Tuesday 27 August 2013

A plug for my pals

Today’s blog is a little bit of a plug for my friends at Brown and Green, in Derby Garden Centre, near Little Eaton, which (now I’ve moved to Derby) is officially my new favourite place to shop.

They are having a special local food celebration event this weekend.

Manager Susie writes:

"We're pulling out the stops to celebrate all our Derbyshire made produce this coming Saturday and Sunday (31st August/1st Sept). Inspired by a recent flurry of new Derbyshire producers on board, we thought we'd take the opportunity to highlight the growing range of food and drink within our store which is grown and made within the county.

"Over the weekend we have various suppliers joining in store to meet customers, tell them all about their produce first hand, and of course offer tastings too.

"On Saturday meet Dan from Derby Brewing Co with tastings of local bottled beers Old Intentional, Business as Usual and Quintessential. Baljit from Mickleover based Apna Spice also joins us with her handmade authentic Curry Bases, and last but not least, new Derbyshire producer Brock & Morten will be joining us introducing their Derbyshire rapeseed oil.

"On sweet Sunday Louise from Chesterfield based Liza Bakes will be offering tastings of her Orange Polenta Cake and Sticky Toffee pudding (both of which have won Great Taste Awards recently), and Buxton Puddings join us with tastings of their fantastic Moorland Pudding and Buxton Pudding.

"On both days we'll be offering tastings and information on a wealth of other Derbyshire products, including Derbyshire cheeses from Franjoy Dairy and Hartington Creamery, chutneys and relishes from The Quirky Cook plus new season, and just arrived, local honey – from apiaries located nearby at Mickleover, Etwall and Hilton. Add to this our fresh delivery of artisan real bread from The Loaf at Crich on Saturday morning, plus gorgeous fresh seasonal Derbyshire veggies and mushrooms. A feast made in….Derbyshire!

"Brown and Green is located at Derby Garden Centre, Alfreton Road, Little Eaton, Derby, DE21 5DB. Free parking, wheelchair and pushchair friendly, restaurant, large garden centre and pet store on site – come and see us!"

Monday 26 August 2013

Jacket potato fatigue

This afternoon I’m suffering from a medical condition called Jacket Potato Fatigue.

Now don’t laugh, this is serious. It’s brought on by eating a large baked spud on a lunch break, too quickly (and possibly without really drawing a breath) while sat hunched over a computer, and symptoms include extreme lethargy, slight blurred vision, back ache and shortness of temper.

Basically I feel like every other organ in my body has shut down in a vain attempt to prioritise digestion of the crippling potato.

But, like with smokers’ cough, or gout, I’m well aware of the behaviour that brings on an attack, and that succumbing to a baked spud at lunchtime will result in Jacket Potato Fatigue. I’ve suffered before. And yet, like a moth drawn to a flame, I still go to the baked potato stand. Why?

Well firstly I do love a good baked spud. I like them with cheese, then beans, then coleslaw (in that order – I get very upset if the order of toppings is mixed up).

And secondly, I’m on a bank holiday shift in the newsroom today, so I felt the need for a bit of stodge, but lunchtime options were limited. None of my usual favourite shops were open, and I couldn’t take my colleague Whaddy up on his offer of picking something up from Morrisons. So I went for a wander into Derby city centre and one of the only places I could find serving food was the jacket potato stand.

We’re back to the issue of convenience, because most local greengrocers and market stalls simply don’t open on bank holidays, so unless you’re very well planned, the only option available is the supermarket.

Saturday 24 August 2013

Sexist magazines - a rant


I've managed to get the TV in my bedroom working - which those who know me and know how bad I am with technology will agree is a pretty special achievement.

So I had the news on as I was getting dressed this morning and was interested to hear about a protest that was happening outside Tesco stores across the country today, calling on the supermarket to Lose the Lads Mags.

The campaign, led by a couple of feminist pressure groups, wants the supermarket to stop selling titles like Zoo and Nuts, because they argue that the magazines fuel sexist attitudes towards women. The campaigners also say that exposing employees to the images of nearly naked ladies on the front covers of these publications is tantamount to sexism in the workplace.

They have targeted Tesco mainly because it is the biggest supermarket in the UK, so clearly they are starting at the top.

