Food prices

[py_megapixel]

Warburton’s white bread

I don't really understand why Warburtons (and other brands of plasticy pre-packaged bread) exists, as it is sold in supermarkets next to freshly baked stuff which is almost always cheaper! But to each their own, I suppose.

Volvic mineral water

I don't really understand the appeal in bottled mineral water either, in that I see no point in carting something heavy halfway across the country in a plastic bottle when you can get it out of the tap for a fraction of the price...

 

[Bald Rick]

I don't really understand why Warburtons (and other brands of plasticy pre-packaged bread) exists, as it is sold in supermarkets next to freshly baked stuff which is almost always cheaper!

In my experience: 1) the freshly baked bread is not cheaper, 2) Pre packaged bread lasts much longer than freshly baked. I bought a loaf today that will still be good on Friday. The freshly baked loaf I also bought will be no good on Monday.

 

[takno]

I don't really understand why Warburtons (and other brands of plasticy pre-packaged bread) exists, as it is sold in supermarkets next to freshly baked stuff which is almost always cheaper! But to each their own, I suppose.

It's pre-cut to about the size I want, so I don't have to faff around pretending I'm any good with a bread knife. It's almost impossible (for me at least) to get any sensible kind of slice out of an uncut loaf.

Added to which, as other people have already mentioned, it lasts a lot longer and is (possibly Warburtons excluded) cheaper. It also freezes very effectively and can be eaten from the freezer by the slice.

Apart from those there are really very few upsides.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

In my experience: 1) the freshly baked bread is not cheaper, 2) Pre packaged bread lasts much longer than freshly baked. I bought a loaf today that will still be good on Friday. The freshly baked loaf I also bought will be no good on Monday.

It's pre-cut to about the size I want, so I don't have to faff around pretending I'm any good with a bread knife. It's almost impossible (for me at least) to get any sensible kind of slice out of an uncut loaf.

Added to which, as other people have already mentioned, it lasts a lot longer and is (possibly Warburtons excluded) cheaper. It also freezes very effectively and can be eaten from the freezer by the slice.

Apart from those there are really very few upsides.

In my local Tesco supermarket Warburtons is £1.25 and an 'in-store' farmhouse loaf £1.20. Not a significant difference but Warburtons is a 'price match' with Lidl. In Tesco Express it is a higher price, as it is in Morrisons. The Tesco 'in-store' loaf is better tasting but, as mentioned, does not last as long. I buy both and freeze both, depends how I feel.

As for slicing, the farmhouse is bought ready sliced, otherwise about a finger thickness does the job nicely!

 

[takno]

In my local Tesco supermarket Warburtons is £1.25 and an 'in-store' farmhouse loaf £1.20. Not a significant difference but Warburtons is a 'price match' with Lidl. In Tesco Express it is a higher price, as it is in Morrisons. The Tesco 'in-store' loaf is better tasting but, as mentioned, does not last as long. I buy both and freeze both, depends how I feel.

As for slicing, the farmhouse is bought ready sliced, otherwise about a finger thickness does the job nicely!

Also worth pointing out that my local Tesco doesn't do anything more ambitious than baguettes in-store, which are sold from the other end of the shop and tend to run out quickly. I wouldn't really even think to look there if I was after sandwich fixings

 

[Gloster]

I don't really understand the appeal in bottled mineral water either, in that I see no point in carting something heavy halfway across the country in a plastic bottle when you can get it out of the tap for a fraction of the price...

I agree, but I find that my local tap water gives me mild stomach trouble if it is not boiled: boiled it just tastes awful. Carting water around is ridiculous, but I make compromises for the sake of my stomach.

 

[AM9]

I agree, but I find that my local tap water gives me mild stomach trouble if it is not boiled: boiled it just tastes awful. Carting water around is ridiculous, but I make compromises for the sake of my stomach.

How about running it through a Britta filter (or similar)?

 

[Busaholic]

I agree, but I find that my local tap water gives me mild stomach trouble if it is not boiled: boiled it just tastes awful. Carting water around is ridiculous, but I make compromises for the sake of my stomach.

I don't generally cart bottled water round with me, but if I was making a long rail journey I'd certainly want to.

 

[david1212]

Iceland packs of 4 Chicken & Ham Kiev were £2.49 before they disappeared.
Now packs of 2 have appeared at £1.85 so 4 are £3.70.

I have not checked weights but the price each is almost 50% more.

 

[DannyMich2018]

Iceland packs of 4 Chicken & Ham Kiev were £2.49 before they disappeared.
Now packs of 2 have appeared at £1.85 so 4 are £3.70.

I have not checked weights but the price each is almost 50% more.

Iceland prices gone silly. I no longer shop there. I spotted some items recently in there more pricey than Sainsbury's!

 

[SteveHFC]

On the sacred band topic, the only things I can think of that we (my wife and I) buy branded these days (where a cheaper own brand equivalent is available) is Heinz Soups - specifically Tomato, Chicken, Chicken & Mushroom and Mushroom.

