Is there no product in the world that can't be premiumised, packaged, and sold for treble the price?

We've had quilted & scented toilet paper, 'luxury' bin liners in pretty colours, and burgers that cost more than a bottle of vintage champagne, not to mention water that's been distilled from God's tears, and is so expensive you have to mortgage your soul to afford a 150ml chalice full.

Hotdogs, you would think, are the last word in food basics, something you eat as you fall out of stadiums and nightclubs, feeling so high that all standards evaporate, and ground up pig's arse seems like a valid nutritional option. Not so. Yesterday saw the opening of the inaugural branch of The Gourmet Hotdog Company, whose hotdogs are, appropriately enough, made 'using our own unique recipes, using only the best natural ingredients'.

So far, so 21st century. While the selection (including wild salmon, Thai chicken, and Tandori lamb) certainly outshines Arsenal FC's £4.50 uptempo 'Bockwurst' fiasco, the prices are even spicier.