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Are you a “supermarket tart”?

Are you the kind of shopper that supermarkets love, the type who always shops at the same supermarket on a regular basis?

Tesco, Morrisons, etc… love you, as you are often more loyal to them then your employer or even your family!

Well the BBC reports that in these times of economic turmoil, the days of the loyal supermarket shopper may be coming to an end as we become more price sensitive.

Many supermarket-goers are wedded to their brand of shop. But as people begin to draw in the purse strings, some are starting to see benefits in being a more promiscuous consumer.

Evidence suggests once loyal shoppers, who in the past have been faithfully wedded to a single supermarket brand, are starting to experiment with younger, cheaper models.

However will these changing habits last? According to the article, no.

…as shoppers have more money again they will revert to old habits.

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Starbucks shrinking…

It would seem that problems with the American economy is hitting Starbucks quite hard.

According to an article on the BBC, they are closing 600 of their outlets.

The coffee chain Starbucks plans to close 500 stores in the US on top of the 100 it had already announced.

It’s not as bad as it sounds in some respects as Starbucks intends to open 200 new stores this year. The 600 which are closing are the stores which are performing badly and interestingly most of the drive-thrus are closing.

I have noticed a few Starbucks in the UK have recently closed.

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Tesco to end trade with Zimbabwe

Tesco to end trade with Zimbabwe

The BBC reports on how Tesco responding to political and consumer pressure it to no longer source products from Zimbabwe.

Supermarket chain Tesco has announced it will stop sourcing products from Zimbabwe while “the political crisis persists” there.

The retail giant buys around £1m ($1.9m) worth of goods, including vegetables, from Zimbabwe.

Tesco said it was looking for other ways to support workers there.

This is an example of how political and consumer pressures can force business organisations to change the way in which they do business.

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Ooh nice sausages

I seem to have been buying the same sausages for ages, so the other day seeing Paul Rankin’s Irish pork sausages on the shelf the other day, decided, oh lets try them.

Paul Rankin’s Irish sausages

I was slightly hesitant as sometimes you wonder if you are paying more for the “name” than the quality of the ingredients. I did wonder if I would get cheap salty tasting sausages which though made with “succulent cuts of pork” was actually made with cheap succulent cuts of pork!

However I did remember that I use the buy Sainsburys Taste the Difference steak which was endorsed by Jamie Oliver at one point and I really could taste the difference!

So what about Paul Rankin’s sausages?

Well they cooked perfectly with very little shrinkage or water loss. They had a good texture and tasted really good. Sometimes good quality sausages can be very salty, so all you can taste is salt, with these I could taste the pork.

I will certainly be buying these again.

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Supermarket of the future

Interesting BBC video report on using a mobile phone to do your supermarket shopping.

A German supermarket is encouraging customers to scan and ring up their shopping using mobile phones, and check out without the help of a cashier.

It’s a bit like using the scanner that I do at Sainsburys.

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Food fight: River Cottage 0-1 Tesco

Following on from my earlier post, found an interesting article in the Guardian about Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s attempts to change Tesco’s chicken policy.

The campaign to improve the welfare of chickens sold in Tesco stores, led by celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, hijacked the company’s annual meeting yesterday, drawing groans from the pensioners and standard bearers of middle England there to pose a question about their local store or to take advantage of a spot of free lunch.

Well worth reading.

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Hugh loses Tesco chicken vote

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, he of River Cottage fame, has alas failed in his attempt to get Tesco to change their chicken policy.

The BBC reports on his attempt at the Tesco shareholders meeting.

Tesco shareholders have not backed proposals to improve welfare standards for chickens championed by TV cook Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

The chef wanted investors to adopt new standards for rearing birds, but the plan got fewer than 10% of votes at its annual general meeting in Solihull.

Read more.

Though this is a setback for Hugh’s campaign, a lot of consumers are changing their own buying habits. Over the last few years virtually all of the chicken I buy has been organic for me the main reason has been flavour and concerns about chemicals used.

I have noticed recently in both Sainsburys and Morrisons the amount of shelf space they give free range, organic and RSPCA Freedom chicken has really increased.

However with the continuing economic pressures on consumers, will price give way to quality and taste? According to an article I read in the Guardian, the answer is no, as what goes first with an economic downturn is going out to restaurants.

So what kind of chicken do you buy and why?

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Pancetta Salad

Pancetta Salad

This is a variation on a salad I blogged about a month ago or so.

Take some mixed leaves, I like the peppery flavour of rocket in my salads so I used that alongside some sliced Romaine lettuce.

Place them on a plate.

Add some sun dried tomatoes, I use SunBlush as they are not as chewy as “proper” sun dried tomatoes.

Add some chopped cucumber, depending on how thick or tough the skin is, you can either leave or peel. I peeled as the skin on my organic cucumber was quite tough.

Dress with some extra virgin olive oil, white wine vinegar and black pepper.

Top the salad off with some pan fried (until crispy) pancetta bacon.

Serve with fresh bread.

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Happy First Birthday

Well Time to eat… is one today. It was a year ago that I started this food and coffee blog.

Since then I have made 201 posts.

There have been 5,858 visits.

Here’s to another year.