Cirencester Scene Magazine - Establishing Local Connections Country Matters by The Hodge


“We used to build civilizations. Now we build shopping malls.” Bill Bryson [1991]


The horse meat scandal emerged just over a year ago and to date we have yet to learn any outcome from all the enquiries convened as to what went wrong. I find it hugely ironic that the country’s largest supermarket and major fast food outlet both boast in advertis- ing that all their beef comes from British and Irish farms. As the horse meat scandal began with Irish processors, they must think we’re gullible idiots if we’re reassured by such state- ments.


Now an enquiry has discovered that much of what goes into kebabs is not lamb or even mutton. Some contain beef and/or chicken, some don’t have any relationship to sheep whatsoever! So all the fuss over horse meat has failed to sort out much of the seemingly widespread levels cheating going on in the food industry. I must confess I have never partaken of a kebab in my life which is an unusual omission on my behalf as I have tended towards the experimental when din- ing. A friend of mine in his 60s – a retired accountant of otherwise hugely conservative tastes – has a penchant for a kebab and in- dulges whenever he can but I have so far avoided the experience. Perhaps subcon-


sciously, I relate to the observation made by someone recently that the processed hunk of meat from which the kebab is carved looks like a pensioner’s leg.


The other recent news from the last month is the decline in sales and profits of the major supermarkets, blamed by most journalists on the recession and the populace turning to the German pair of Aldi and Lidl for cheaper shop- ping.


I cannot comment on Aldi as I’ve never shopped in a UK branch, only in Germany but I am familiar with Lidl and think that they are missing an important point. Yes, the German stores are cheaper and simpler and run on more efficient lines with no one employed to collect trolleys from the car park, for instance. But lower prices is just one of the advantages.


Firstly, the stores are smaller with less choice but frankly I for one don’t need 22 varieties of tinned tomatoes or 50+ choices for coffee. Go- ing back to a simple approach of value and quality wins every time for me over aisles stuffed full of produce I will never buy.


01285 719175


Then there’s the ‘honesty’ factor. BOGOF offers are rightly derided for helping to create food waste as shoppers snap up bargains only to dis- card some of the pro- duce when it goes over. And increasingly, we learn of artificial dis- counts and offers or decreasing pack sizes which all leads to an impression of us, the consumers,


being


cheated by the big super- markets.


But let me tell you why I think the journalists are really incorrect over the


28 Please tell the advertisers you saw them in the Cirencester Scene Magazine


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