On the fizzy drink topic - we've bought the Lidl own brand versions of Diet Coke or Coke Zero in recent months - 6 x 2lt was £2.82 on Saturday. Very little different in taste to either Pepsi or Coca Cola in our view.

We now find that we can buy 90-95% of our shopping in Lidl - then going to Tesco to pick up any items that Lidl either don't do or are out of stock of.

 

[david1212]

Iceland prices gone silly. I no longer shop there. I spotted some items recently in there more pricey than Sainsbury's!

I am buying much less from Iceland than 12 months ago.
While they do carry some fresh and chilled items overall these have never been priced significantly different to the main supermarkets. Hence for most Iceland is ( was ) an extra store visit to get branded items at a lower price and / or their own brand items either again cheaper than other stores or something different at a reasonable price. Once the items available where they normally shop are the same or lower price plus the hike in price of different items there will far less incentive to go. Commercially if they judge wrong the drop in volume of sales will wipe out the increased profit from the price hikes.

Last year I bought their Christmas Cake and thought it better than Tesco I had previously so if they have the same this year I will buy again.
This, of course can not be certain recepie will be the same this year ...

Numerous years ago I thought Lidl was good but the last I had was inferior.

 

[johnnychips]

I cannot understand the point of buying Christmas Cake.

Either it is something your grandma has made religiously every year, inserting carrots on a particular date, so that you have to eat a bit, so as not to offend her. Therefore you don’t have to pay.

Otherwise…does anyone really like it?

 

[ChrisC]

I cannot understand the point of buying Christmas Cake.

Either it is something your grandma has made religiously every year, inserting carrots on a particular date, so that you have to eat a bit, so as not to offend her. Therefore you don’t have to pay.

Otherwise…does anyone really like it?

I really like Christmas Cake and always have done!
I won’t buy a large one to save for eating at and after Christmas but I will during the next few weeks buy small Christmas Cakes or pieces of Christmas Cake to eat during the weeks leading up to Christmas. I will buy and eat this as an alternative to other cake at this time of year. I also do the same with small individual Christmas puddings.

 

[johnnychips]

I really like Christmas Cake and always have done!
I won’t buy a large one to save for eating at and after Christmas but I will during the next few weeks buy small Christmas Cakes or pieces of Christmas Cake to eat during the weeks leading up to Christmas. I will buy and eat this as an alternative to other cake at this time of year. I also do the same with small individual Christmas puddings.

Do you have it with cream or anything?

 

[spyinthesky]

I agree, but I find that my local tap water gives me mild stomach trouble if it is not boiled: boiled it just tastes awful. Carting water around is ridiculous, but I make compromises for the sake of my stomach.

Fill an open topped jug and place in fridge overnight, as good as any bottled stuff

 

[takno]

I really like Christmas Cake and always have done!
I won’t buy a large one to save for eating at and after Christmas but I will during the next few weeks buy small Christmas Cakes or pieces of Christmas Cake to eat during the weeks leading up to Christmas. I will buy and eat this as an alternative to other cake at this time of year. I also do the same with small individual Christmas puddings.

After Christmas is definitely the price-efficient time to indulge your liking for Christmas cake and puddings and mince pies. The prices can get very generous indeed from boxing day onwards.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

I cannot understand the point of buying Christmas Cake.

Either it is something your grandma has made religiously every year, inserting carrots on a particular date, so that you have to eat a bit, so as not to offend her. Therefore you don’t have to pay.

Otherwise…does anyone really like it?

YES!!!!!!!!!!! It's gorgeous! Ditto Christmas Pudding!

Only thing is, I would rarely buy something advertised explicitly as Christmas Cake since you can just buy iced-topped rich fruit cake (something like this) - which is a different shape but as far as I can tell basically the same thing, and cheaper (although I notice usually it goes up in price just before Xmas. Funny, that ).

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Oct 2022 ==

If this is going to turn into a poorly-informed argument about big bread and their evil use of science to produce tasty low-waste products then I'm out. I thought we were discussing prices?

You could always tell us why you think it's poorly informed?

 

[ChrisC]

Do you have it with cream or anything?

I sometimes have cream with Christmas pudding but usually have it with custard or even good old fashioned evaporated milk.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

The thing that seems to escape a lot of people is that you can freeze bread and for that matter milk...

You can freeze milk? Really? *Goes and Googles* Oh yes, so you can! Thanks Bletchleyite! That nicely solves my longstanding problem that I don't usually drink milk quite fast enough to consume 1 litre before it goes off. (But buying 500 ml cartons to avoid that wastage seems financially not worth it since the prices of 500ml and 1l cartons are so close).

 

[ABB125]

You can freeze milk? Really? *Goes and Googles* Oh yes, so you can! Thanks Bletchleyite! That nicely solves my longstanding problem that I don't usually drink milk quite fast enough to consume 1 litre before it goes off. (But buying 500 ml cartons to avoid that wastage seems financially not worth it since the prices of 500ml and 1l cartons are so close).

