Leggings in and pork pies out of latest inflation basket

Women's leggings and mashed potato will now be used instead of pork pies and lager sold in nightclubs to help calculate the cost of living in the UK.

The changes are part of the Office for National Statistics' (ONS) annual review of the basket of goods used to measure the UK's inflation rate.

Quiche, action cameras and soft play sessions have also been added.

The price movements of 700 goods and services are measured in 20,000 UK outlets to calculate inflation.

The basket of goods reflects contemporary habits and technology to calculate the changing cost of living, as measured by the inflation rate.

The ONS also aims to ensure that each sector is reflected adequately in the calculations.

So, this year, a high chair has been introduced to represent nursery furniture, which has not been covered in the baskets since the removal of a cot in 1999.

The exclusion of the pork pie is the result of rethinking the area of "cooked pastry-based savoury snacks", according to the ONS. The aim was to reflect the "widening collection across a range of takeaway outlets", rather than only pasties and pies in traditional fish and chip shops.

Some items are replaced with updated versions, so mashed potato returns - although now it is chilled rather than dried - and a sit-upon wheeled toy replaces the traditional tricycle.

Last year, speciality gin and children's scooters were among the items that went into the inflation basket, and menthol cigarettes and a child's swing were among those that were ejected.