I tend to agree that lads mags are bad news, promoting a kind of casual sexism that I think is much more damaging because it's so mainstream.

But has anyone stopped to think about the women's magazines recently? Because in my opinion, some of these titles can be just as damaging when it comes to equality.

I stopped buying magazines like Cosmo years ago, because, quite frankly, they made me feel a bit depressed. Literally everything in these magazines is about image and attracting a man - with articles on clothes, shoes, make-up, and getting/pleasing a boyfriend. The message is clear - if you're not going about your business while looking so attractive that you are literally beating men off with a stick (like a kind of reverse Linx effect) then you are basically a failure as a woman.

And if you're not spending your life thinking about looking good or attracting a boyfriend, then you're also a bit crap. Back to Lady School for you!

I actually did my university dissertation on the effects of the glossy magazines, both for men and women, on attitudes towards women. I remember specifically one particular article (and I think this was in Cosmo) that I analysed as part of my work. It was one of those top-ten lists, called something like "10 ways to be happier" and one of the suggestions was waxing your bikini line into a heart shape.

Now I'm sorry, I'm all for personal rooming, but a heart shape? Seriously? That's not going to make you happy - it's just going to make you frustrated and inevitably a bit stressed when you accidentally lop off the top left hand corner of your design.

Meeting friends increases happiness. Laughing increases happiness. Doing something worthwhile increases happiness. Having a heart-shaped bush does not.

So yes, in the fight for equality for women, lads mags are a step backwards. But in my view, a lot of the magazines for women aren't much better either.

Friday 23 August 2013

Local shops are not twin-friendly

I’m cheating slight today (which clearly I never normally do!) by using a comment from my lovely pal and newly-yummy-twin-mummy Christina as the basis for this post.

She told me the other day that she was hoping to do a little bit more local shopping, as she is currently on maternity leave, but that as it turns out, she’s finding that the supermarkets are simply better equipped to help her in managing the shopping and the babies at once.

Christina writes: “I was hoping to make this more of a way of life now I am on maternity leave and have time in the day to shop about. In fact, every day I take the pram for a stroll into the village, so it's now very easy for me to buy veg, birthday cards, bread and so on from the village shops... or it should be.

“Unfortunately, EVERY shop in my village has two, steep stone steps leading up to its entrance. No way can I get a double buggy up there, and nor could anyone get a wheelchair up there.

“The only shop in my village to have installed a ramp is the Sainsbury's Local - would love to hear what local shopkeepers have to say about accessibility. I understand there's a short term cost, but there's a host of wheelchair users and pram-pushers out there who can't shop local.”

She also sent me this lovely picture of the twins, Amelie and Rosa, enjoying a snooze in the double trolly chair kindly provided by those bods at Asda.

Christina makes a very good point. Most of the local shops that I go to, although not having steps, are very cramped and sometimes in can be hard to move around with a basket without bumping into other customers – never mind a pushchair or wheelchair.

When it comes to accessibility, perhaps supermarkets here again have the edge – alongside convenience – as factors that the local shops are struggling to match.


Wednesday 21 August 2013

Free pizza!

I’ve raved about Fresh Bite Pizza, in the Derbyshire town of Belper, before. Run by a lovely smiley Iranian gentleman and a handful of equally-smiley staff, it is, quite simply, one of the best places in the world to get a pizza.

So imagine my delight when I popped in yesterday for my usual Tuesday treat and was told that my pizza would be on the house, because the staff have read this blog and think I’m doing a great job avoiding the supermarkets.

I’m on a bit of a soapbox at the moment I know, but the evidence really is mounting up that when you avoid Tesco and the like, and give your custom to your local shopkeepers and businesses instead, you end up building up a network of friends who will happily help you out, and really make you feel it’s worth your while supporting them. Forget your faceless customer loyalty cards – you get a much better service from your local shops – be it a free pizza, packing boxes, or even the offer of a helping hand moving house.

Thanks Fresh Bite!

Tuesday 20 August 2013

It's just my life!

Despite my best intentions and promises to blog every day, regular readers may have noticed that the posts have been drying up a bit of late.

It’s certainly not due to lack of enthusiasm for my challenge – quite the contrary. I’m loving my year without supermarkets so much that I can’t ever imagine going back to being a regular at Tesco. I’ve met so many lovely people and eaten so much wonderful food over the past eight-and-a-half months.

