Chicken and rose wine enter UK 'shopping basket'

Hot rotisserie chicken, rose wine and portable video players have replaced wine boxes, MP3 players and High Street DVD rentals in the nation's annual 'shopping basket' of goods and services.

The basket of 650 items is used to calculate inflation, and is updated annually by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in order to reflect typical consumer spending habits.

Reflecting the rapid pace of technological change, Blu-ray discs and Freeview TV receiver boxes have been added to the basket, while online DVD rentals have replaced video shop rentals.

Disposable razors, top 40 singles, slippers and gin have also been removed from the basket.

The latest figures from the ONS reveal that the Consumer Prices Index of inflation (CPI) rose unexpectedly from 3% in January to 3.2% in February, with the largest upward pressure coming from food and beverages.

Meanwhile, the Retail Prices Index of inflation (RPI), which includes housing costs, fell from 0.1% to 0.0% - representing the lowest level in 49 years.