DURING a short holiday in the south of England we took the opportunity to check out prices of snack spots. Certainly they have risen but did not appear to be significantly greater than in York.

Surely, we thought, there are places where a snack can be obtained for a reasonable cost. Hence our trip to Monks Cross.

The self-service café can be accessed without having to enter the supermarket proper. For anyone who has already shopped, there are lockable cabinets where trolleys can be temporarily stored.

The café has display cabinets with pre-packed sandwiches and bakery items. All were priced. The range of drinks, daily offers and other specials are shown on wall boards. This means that you know what you have to pay before making your choice.

We decided not to have soup (£1.99) and it was too late for a breakfast (priced up to £3.39), which is served until 11.30am.

The day’s specials were British chicken with basil (£4.99) and handmade British beef and ale pie (£4.69). The autumn special of Cumberland sausage and mash (£3.99) could have been tempting.

We each chose a sandwich; Cheddar cheese, Braeburn apple and grape for Ann and a bacon, lettuce and tomato for me. Both were priced at £2.69.

We decided to share a bowl of chips (99p but 40p off with a sandwich) which was just as well because the bowl of freshly cooked chips was generous and complemented the freshly made sandwiches.

Christmas is clearly on its way, so Ann could not resist a mince pie (£1.29), which she found to be delicious. My Belgian bun (£1.49) was equally good.

There was plenty of choice on the menu, including fruit teacake for 89p when taken with a drink. There was also a good range of food for children.

The café overlooks the car park and has both soft seats and firmer ones. The only drawback was the grating sound of these chairs being scraped on the floor as customers took their seats.

A pot of tea costing 79p gave two cups. Full cream and semi-skimmed milk is provided in a Dairystix tube. So for under ten pounds, we found that there is at least one place in York where two people can still snack at a reasonable price. We shall be searching for others.