The Racecourse Prices Index: £7.50 pints and £10.50 burgers at Cheltenham

In the Racecourse Prices Index (RPI) we report from Britain and Ireland's racetracks on the cost of going racing.

Racecourse report: entry, food and pint prices from Cheltenham

Cheltenham

Date visited: Saturday, October 22, 2022

Cheltenham: kicked off its new season on FridayCredit: Edward Whitaker

Was it a big day?

Yes. It was a good Saturday at Cheltenham. The weather was pleasant and although there was no Graded race, the calibre of horses was high quality.

How much was entry on the gate?

£30 for club enclosure on the day.

Other than restaurants/hospitality, what were the food and beverage options?

There was plenty of choice. Around the parade ring there was a variety of temporary food outlets ranging from tacos, pizzas, steak baguettes and more traditional choices.

Lots of bars were situated in the stands while the food facilities in the stands offered burgers, chips and sandwiches.

Unfortunately, due to the layout I was unable to reach the Best Mate enclosure across the track on this day, but it has a number of bars and basic food outlets.

What's the damage?

Bottle of water: £2.20
Coffee: £3.50
Cheapest pint: Pravha Lager, £7.40
Guinness: £7.50
Champagne: £70 a bottle
Burger: £10.50

All drink prices taken from the main racecourse bar, or where there are multiple bars, one chosen at random.

What was the burger like?

It would have to be a whopper if it costs £10.50 but it was extremely good.

My choice was 'The Local Burger' which was made from locally-sourced ingredients. The meat was a good size and flavoursome and, to my joy, not on a brioche bun, with that trend completely lost on me. The sauce was nice but there was not enough of it and the salad was sparse.

Enjoyable but ultimately a ridiculous price for what it was.

And the queues?

Given Cheltenham is set up to hold more than 60,000, a day like today should always be pretty easy to manage. The queues were quiet in the Club and Tattersalls enclosure, but it was a sell-out in the Best Mate, so it may have been different there.

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