instead of go for named brands. However, after my latest trip to one Marks & Spencer, unfortunately that tactic doesn’t always work either. Now I know that M&S has always been a more luxury retailer, however you can still usually get a few everyday products in there that aren’t going to cost the earth.
For example, M&S’ Classic Mayonnaise costs just 1.50 for a 500ml tub. This is only slightly more expensive that Sainsbury’s Thick & Creamy 500ml, which will set you back 99p for a 500ml jar and Tesco Mayonnaise, which is 95p a tub for the same size.
However, when I went into M&S to check out their new Only… Ingredients range, I couldn’t believe the cost of the mayo.
I had to do a double-take when I saw the price(Image: Samantha Bartlett)
M&S’ Classic Mayonnaise is just £1.50 for a 500ml jar(Image: M&S)
Compared to 1.50 for a 500ml tub for it’s Classic Mayonnaise, the Olive Oil Mayonnaise with only 6 ingredients was on sale for a whopping £4.50, and it was only a 250g tub.
The description for the product reads: “Spotlighting the smooth, rich flavour of olive oil, our mayo is made with just six ingredients – silky egg yolks, tangy dried mustard and white wine vinegar, a pinch of sea salt, and water.”
However, clearly less ingredients doesn’t mean less cost.
UK consumers have been noticing the cost of olive oil has been going through the roof for the last few years, so it’s not a total shock that the product will be more expensive if it has that in it, however the fact that the Olive Oil Mayonnaise is six times more expensive than the Classic version is a little bit outrageous.
Luckily a lot of the other products in the Only… Ingredients range don’t seem too much more expensive than the original.
Luckily not all of the products in the Only… Ingredients range are too expensive(Image: M&S)
For example, M&S Only 6 Ingredients 6 Heritage Gold Pork Sausages – which contain just British pork (92%). Water, sea salt, black pepper and sage in natural pork casings, are £4 for a pack of six. The supermarket’s 8 British Outdoor Bred Pork Butchers Sausages are much cheaper, with them costing £2.60 a pack, however M&S Collection British 6 Farmhouse Pork Sausages also cost £4 a pack.
M&S Only 5 Ingredients 4 White Rolls are also just £2 a pack, which makes them even cheaper than M&S’ 4 Soft Grain Rolls, which are £2.20 a pack.
Don’t get me wrong, I really am in favour of the M&S Only… Ingredients range and I think it’s great to cut down ingredients in our food and get back to the basics, but I don’t think we should have to pay through the roof for it.
Luckily the Olive Oil Mayonnaise seems like an outlier in the range, it just so happens that I spotted that first and it scared me into thinking the rest were going to be the same. However, unless something drastic happens, I think we’ll just have to come to accept we’ll have to all take out a second mortgage if we want to keep enjoying Olive Oil every week.
M&S has been contacted for comment.
Why is the cost of olive oil so high in the UK?
The high cost of olive oil on British supermarket shelves mostly comes from global problems that drive up the world price, combined with import-specific factors that make it especially noticeable in the UK.
1. Reduced global supply from poor harvests
Most olive oil comes from Mediterranean countries like Spain, Italy and Greece. In recent years, severe droughts and heatwaves have sharply reduced olive harvests. Olive trees need specific weather patterns, and extreme heat and lack of rain have cut yields significantly.
Some regions have also faced disease and pests that damage trees and reduce production.
With less oil being produced but demand staying high, basic economics pushes prices up.
2. Supply and demand imbalance
Global demand for olive oil — especially extra virgin olive oil — has been growing as people use it more for cooking and health reasons. But production hasn’t kept pace (and in many cases has fallen), creating a global shortage that increases wholesale and retail prices.
3. Higher import and supply-chain costs
Olive oil sold in the UK is mostly imported. Several factors make this costlier:
Transportation & fuel costs: Shipping olive oil from Europe (and beyond) has become more expensive with higher fuel prices and global logistics challenges.
Post-Brexit paperwork: Since leaving the EU, UK imports involve extra customs checks and paperwork, which adds time and cost.
Inflation and production expenses: Farmers and producers are also facing higher costs for labour, energy and materials — which feed through into higher prices.
4. Currency effects and inflation
At times, a weaker British pound makes imports more expensive. Combined with higher general food inflation, this makes staples like olive oil appear even pricier in UK shops.
5. Retail pricing and quality tiers
Premium and extra-virgin oils command a price premium because they are made from first-press fruit and have stricter quality standards.
Supermarkets also price based on what the market will bear, and in a period of high inflation many shoppers are seeing prices jump sharply from year to year.
Dining and Cooking