Finest ranges

charlies-aunt

:rotfl:

tandraig wrote: »

hey - I buy icecubes!

:eek: Another shock confession!! :eek:
:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Gingernutmeg

I find that if you look, a lot of the 'finest' etc ranges just seem to have more fat, salt and sugar in them than the ordinary equivalents. There's a balance to be struck as some of the value ranges don't have the best ingredients, but I really don't believe that you're always buying better if you buy the 'finest' stuff.

Agutka

I agree with the eggs comment, there are exceptions.
To be fair, she does cook from scratch. And it's all lovely - maybe it explains why my son eats so well when he's there :rotfl::eek:.
It's just the differences between loose avocados and the finest packs. Basics cox apples versus the four packaged in a tray. Finest wiltshire ham and normal. I have recently stopped feeding my men the square ham pieces, opting instead for anything that says no water added, an increase in spending, but worth it. I do not understand buying three slices of ham or corned beef for £4, just because the packaging tells me to. Or tinned tomatoes - does the £4 version have gold dust added or something? Or famous tomatoes.
Maybe I just have more relaxed taste buds.

Hey it's not just food either - the pregnancy test had to be clearblue, the toilet rolls charmin, the kitchen roll branded. I have such an MSE brain on me, I just don't get it.

And I'm not Old Style at all. I buy ice cubes when I want ice cubes. Or at least those ice cube bags. I can't stand the murkiness of home made ones that are in the open air - maybe my freezer is filthy . And I love aunt bessies mash - that's just how lazy I am - okay I'll peel a potato once in a while, but it's nice to have a stand by that can be prepared quickly. Or at least with minimum effort :cool:.

Pink.

Hi Agutka,

As your thread has dropped down the Old Style board I've moved it over to the Food Shopping & Groceries board to see if you can get more replies.

Hi, Martin’s asked me to post this in these circumstances: I’ve asked Board Guides to move threads if they’ll receive a better response elsewhere(please see this rule) so this post/thread has been moved to another board, where it should get more replies. If you have any questions about this policy please email [EMAIL="abuse@moneysavingexpert.com"]abuse@moneysavingexpert.com[/EMAIL].

ninky_2

fwiw i always buy value ranges of tin tomatoes, porrige oats, cheapest fresh fruit and veg (not organic but i try to buy british or at least european). i think frozen veg from places like farm foods are good value too. i do look at prices because sometimes the 'value' brand isn't always the cheapest.

MrsE_2

Agutka wrote: »

I agree with the eggs comment, there are exceptions.
To be fair, she does cook from scratch. And it's all lovely - maybe it explains why my son eats so well when he's there :rotfl::eek:.
It's just the differences between loose avocados and the finest packs. Basics cox apples versus the four packaged in a tray. Finest wiltshire ham and normal. I have recently stopped feeding my men the square ham pieces, opting instead for anything that says no water added, an increase in spending, but worth it. I do not understand buying three slices of ham or corned beef for £4, just because the packaging tells me to. Or tinned tomatoes - does the £4 version have gold dust added or something? Or famous tomatoes.
Maybe I just have more relaxed taste buds.

Hey it's not just food either - the pregnancy test had to be clearblue, the toilet rolls charmin, the kitchen roll branded. I have such an MSE brain on me, I just don't get it.

And I'm not Old Style at all. I buy ice cubes when I want ice cubes. Or at least those ice cube bags. I can't stand the murkiness of home made ones that are in the open air - maybe my freezer is filthy . And I love aunt bessies mash - that's just how lazy I am - okay I'll peel a potato once in a while, but it's nice to have a stand by that can be prepared quickly. Or at least with minimum effort :cool:.

I cook from scratch & like your SIL I buy as much as I can afford from the top ranges.

Cooked from scratch great ingredients is the best combo for fab meals.

I love finest quality hams & cheeses especially:)

I personally can't understand why you buy Aunt Bessies mash:eek:
I would buy good quality spuds & mash them with a little hot milk, real butter & lo salt:)

Kirri

Agutka wrote: »

I happened to accompany my SIL to Tescos last weekend and was horrified at her shopping habits. Every single thing she bought was organic or taste the difference. And no she's not rich and has debts. I know she does it because she wants her LO to have the best, but it made me feel uncomfortable.
I feed my family with any old bargain, especially value ranges, as we cannot afford anything else. It's all stuff that's passed our taste tests, so we're not missing out. As for organic food I have long been convinced that it doesn't mean much as a word, as it's still allowed chemicals. I read packets to make sure if I do buy something more expensive, then it has more meat content, or whatever. But I know my family laugh at me to the point of mocking my food, even though we feed them generously when they visit...

