Britain’s changing basket of goods is a historical treasure trove – leader comment

We may sneer at some entries in the past, but what will future generations make of the basket of goods used to calculate inflation today?

The basket of goods used to calculate inflation is a bit bigger than this one (Picture : Tony Stone Picture Library)

The basket of goods used to calculate inflation is closer to an articulated lorry, given the hundreds of items it contains.

And such a detailed inventory of commonly bought products offers a fascinating insight into what life was like over the years, all available at the Office for National Statistics’s website.

The 1947 basket included mutton and rabbit, canned plums and condensed milk among the food entries, along with a Derby tweed hat, a rubber roller table mangle and a “Gramophone record”.

By 1987, we were perhaps a little bit fancier in our tastes, with sirloin on the menu – in 1947 there was just a general listing for beef – along with Swiss roll, tinned ravioli and “imported Brie”. Entertainment technology had also advanced to include a “personal cassette player”, “music centre” and “VHS recorder”.

Additions this year’s basket include reusable bottles and mugs as people try to avoid single-use plastic, but also products that may signal a bit less virtue, such as cocktails in a can and self-tanning products.

Perhaps, for some, a certain bright orange president is the epitome of modern-day style.