But I’m just running a bit short of things to say about it. I envisage myself, in a Big Brother Geordie voice, repeatedly monotoning: “DAY 212 IN THE WITHOUT SUPERMARKETS HOUSE…. STILL NOT BEEN TO TESCOS”

And actually perhaps this is a reflection of how well the challenge is going. I no longer have much to say about it because shopping without the supermarkets has simply become a way of life. I no longer find it at all difficult; I have shops that I regularly visit for everything I need, and it just doesn’t require much thought any more.

I still get asked how I’m getting on my friends and shopkeepers, and recently I’ve almost found myself reacting with surprise. It’s been a case of: “yes fine, great thanks, I barely even think about it anymore to be honest”.

But it certainly answers all those people who wondered how I’d cope, or how much effort I’d end up putting into avoiding the supermarkets.

I guess I could liken it a bit to becoming a vegetarian, which I did in a fit of stubborn self-righteousness aged 13. It was tough at first, as I figured out what my new list of food likes (Lynda McCartney pies) and dislikes (frozen veggie lasagne) would be. But once I got the hang of it…. Well, I never think about it anymore. It’s just my life.

Monday 19 August 2013

Lovely supermarket-free shopping

Busy day today so very quick post this... just to prove I'm still avoiding Tesco... here's my lovely shopping from Brown and Green in Derby...

Sunday 18 August 2013

Hope Valley ice cream


“Sorry Austin” I muttered in my best Elizabeth Hurley accent as we ground into yet another huge pothole in the track.

Keen-eyed readers will recall that Austin is the name of my little grey Astra, and the poor car took a serious punishing yesterday after an unplanned de-tour to Hope Valley Ice Cream parlour.

I’d taken a friend for a drive around the Peak District and we were making our merry way out towards Ladybower Reservoir when I spotted the Hope Valley sign at the side of the road.

Those who know me will know that I’m largely governed by my belly, so of course the breaks were slammed on and a speedy u-turn was performed.

Who cares that it was raining and blowing a gale? HOMEMADE ICECREAM. ‘Nuff said.

The track up to the farm can only be described as perfect for making visitors feel like they are embarking on an adventure into the rural wilderness – probably best negotiated in a 4x4. But as long as you don’t mind gritting your teeth and wincing a bit as the bottom of your car scrapes into yet another dip, then the reward is well worth the effort.

Thorpe Farm has been a dairy farm for 300 years, and the Marsden Family have been working the land since “great granddad” moved there as a tenant.

We arrived to find some happy-looking calves who were keen to be stroked and scratched, and indeed animal welfare is at the heart of what the Marsden Family do.

Milking in the farm’s parlour is a low-intensity process, with a viewing gallery for children on school trips and visitors, and turnips are also grown on the farm to supplement the cows’ diet.

Wildlife is also taken into consideration – the farm’s four miles of hedgerows are tended carefully to make sure it is a haven for birds and the Hope Valley website boast that the farm is “a home and feeding area for over 74 types of bird including owls, curlews, green woodpeckers, kestrels and swallows”.

The icecream is made with milk from the cows and egg yolks from the farm’s free range hens, and as well as selling it from a small parlour on the site, it is also sold at various Peak District farm shops and supplied to the local pubs.

I had a pot of Gertrude’s Whisky and Ginger, which was absolutely gorgeous, and I was gutted that I couldn’t take any home with me because with our day trip still in progress, it would have melted before reaching my freezer.

For more information visit www.hope-valley.co.uk

Thursday 15 August 2013

Bad bunny update

It’s tedious link time again…. but I’m going to make today’s blog a short update on the war between myself and Bad Beans Bunny, because last night an important battle was won.

Avid readers (god bless you) will recall that the rabbit has been driving me nuts rattling the bars of her cage all through the night, leaving me feeling not dissimilar to my beautiful best friend Christina, who is currently getting up every two hours (god bless her too) to feed her newborn twins.

And on Tuesday I went out into Derby’s Eagle Market to buy some soap and some mega hot, blow-her-furry-little-brains-out chilli sauce, with a view to making the bars of her cage less palatable.

I decided to play fair (after all – she is a little bit smaller than me) and start with the soap – reserving the mega hot chilli sauce for an if-all-else-fails 4am desperate situation. My own personal version of the atomic bomb.

