- The cost of a high street salad can be upwards of £15 in the UK's capital
- READ MORE: Gen Z drinkers slammed for 'training themselves' to like Guinness as a 'personality trait'
We're all being encouraged to be more health conscious, so it's no surprise that salad businesses are booming across the UK as Britons swap their lunchtime sandwiches for a lighter option.
London's 'plant-focused grain bowls and salads' brand Atis, for example, revealed the opening of its sixth site next month, with a further four planned this year.
Meanwhile, Farmer J secured a £5.5million investment in February, thanks to its ever popular salad trays.
There's no doubt that the nation has an appetite for nourishing salad bowls, but the new lunchtime trend has a major setback - extortionate price tags.
Unlike the relatively low cost of a sandwich, salad bowls can cost upwards of £10, which has led to outrage on social media, with customers complaining that while their salad might taste 'delightful', the prices are too expensive.
Salads have become an increasingly popular lunch choice for UK workers, but how much are you willing to pay?
Pret remains a lunchtime staple for workers looking for a quick yet healthy fix on their lunch hour.
Their summertime menu introduced four new salad options, including a salmon and mango salad bowl, a chargrilled pepper and feta pasta salad, and a chicken satay salad bowl.
But the good news is paired with bad. The cheapest new salad costs £8.30, while the most expensive - salmon and mango - is priced at £8.40.
But the nationwide chain comes in relatively low on the price scale. One of London's trendy salad companies, Urban Greens, charges an eye-watering £14.35 for its 'Beef Saigon' salad bowl when ordering on Deliveroo.
Elsewhere, the Salad Project is all the rage in the UK's capital, with the brand attracting half-an-hour long queues on a regular basis. Their success is reflected in the 4,000 salads they sell each day in London alone.
'These are indulgent salads,' James Dare, The Salad Project's co-founder, claimed in conversation with The Times. He added: 'Yes, they are more expensive than a salad you might buy from Pret. But they'll keep you full. You won't need to have a sandwich immediately after.'
They might keep you full, but an opposite effect is to be expected for your bank account, should the Salad Project become a regular lunchtime stop off.
Their vegan 'Super Green Bowl' with pearl barley, rocket, spinach, green beans, broccoli, croutons, edamame, tamari tofu, and avocado, will set customers back £14.95.
Hungry customers can grab a 'Beef Saigon' salad (pictured) from Urban Greens for price of £14.35
And should one want a drink and a snack with their salad, the Salad Project offers a Deliveroo meal deal for £17.
Elsewhere, Farmer J has proven to be an increasingly popular choice for workers wanting a healthy bite.
Content creator Stephanie Jane Oakes, from London, remarked on TikTok, 'Do you even work in London if you haven't queued in Farmer J's ridiculously long queue,' before sharing her order.
Stephanie opted for the 'Charred Grass-Fed Flank Steak' salad tray, which costs a staggering £15.75 on Deliveroo.
Other options at the chain include a salmon 'Farmer's Catch' tray for £12.95 and a Harissa Chicken tray for £13.95.
Farmer J's success in London led the chain to receive a £5.5 million investment in February, with the chain planning further expansion in the UK and overseas in the US, according to RestaurantOnline.
Elsewhere, Atis' 'Azteca' house salad, filled with lettuce, baby corn, and black beans, costs £12 when ordering on Deliveroo, and that's without the protein.
Should one want to add harissa chicken, it's an added £5.50, or an even higher £6.90 for salmon.
Lauren Tanner shared her experience of visiting Atis' Old Street, London, branch, where she paid an 'irresponsible' amount of £16 for a salad.
Lauren claimed it to be 'delightful', but the price tag led her to add: 'First and last time I order a salad.'
Meanwhile, Whole Foods - a supermarket known to offer high-end items at an equally high-end price range - surprisingly comes at the lower end of the spectrum.
While customers can build their own salad bowl at most chains for a varying price, pre-mixed ones are also available. For instance, their Mediterranean chicken salad costs £7.49.
The cost of lunchtime salads have nonetheless led to outrage on social media with customers taking to X to share their disapproval.
The price of salads has caused outrage on X, formerly Twitter, with users taking to social media to complain
One said: 'Salad place next door to us in east London is doing a Caesar (no protein just bareback lettuce and a couple croutons) for £9.80 in east London.'
A second added: 'The dude at the tills in Pret just now was like: "How can I help you, my friend" and then charged me £8.40 for a tiny box of salad. Friends don't do that to each other. They just don't.'
'God I love London. Where else in the world can you buy the most bland salad you’ve ever tasted for £18', a third wrote,
A fourth questioned: 'Why are salads so expensive? It’s just leaves, I can walk outside and find thousands of them. How can a salad justify costing £13'
The cost of high street salads...
The Salad Project
'Supergreen' salad bowl - £14.95
Customers at the Salad Project can expect to queue up to 30 minutes for their salad bowls (pictured 'Supergreen' salad bowl)
Pret
Salmon and mango salad - £8.40
Pret has introduced a several new salads as part of their summer range, including the salmon and mango bowl (pictured)
Farmer J
Salmon field tray - £12.95
Farmer J sells salads paired with a protein in their trademark field trays, and their set to expand to the US
Atis
Seiz'a salad - £9
With blackened chicken - +4.90
With salmon - +£6.90
Atis charges £9 for their take on Caesar salad (pictured) and an extra £5.50 for harissa chicken
WholeFoods
Mediterranean chicken salad - £7.49
WholeFoods is known to be on the expensive side of supermarkets, but their £7.49 Mediterranean salad (pictured) is on the lower side of the spectrum
Urban Greens
Beef Saigon Salad - £14.35
Salad chain Urban Greens is popping up all over the UK's capital where customers can get their hands on a beef salad for £14.35 (pictured)
Prices taken from Deliveroo of London locations