I must admit that if bacon was suddenly to disappear, I would probably cry myself to sleep every night for a whole year.
Occasionally I do buy nice neat rashers of 'back bacon', but more often I buy large packs of 'offcuts' from Sainsbury's that cost £1 for a large bag. The bacon is exactly the same, but the presentation isn't.
I can't think of any other product that is sold in the same way. They did try selling wonky vegetables for a while, but that soon faded. I don't mind if my bacon looks a bit scruffy (below).
I'm all for buying misshapen vegs. Back in France my neighbour grew Asparagus (he doesn't now), and we would buy large bundles of wonderful green spears that weren't quite straight enough for his merchant. We would eat like Kings for almost nothing. I wish he still grew it.
There was also a time when we bought odd shaped Gherkins (cornichons) from another neighbour, but then I started growing them myself, saving the wonky ones for making our own conserves.
What I really want to see are wonky half-price joints of Beef, wonky red wine, and wonky Gorgonzola. Some hope!
Well, at least bananas haven't yet been beaten into submission.
ReplyDeleteI largely buy organic. Yes, it does come at a premium but I am happy to pay the price for a scratching chicken, Welsh lamb grazing, pigs happily rolling in the mud. In other words: Put your money where your mouth is.
One of the joys of buying organic vegetables that you will find WONKY by default. Imagine my delight when the other day one of the potatoes was heart shaped. A moment of joy.
Bacon - I do hope you buy the "no water added" variety for your breakfast. As I don't eat breakfast my main interest in anything bacon centers on Pancetta, Speck, etc. in cooking. They are the onion's younger twin in many a dish.
May you salivate,
U
I'm looking forward to buying French bacon again. It's a very different product to here; just as it's always been, briefly salted and hung to dry.
DeleteWe used to be able to buy broken biscuits in paper bags...back in the Dark Ages.
ReplyDeleteI seem to remember that. I haven't seen them for years.
DeleteI can remember broken biscuits too, and chocolate mis-shapes!
ReplyDeleteI expect these days the broken biscuits go for Cheesecake bases.
DeleteI have been buying off cuts of smoked salmon to make mouse for about half the price of perfect.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen any Salmon offcuts around here. I wish I had.
DeleteCro... surely you get the smoked salmon offcuts down your way in France? For salads and scrambled/omletted egg dishes, they work the same as your bacon offcuts... they are also perfect mixed together with parsley, red lumpfish caviar and minced red pepper [d'Espelete or sweet, both work] and put on those little "toasts" circles with a blob of crème fraiche d'Isigny... I do those very regularly when asked to "bring hand nibbles" to an Apero!
ReplyDeleteAnd "What I really want to see are wonky half-price joints of Beef, wonky red wine, and wonky Gorgonzola"
DeleteDon't you go straight to the anti-gaspi display before you do anything else in the supermarket... that's where those items wait... joints of beef that "taper too much", BiBs of red, rosé and white that are dented or otherwise damaged on the cardboard outer, and cheeses that are coming up to the so called sell-by date..........
I don't think my 'Leclerc' has an anti-gaspi shelf (or it's very well hidden). I think they give everything of that sort to a local charity every evening.
Delete"The Wonkies" would be a good name for a new animated TV show for children or for the new Muslim men's political party. You never see Muslim women protesting . Where are they?
ReplyDeleteI believe that whilst Male Muslims are protesting, their wives discard their hijabs and go clubbing.
Deletenaughty man
DeleteSome of our grocery stores used to sell odd small pieces of fish at discount. They were great for making fish chowder. I've never seen discounts on beef or bacon.
ReplyDeleteThe bacon offcuts are very good value, I use them for all sorts of things. 500 gms for £1.
DeleteI love bacon but it has got very expensive and I do without. Oh, for some of your wonky bacon!!
ReplyDeleteI'll buy wonky anytime.
As I said above, 500 gms for £1, and often the rashers are not that different from more expensive ones. Occasionally one finds just a few very fat rashers that are not what one wanted, but a good inspection of the pack usually avoids that,
DeleteI just love bacon. Can anyone not? Even when I was a sort-of-vegetarian (for no other reason than my partner and her daughter were fervent vegetarians) I still ate bacon at every opportunity. The supermarkets on the Island don't sell 'wonky' vegetables but Morrisons in Inverness do/did and I used to stock up when I passed through to the ferry in Ullapool.
ReplyDeleteIt is often said that even the strictest Rabbi occasionally has a bacon sandwich when no-one is looking. If you spot a Sainsbury's one day, see if they have these big packs, buy a few, and put them in the freezer.
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