So last night, before bed, I sat by her cage and liberally rubbed the dry soap bar (a foul-smelling pink thing from a market stall bargain bucket – yep, there goes the supermarket link) all over the front bars of the bunny cage, where Princess Beans likes to rattle.

And then I went to bed.

And then I slept. A long, glorious sleep, right through the night, with no bunny disturbances what-so-ever.

I woke up this morning and looked over to the cage to find Beans sat by the bars, looking at me somewhat distastefully, but making no attempt to put her mouth round them.

Victory! VICTORY IS MINE.

Wednesday 14 August 2013

60 miles for tins of Sheba

A 60-mile round trip to buy a few tins of Sheba?

Well that is a slight exaggeration... but suffice to say I’m now going to certain lengths to support my favourite local shops.

This morning I had an appointment and a couple of errands to run in Chesterfield, so I took the opportunity to call into my favourite pet shop, Hasland Pet Supplies, and received a warm welcome as always from owner Judi.

She asked me how I was settling into Derby life, and as a loyal blog reader (thanks Judi) she was also laughing at my current stand-off situation with naughty Beans Bunny - who took the war to the next level this morning by peeing three times on my bed.

I’ve been running low on a couple of things, including cat litter, but had purposely been making what I had last as long as possible so that I could buy a new bag from Judi and continue to support her pet shop - instead of going elsewhere.

I also popped into my favourite greengrocers, Hasland Fruit and Flowers, for some salad and fruit.

At the beginning of My Year Without Supermarkets I wrote a lot about customer loyalty and building relationships with the people from whom you buy your groceries, never imagining that by the middle of the year I would be putting that loyalty to the test following a re-location.

Now I find that after months of shopping in places like Hasland Pet Supplies, where Judi has been so lovely that she saved boxes for me to help with the house move and even offered to shuttle my stuff in her van, I still want to give my hard-earned cash to her instead of finding somewhere closer to home.

And I guess that goes some way to proving the point of this whole exercise - a life without supermarkets connects you to the people who produce and sell your groceries in a way that trudging round Tesco never could.

Tuesday 13 August 2013

Waging war on a badly-behaved bunny

Since moving into Anna’s things have become rather cosy in my bedroom.

“Woohoo, the joys of being single,” I hear you cry.

But in this particular case, sadly that is not what I’m talking about.

Unfortunately, the living arrangements mean that Beans bunny is now sleeping in her cage in the corner of my room, as opposed to her former home in the utility room - a much more sensible set-up. And she has taken to waking me up at intervals throughout the night, every night, by rattling the bars of her cage (which is surprisingly loud in a quiet house) asking to be let out.

Various tactics have been trotted out over the last week to bring an end to this situation.

I initially tried throwing water over her every time she did it, but she soon cottoned onto what was happening and dived off to the back of her cage as I got out of bed, only to return to the front to rattle the bars again whenever I got back into bed.

I tried leaving her loose in the room overnight, and she celebrated by hopping around on my bed and nipping at my toes as I slept.

A couple of nights ago, after being disturbed for the third time, I thought I’d hit upon a solution. I spent ten minutes in the kitchen at about 4am, mixing up a paste of chilli powder, cayenne pepper and paprika, while laughing slightly insanely to myself like a wicked witch at her cauldron (or a mad woman who hasn’t had any sleep).

And seemingly it worked! Bunny sniffed at the paste and then retired to the back of her cage in disgust, and I spent the rest of the night in blissful silence.

Unfortunately Beans bunny is quite the little princess, and wasn’t able to accept my victory without putting up a fight. After letting her out for playtime yesterday, I returned to find she had hit back right where it hurts by chewing one of my books to shreds.

War had officially been declared.

That was the night before last, and I believed I still had the upper hand. So last night I liberally applied some more of my magic mixture to the bars of her cage, and then settled down for what I hoped would be a second silent night.

Sadly it wasn’t to be. At about 2am my badly-behaved bunny decided that actually, she quite liked the taste of my homemade paste after all, and spent the next three hours enthusiastically rattling the bars of her cage chewing at it.

