Apps, online dating and sparkling wine - the new staples for Britain's shoppers

Along with sparkling wine, dried fruit, hair conditioner and a craft kit, the products will be included for the first time in the basket of 650 goods and services used to create the consumer prices index (CPI) and the retail prices index (RPI).

However, the traditional pork shoulder joint will be dropped from the basket, to be replaced with an oven-ready joint favoured by most modern families - while hardboard will be replaced by MDF, ubiquitous on television DIY shows.

The ONS chooses the items by ensuring that a wide range of goods and services - reflecting the buying habits of the nation - is on the list.

"The amount spent on internet dating in the UK is around 100 million a year now," said Darren Morgan, head of CPI and RPI for the ONS. "It does appear to be a much more common way for people to meet a partner."

Apps are downloadable programs for smart phones that provide specific services, such as newspaper readers, restaurant finders and games.

Mr Morgan said smart phones were now considered to be a lasting technology.

"With some of the technology-related items, we don't want to bring them in if they are only temporary," he said. "We consider now that smart phones and apps are here to stay."

ONS statistician Phil Gooding added: "Many of these new items show the way technology is changing our lives. Smart phones and the applications that run on them have become essential for many when communicating or seeking information."

The organisation is also to change the way it collects the prices of televisions, measuring the cost of sets with screens bigger than 32in separately.

"Many households are now setting up home cinema systems," said Mr Gooding.

Leigh Sparks, professor of retail studies and deputy head of school at Stirling University, said he found the inclusion of online dating "surprising".

"Is it true mobile phone apps have become the norm for a large number of people?" asked Prof Sparks. "I would say so. It is also true that for many families the traditional joint of meat has been replaced by something that is easier to cook.

"The problem is, it's not going to apply to everyone at the same time, in the same place.What is inflation for an elderly couple is perhaps very different to what is inflation for a 20-year-old."

He added: "I think online dating is the most surprising thing on there - whether it really affects the majority of the population, I'm not sure."

Cigarette vending machines are to be removed from the basket due to laws coming in this year restricting their use.

The ONS will publish its first price assessment of the new basket of goods on Tuesday.