Milk seems to last 7-8 days before going off, in my experience. Despite the fact that it says "once opened, consume within 2 days"...

 

[takno]

Milk seems to last 7-8 days before going off, in my experience. Despite the fact that it says "once opened, consume within 2 days"...

The stuff in my fridge says "once opened, best consumed within 5 days or by use-by date". I reckon 5 days is probably about fair, although it will depend on how often it's getting opened during that time.

 

[Busaholic]

Milk seems to last 7-8 days before going off, in my experience. Despite the fact that it says "once opened, consume within 2 days"...

Yes, I buy a 2 litre bottle once a week and it's always ok at the end of the week, even two or three days after its sell-by date. Can't remember last time I had to throw 'off' milk out.

 

[ABB125]

It loses taste (if it ever had any) and texture: most products not specifically designed for freezing never taste so good from the freezer, whether you have to defrost or not. The figures too on the huge amount that goes into freezers and, in the end, gets chucked out is staggering, and I admit to not being an exception.

Most of my food lives in the freezer, generally falling into 2 categories: reduced items (because they're about to go past the use by date) stuck in immediately after purchase, or stuff I've cooked in small plastic bags to be microwaved when I don't have time to cook. None of it gets thrown out!
I think early this year I microwaved something that was about 4 month after cooking, which probably isn't so good...

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Oct 2022 ==

The stuff in my fridge says "once opened, best consumed within 5 days or by use-by date". I reckon 5 days is probably about fair, although it will depend on how often it's getting opened during that time.

Mine gets opened once a day

Yes, I buy a 2 litre bottle once a week and it's always ok at the end of the week, even two or three days after its sell-by date. Can't remember last time I had to throw 'off' milk out.

4 pints normally lasts me 7-8 days

 

[takno]

Most of my food lives in the freezer, generally falling into 2 categories: reduced items (because they're about to go past the use by date) stuck in immediately after purchase, or stuff I've cooked in small plastic bags to be microwaved when I don't have time to cook. None of it gets thrown out!
I think early this year I microwaved something that was about 4 month after cooking, which probably isn't so good...

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Oct 2022 ==


Mine gets opened once a day

4 pints normally lasts me 7-8 days

My milk probably gets opened at least 10 times a day, which will expose it to more bacteria. It does also depend a bit on fridge temperature.

As to stuff that goes in the freezer, I never throw that out as dangerous, although sometimes it does get a bit dried out after a year or so. 4 months is probably the quickest I ever get round to eating it

 

[Gloster]

I find that my 4 pint cartons of skimmed milk will normally last at least 36 hours after the sell by date, usually more. However, it depends where it comes from. Morrison’s seems to be the most reliable, with Tesco almost as good and Co-op only slightly less likely to keep well beyond their date. Sainsburys’ seems to be unreliable: all too often it thinks it is Cinderella and goes off at midnight. Most seem to stock milk with at least a week’s life on their shelves, although recently there was a patch when Morrison’s were selling bottles with nothing better than the following day’s date.

 

[Busaholic]

I find that my 4 pint cartons of skimmed milk will normally last at least 36 hours after the sell by date, usually more. However, it depends where it comes from. Morrison’s seems to be the most reliable, with Tesco almost as good and Co-op only slightly less likely to keep well beyond their date. Sainsburys’ seems to be unreliable: all too often it thinks it is Cinderella and goes off at midnight. Most seem to stock milk with at least a week’s life on their shelves, although recently there was a patch when Morrison’s were selling bottles with nothing better than the following day’s date.

I buy semi skimmed and agree with you about Sainsbury's. Can't comment on Morrison's as they never seem to have a 2 pint, or even a 1 pint.

 

[Mag_seven]

Just a reminder that this thread is to discuss food prices. If anyone wants to discuss anything else then they are welcome to start a new thread elsewhere.

 

[david1212]

Unilever have increased wholesale prices across the board.

From ice cream to deodorant, Unilever raises prices of hundreds of products in biggest ever hike

Unilever’s underlying sales growth picked up pace in the third quarter of 2022, spurred by further pricing increases.

uk.finance.yahoo.com

While soap and cleaning products are often the first items linked to the group it also includes food products branded as Knorr, Hellmann's and Horlicks plus Walls ice cream products.

Directly it will not affect me as I normally do not buy these branded products but others including own brand suppliers are likely to follow.

 

[GusB]

Unilever have increased wholesale prices across the board.



While soap and cleaning products are often the first items linked to the group it also includes food products branded as Knorr, Hellmann's and Horlicks plus Walls ice cream products.

Directly it will not affect me as I normally do not buy these branded products but others including own brand suppliers are likely to follow.

Own brands are often produced in the same facilities as branded products. Sometimes the only difference is the packaging, so I'd expect prices to go up across the board.