OT : Tescos

The Mount Gay distillery, Barbados ))

If you do get the opportunity to go to Barbados visit the distillery.
Free sample of their special very old rum. Plus it is cheaper to buy it
at the distillery shop than to buy it at the duty free shops on the
island.

 

What about the quality of said goods? The same? Or does it vary with
producer?

 

The quality varies entirely according to specification. One manufacturer
may make private label (PL) goods for several supermarket chains, but
they won't all be the same (for example) type of quiche.

A long time back a supplier told me that of his customers, Marks &
Spencer had the highest spec. They also paid the most and, of course,
charged the highest retail prices. Second was Waitrose, whose PL quality
is still exceptional. Third was Tesco, then just behind was Sainsbury,
and after that it didn't really matter.

You need to make a distinction between PL goods where no branded
equivalent exists (such as chilled curry ready meals, for example. Name
one major branded chilled curry! You can't....) and PL products which
are analogues of major branded ones.

A few years ago I remember popping a pack of Herta chilled frankfurters
into our trolley. The Doctor seized the Sainsbury PL equivalent,
pointing out that it was cheaper. I examined the small print. Herta (a
Nestle company, as you may know) was 72% meat. The identical-looking
Sainsbury product was 68% meat.

The only sure solution is to examine labels closely. Look at (for
example) the declared meat content, or fish content - anyway, the amount
of the product that consists of the expensive ingredients.

Also look at the pack size. Surprisingly few people do this with
prepared foods. It's easy to make a product a few pence cheaper if you
make it in (for example) 350g size instead of 400g.

Finally, if possible, buy the quality, more expensive products. You see,
the cost of packaging, handling, transport and storage is pretty much
the same whether you fill the plastic trays with utter crap or really
good stuff. More expensive foods will therefore have more money (as a
general guideline) spent on their ingredients.

It's like buying wine in the UK: the duty is the same regardless of
whether it's vinegar or chateau-bottled claret. Spending an extra quid
on a bottle gets markedly better wine.

Sorry if I've gone on at length here, but if you want to eat (and drink)
well, I think this is important.

 

you obviously don't eat as much curry as I do - I could name 2 or 3 off
the top of my head:

Bombay Brasserie, Quilon, Noon.

There are a few more frozen curry brands too: Pataks, for a start.

 

I tend to check things out in the Supermarket anyway (as you said,
weight, ingredients, etc) but it was nice to have that info from
someone who knows.

It's true that people tend not to know this sort of stuff and get
conned into buying shop brands, as they think it's better value for
money, when all it means is that there are lower quality ingredients,
more salt, more water, etc, etc, etc.

 

Well *duh*

If I do, I shall. Ta

Deffo my fave rum.
--
Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21 COSOC#3
Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply)
Alfa 116 Giulietta 3.0l (Really) Sprint 1.7 156 TS S2
Triumph Speed Triple: Black with extra black bits
www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk

 

Actually, yes, you're rigt. Curry is an exception to the chilled foods
ready meal market in that there *are* brands. Mea culpa.

 

totally agree- nothing like sipping rum straight from the distillery
in the sunshine. When I went they gave out a sample of *every* sort of
rum produced there. Don't remember much about the rest of the day