Tell me I'm doing the right thing in not following in her footsteps, please.

I wouldn't lump organic food in as being a waste of money, organic food is how our food should be, unfortunately chemical laden food is now considered the norm through years of it being around, some items have multiple E numbers in and people buy it without a second thought. There is a big difference in the amount of chemicals and pesticides allowed on conventional veg for instance - potentially linked in with cancer or other long term health implications. Animals are killed earlier, pumped with growth hormones or additives to grow larger earlier. Additives added to processed foods which are linked with hyperactive behaviour. We should be asking why it is allowed on our food!

triticale

Kirri wrote: »

I wouldn't lump organic food in as being a waste of money, organic food is how our food should be, unfortunately chemical laden food is now considered the norm through years of it being around, some items have multiple E numbers in and people buy it without a second thought. There is a big difference in the amount of chemicals and pesticides allowed on conventional veg for instance - potentially linked in with cancer or other long term health implications. Animals are killed earlier, pumped with growth hormones or additives to grow larger earlier. Additives added to processed foods which are linked with hyperactive behaviour. We should be asking why it is allowed on our food!

What have food additives got to do with organic certification?

Incidentally, turmeric, vinegar, vitamin C, paprika, bicarbonate of soda and caramel are all E numbers

Sales of Organic food have plummeted recently where other 'ethical' type foods (free-range, Fairtrade etc) have gone up.

People are gradually realising that 'Organic' does not necessarily mean 'healthy', local, traditional, eco-friendly, better animal welfare or higher quality like people used to assume.

Just that it was produced following a complicated (and expensive for the producer) set of regulations, the cost of which is passed on to the naive shopper.

Kirri

triticale wrote: »

What have food additives got to do with organic certification?

Incidentally, turmeric, vinegar, vitamin C, paprika, bicarbonate of soda and caramel are all E numbers

Sales of Organic food have plummeted recently where other 'ethical' type foods (free-range, Fairtrade etc) have gone up.

People are gradually realising that 'Organic' does not necessarily mean 'healthy', local, traditional, eco-friendly, better animal welfare or higher quality like people used to assume.

Just that it was produced following a complicated (and expensive for the producer) set of regulations, the cost of which is passed on to the naive shopper.

Organic food doesn't tend to have all the bad additives ie artificial colourings, preservatives, sweeteners etc. Things like sunset yellow which has even been implicated in problems in pets as well as children. I'm obviously not referring to natural products, but if that's all you want to pick on feel free. Obviously some companies have attempted to reduce these but in things like orange squash it's almost impossible to find one that doesn't have something artificial in.

Organic food may have plummeted during the recession obviously, doesn't mean people don't want it, more so cannot afford it. A lot of people buy without thinking what is in something, look at the hoards of people in Asda buying mountains of junk food for kids.. Better animal welfare is part of organic certification. No one surely assumes it is just local, it says so on the label but people can choose local as well if they open their eyes but the average person won't want to eat seasonaly. Same with healthy, the average intelligent person can read a label, they aren't always lower in fat or sugar as they don't use additives such as sweeteners but again it's not hard to read a label! Traditional, in what argument? Higher quality is a given in terms of a more 'normal' food, not sure what is gained from adding stuff other than to make it more appealing to the average consumer in terms of taste, long lasting or looks. Organic is more eco friendly - in what way are you saying it isn't, it's better for the land and any animals? Organic farming is better for the environment. Not sure where some of your arguments are coming from? It obviously costs more to produce, growing veg myself the work is much harder and yields lower than if I used pesticides, so obviously that price has to be reflected - I would say a more naive shopper is one who accepts a lot of chemicals in their 'food' or 'toiletries'.

ninky_2

Kirri wrote: »

No one surely assumes it is just local, it says so on the label but people can choose local as well if they open their eyes but the average person won't want to eat seasonaly. Same with healthy, the average intelligent person can read a label, they aren't always lower in fat or sugar as they don't use additives such as sweeteners but again it's not hard to read a label! .

i would say the best food doesn't have a label. because it doesn't come in a packet.