Prepping for Brexit thread

annieb64

It was a bit of a relief really when we did narrow it down to the boiler as we have homecare so knew we could probably get someone out fairly quickly. I was worried it was one of the appliances such as the freezer or cooker.

Zentimes

So the fuses turned up but when we replaced it and attempted to turn the boiler on, there was a bang from the top (somewhere near the fan) and so unfortunately it really is busted. Will need to call out an engineer tomorrow. Our one warm room (bedroom) has worked out pretty well, it's cosy there at least.

annieb64

Hope you get it fixed soon.

Farway

Zentimes said:

So the fuses turned up but when we replaced it and attempted to turn the boiler on, there was a bang from the top (somewhere near the fan) and so unfortunately it really is busted. Will need to call out an engineer tomorrow. Our one warm room (bedroom) has worked out pretty well, it's cosy there at least.

At least now you know, and on the bright side with a "bang" there should be visible flash marks to help diagnose the faulty item

Zentimes

Farway said:

At least now you know, and on the bright side with a "bang" there should be visible flash marks to help diagnose the faulty item

Yes! Engineer is coming out on Saturday, so a few more chilly days to come. It's snowing here, just to rub salt into the wound!

MrsStepford

boazu said:

We have the first Tesco delivery coming on Friday since the pre Christmas one on the 20th December and I'm waiting to see how many things are either missing or substituted.  Anyone had a delivery since Brexit was actually a fact? was it as normal or are there the anticipated gaps in supply?

I had a Morrisons order on Monday and a small Iceland order on Tuesday. Morrisons couldn't manage the last pack of shell-on frozen prawns in a 3 for £10 offer so bunged in two bags of frozen peeled king prawns and a small pack of frozen peeled coldwater prawns. Iceland couldn't manage the 3 for £3 Starbucks frappucino offer, so just charged ,me £1 each.

Queued to get onto Ocado, and couldn't get a slot despite my delivery pass. Have a delivery pass with ASDA. No queue, but couldn't get a slot until last week of the month. 

Ordered my Iceland order on Monday for Tuesday. Iceland has been excellent all through the pandemic. I have noticed since the referendum, that Iceland has drastically reduced the amount of European cheese available, way before Brexit. My local Tesco removed the entire Eastern European section soon after the referendum and the Tesco in the next town removed Eastern European food from the World Foods aisle, downsized  it massively and put it at the back of the store in a corner. 

Badoit stopped supplying UK with their sparkling water in 2019. French Click has it, as does Ocado so I reckon they import it themselves.. I think the more upmarket stores will continue to stock European stuff because their customers will expect it and be willing to pay the price.
It will be really interesting to see what German discounters Aldi and Lidl do. Less availability and higher prices may see more Waitrose refugees shopping there. 

Wraithlady

OH mentioned there were odd gaps in Sainsbug's, but as we got everything we needed he didn't pay it much attention. I think ready meals and bread were the obvious ones - he had to buy a giraffe-bread bloomer as that was the only non-sliced bread they had.

[Deleted User]

We've a Tesco delivery this afternoon and when I was adding a couple of items yesterday several things popped up as unavailable that I'd ordered and were on the list, choc hazelnut spread was the oddest one, got me wondering if it's just because people are fond of it or if there is a shortage of an ingredient in its manufacture which led me to wondering where the hazelnuts are sourced? food is very complex these days isn't it with various bits of what we take for granted coming in from all over the globe to make something in a jar on the supermarket shelves and assume will always be there.  Of all the things I didn't expect to go missing Lookalike Choc hazelnut spread was quite close to the top of the list.

Farway

boazu said:

We've a Tesco delivery this afternoon and when I was adding a couple of items yesterday several things popped up as unavailable that I'd ordered and were on the list, choc hazelnut spread was the oddest one, got me wondering if it's just because people are fond of it or if there is a shortage of an ingredient in its manufacture which led me to wondering where the hazelnuts are sourced? food is very complex these days isn't it with various bits of what we take for granted coming in from all over the globe to make something in a jar on the supermarket shelves and assume will always be there.  Of all the things I didn't expect to go missing Lookalike Choc hazelnut spread was quite close to the top of the list.

That's an odd one isn't it? They could easily be sourced from UK as they grow easily here but I bet they aren't, probably somewhere odd like Turkey or China

short_bird

boazu said:

choc hazelnut spread was the oddest one, got me wondering if it's just because people are fond of it or if there is a shortage of an ingredient in its manufacture which led me to wondering where the hazelnuts are sourced? 

I've just been to the kitchen and checked the label on the original product. 7 ingredients on the label: sugar, palm oil (tropical climates only), hazelnuts, skimmed milk powder, fat reduced cocoa (some grown in UK), soya lecithin (some soya grown in UK) and vanillin (probably manufactured as there's not a lot in vanilla pods.). 
Might be interesting to see where the lookalike spread is manufactured if you have any left: it might not be made in the UK, we might not even have the machinery. 
And if we do have the machinery, the UK probably doesn't grow enough cocoa and soya to supply every UK food company that needs it. 
And if we do have enough of the stuff we do grow, has there been a palm oil delivery to the UK lately? 
If we can make the stuff, do we have the facilities to package it? There's probably still a glass shortage (hopefully it's being diverted to vaccine companies) so are jars in short supply? The right plastic for the lids? 
Are any of these components, or the actual finished product in jars, shipped by road and sea?