Has this Mars bar got smaller?

Depends how you look at it. The media have been picking up on stories that the price of confectionary items, and many groceries have remained at the same price point they are weighing less. Only 10 Rolo sweets in a tube not 11(didn’t it used to be 12).

I always like the line quoted from food makers “Manufacturers have defended the cuts, saying they want avoid passing on cost increases to consumers.” But if you are getting less for your money you have passed on some of the costs. Come clean please. Prices of energy and raw materials are up and you still want to make a profit you have charge more.

Consumers work on price not on some complicated thinking of what am I getting for my money. So you spend the same amount of money only you don’t get as much in your basket. You notice the rising prices with foods sold at standard weights like flour, rice, and bread.

Buxton Spring Water

Fill your bottles for free of pure clear spring water. You can buy the stuff in bottles from the Nestle Corporation nearly everywhere. The Romans came here but now the MultiNationals own the rights apart from this bit.

Divine Chocolate Story

Lovely chocolate from Ghana

more about "Divine Chocolate Story", posted with vodpod

Paul the Tofu Maker

I’ve met Paul from Melton Mowbray many times and even helped on one of his bread making stalls. Recently featured on the BBC Tv “Chinese Food Made Easy” – this clip is now on YouTube. Tofu made before your very hours using some machinery from Japan. Yes, you can make it home. Messy but fun.

Around The World in 80 dinners

Eat your way round the world – without clocking up the food miles. Liked this story, and the blog about trying to going to different restaurants of different nations. It was in my local paper, and made a refreshing change from muggings and drink related crime. Besides all the usual Turkish, Cantanoese, Bangladesh meals there is Swedish by eating at the cafe in IKEA.
Links :
Robert’s bid to go around the world in 80 meals
The weblog

Food Porn Mag Buy

A magazine of food - Italy

One of my favourite food magazines, another month and another edition. I’ll be checking it out with the usual perusal at the local newsagents. It is on the top shelf. Believe me, it is. The lads’ mags are on shelf three – ‘eye level is buy level’ as we say in the retail trade. Shall I buy it? Magazines are such a bad buy when compared to books. It’s an indulgence. An enjoyable impulse though the pleasure doesn’t last long. Drooling over delights and desserts.

Been here many times before, made a short video back in 2007 about this magazine and whether it was worth it. Oh sod it, just buy it, might be inspirational. Video (2.5 mins) is here.

Lovely Beer Magazine

Camra have done themselves, ney the whole country proud with it’s new quartlerly Beer magazine. You have to be member to get a copy, but it’s a very worthy and worthwhile organisation to be part of.
There is a good review of it at Southportbooze. Well I agree with what has been posted.

The Camra website is useful too. Okeh plugs over. Remember just buy the real deal – it tastes better.

It’s Not Pear Cider it’s Perry

kopparberg

Along came Magners and some smart marketing and the addition of an ice cube reversed the decline of the cider market. A few years of orchards being grubbed up became a race to plant enough apple trees to slake demand.

Now to the pear which has always made an excellent drink called perry. The real deal is far stronger, tastier and purer than the fizzy commercial output. But now the marketing fashion is to call it ‘pear cider’. Obviously hoping the cider boom will transfer from the apple to the pear.

So what’s wrong with the word perry? It’s a simple five letter word that names an alcoholic drink made from pears.

Banana Skins

Put this in your browser – The London Bananas Project – loads of discarded banana skins across the capital of the UK. Some Fairtrade ones in those pages.

No plastic month

Giving up new plastic for a month is going to be an interesting story. It’s a blog throughout August by Chris Jeavans, a BBC journalist.
Read it here.

Thought about how I would do it. No plastic bags, buying fruit and vegetables in paper only, even unwrapped bread all no problem if you avoid supermarkets. I’d be stuck when it comes to buying the staples of tofu, pasta, and shampoo.

There are thousands of bales of plastic wrap thrown away everyday just to get your groceries on the shelf. Tons of the stuff the customer never sees. Outers of six and twelve broken down so the individual item can be displayed. It’s not as simple as just banning plastic packaging. The logistics of shelf life, transport and warehousing make the whole food chain happen and that needs secure, hygenic wrapping…It could be done with a lot less plastic though.