One now typically costs £2.73 — 95 per cent higher than in April 2021, research shows.

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Key ingredients such as cheese and tomatoes have both gone up more than 160 per cent.

Bread prices have been hiked by 121 per cent, yoghurt 135 per cent and crisps 86 per cent.

Bread prices have been hiked by 121 per cent, yoghurt 135 per cent and crisps 86 per cent.

The total is up 15 per cent since just the start of the last school year, according to research from Starling Bank.

Rachel Kerrone, its family finance expert, said: “From uniform to stationery, parents have a lot to buy in back to school season — let alone their child’s daily expenses like lunch, travel and after school clubs.”

The bank’s poll of 1,000 parents found more than two thirds were cutting back on takeaways to cover school essentials, with a third cancelling TV subscriptions.

The bank found Lidl offered the cheapest packed lunch, working out at £10.65 a week.

The figure was £12.99 at Aldi, £13.95 at Tesco, £14.49 at Sainsbury’s, £14.62 at Asda and £15.11 at Morrisons.