It now costs 40p to make the sandwich, using two slices of white bread, butter, and mature cheddar.

It’s not the biggest rise though to sandwich costs, the cost of an egg sandwich is now 47p, a 40.8% rise in a year.

Food prices have risen significantly in the last year, by the fastest rate in 45 years, and food inflation was 17.3% in April, according to Kantar.

Basics, such as homemade sandwiches, are not immune from price hikes and the research for the BBC shows that a cheese and ham sandwich is now 82p, a rise of 28%, a ham salad sandwich is 84p, a 16.2% rise, while a tuna mayonnaise sandwich is now 40p, a rise of 14.9%.

Cost of a loaf of bread up 40%

The price of a loaf of either white or wholemeal bread was up by more than 40% at 84p and 86p respectively. While the cost of fresh fruit and vegetables had risen by more than 50% in the last year.

Basic food items are now 80% more expensive, according to Which?, with cheese up 28.3% in the three months to March.

The data, compiled by research firm Assosia, looked at the price of popular items in packed lunches across the major supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons, Lidl and Aldi.

It used own-brand products from the supermarkets to make the cost analysis. Other elements of a packed lunch were also included. A packet of crisps, from a multipack of six, was up 28.5% in price to 17p, an apple was 52p, an 8% hike, while a bottle of cola was £1.76, a 7.2% rise.

The big supermarkets are under pressure to help customers with rising costs and they have all launched schemes to lower costs and entice shoppers. These include a Tesco price promise from Ocado, Sainsbury’s launching £2 fruit and vegetable boxes, and Aldi selling £3.50 ‘magic bags’ through the app, Too Good To Go.

Yet even large companies have been forced to make cut backs and push up prices. Pret a Manger, for example, yesterday upped the cost of its monthly coffee subscription to £30, from £25.