Yahoo News Glastonbury Festival food prices 'on par with London' say revellers
Waking up at the Glastonbury Festival, on the first day of the live music performances, there is only one thing on any camper's mind; food. Some savvy campers, hoping to save themselves some cash, have stocked their tents with bits and bobs from home but, for many others, hunting around the food stalls is part of the festival experience.
Today (Friday, June 28) is the first day of scheduled music events, with pop-sensation Dua Lipa headlining on the Pyramid Stage later tonight. And with several hours still to go before the first headline performer, many attendees are on the prowl for some grub - whatever the cost.
It is pretty common knowledge that festival food - and drink - is pricey and Glasto is no exception. While much has already been made on social media of a toastie which could cost in the realm of £11, SomersetLive has spoken to attendees at this year's festival and the consensus seems to be 'about average for London'.
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One group said portion sizes were the main concern - particularly important as they added they only ate two main meals per day - and they watched other people walk away from food stalls to see what the portions were like for the price. "We look at other people walking away from the food stands and see how big the portion is. If it looks like a big portion and value for money then we'll go for it," one person said.
A second added: "It's more the portion size, I think. If you pay £11 for something and it's in a small pot, that's not great."
"We came last year as well and it's definitely gone up a bit." The group did say there were a lot of vegan options and stands offering boxes of chips and a protein for around £6.
"So you get some bits that are well priced, like a £6 thing is very very good," a woman said. "Except loads of the options I've found are vegan. Lots of people are not vegan so it might not be lining up there. But it's quite spenny but quite good, I dunno. It depends what you're after and how often you eat a day."
Another in the group added: "Yeah, and for an example of the £6 deal - basically, I got some chips and then you got a choice of seitan or pork or chicken put over the chips, and that was about £6. Around the festival there's all sorts of deals like that."
"I think, on average, if you don't go for the £6 stuff I think it does rack up a lot," a third admitted. "Especially if you haven't brought your own food. For a lot of people, if you're having three meals per day, or even two, some places are like £13-£14 for some stuff."
Speaking to SomersetLive at the festival, one man said food was "expensive." He went on: "I brought a lot of my own food, to be honest. Lots of cans. I came prepared - it's typical, all festivals are like it. Paying £12 for a small burger is quite steep."
One attendee - dressed as Spiderman - said: "I think the prices are very reasonable for what you get here. There's such a wide selection and it's all freshly cooked. It's lovely! We've just had some jerk chicken and before that we had macaroni and cheese. And we're gonna go and get a toastie as well."
He added that they felt "very well fed". 'Spiderman' said they hadn't brought any food of their own, but had created a make-shift fridge out of a suitcase and tin foil to keep their all-important booze cool.
"We've made our own fridge out of a suitcase, some blankets, tin foil, loads of ice and it seems to still be cold," he explained. "But we've not brought any food. Just alcohol."
Another attendee said the prices were on par with London food - naturally well above what food would normally cost in the South West. He said: "I think that the food prices are quite high, but it varies. At some places you get a lot for your money. We just had a mushroom bap for £7.50."
He admitted it was tasty but said it "raised a couple of eyebrows". "You know what - we come from London and food prices there are ridiculous as well so. It is what it is." He added that prices seemed to be "as high" as in the capital.