So 5am this morning once again saw me back in the kitchen, blearily rummaging in the cupboard for something else to try. I hit upon English mustard, which secured me a decent three-hour sleep before work this morning. But I did see the rabbit licking at is as I woke up, so I don’t think it’s a long term solution.

So this lunchtime I headed out into Derby’s Eagle Market to try to find something that the rabbit will hopefully find deeply unpalatable. After scouring a few forums, a sympathetic friend suggested rubbing a bar of soap on the bars of bunny’s cage, so I found a particularly vile-smelling pink bar in the bargain bucket of one market stall.

Then I headed to the Jamaican stand, and asked for the hottest sauce they had.

“What’s it for?” the lady behind the counter asked, as she handed me a jar of Mr Naga Very Hot Pepper Pickle.

She laughed when I told her, but then expressed some concerns that the sauce in question might actually blow bunny’s little head clean off.

“Don’t worry,” I explained. “Hopefully the smell alone will be enough to put her off and she won’t even try tasting it.”

“Well,” the stall holder answered. “This is one of the hottest sauces you can buy. We’re the only place in Derby to sell it.”

After promising to go back in a few days and tell the lady whether it worked, I headed off back to the office with my packages, feeling more than a little smug. Human ingenuity WILL win out over bunny bad behaviour.... eventually....

Monday 12 August 2013

Asda's degree

It has been revealed today that Asda is going to offer a degree course for its staff.

The three-year course, in either distribution or retail, is being offered in partnership with Middlesex University and 30 employees will initially take part.

The scheme involves 12 days of classroom workshops, work-based assessment as well as online studies, leading to a BA degree.

Asda has said students will learn about merchandising as well as managing and developing people.

And a spokeswoman for the retail giant said the course was being offered because so many supermarket staff had left school without the opportunity to attended higher education - in many cases due to the cost of tuition fees.

Supermarket chain Morrisons also runs a foundation degree in supermarket operations.

Clearly I’ve been a pretty consistent supermarket-basher throughout the course of this blog. But credit where it’s due; I think this is actually an example of some good being done by the supermarkets.

Saturday 10 August 2013

Local loyalty

I'm typing this blog out on my iPhone while sat in the hairdresser, and I think the choices I've made this morning perfectly demonstrate the power of local shopping.

Despite now living in Derby, I've still chosen to drive up to Chesterfield to get my hair cut with my normal (and trusted) hairdresser Lisa, at Bliss salon in Hasland.

Why don't I just find a new hairdresser in Derby? Well Lisa is really good value, she always makes my hair look lovely and we get on and have a natter, so I look forward to chatting with her and the other customers.

It's worth the 40 minute drive, and while I'm here I've also called in on my favourite bakery and greengrocer too. I also plan to stay loyal to lovely Judi at Hasland pet supplies.

So perhaps the power of local shopping really lies in the loyalty you build up... because even though I'm no longer local, I still want to give my favourites my custom.

Friday 9 August 2013

Food you can trust down on the farm

Here's today's Food You Can Trust feature, which is the product of my driving around Derbyshire (and ending up in Tesco for an emergency wee-stop) on Tuesday.

You can read the full story on our website: www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/pleased-meat-ndash-couple-s-passion-local-produce/story-19638006-detail/story.html


Thursday 8 August 2013

A whole bar of Dairy Milk, you say?

Tonight I am having trouble typing. I’m actually having trouble propping myself up at my desk… and even focusing on my computer screen.

The reason?

Nope, not a hangover, although given my recent behaviour you’d be forgiven for having a guess at that one. It’s actually because I seem to be having a huge sugar crash, having recently eaten a family-sized bar of Dairy Milk.

I’d like to present the excuse that I bought it to support my new local economy here in Derby – specifically the lovely Murco petrol station just round the corner from Lovely Anna’s house. I’ve been a semi-regular customer for years as it’s right en-route to the office, but now it’s also my most local fuel stop apart from Morrisons (which is, of course, out of bounds).

And it’s staffed by a really nice bunch of smiley guys.

So when I stopped for some diesel earlier and spotted the Dairy Milks on offer for £1, I decided it would be rude not to.

Clearly it was bought with the intention of being put in my desk drawer and taken out one square at a time, during times of need over the next few weeks.

And it has lasted a mere four hours.

Oops.

Wednesday 7 August 2013

The toilet clause

Those who know me well (and to be fair, probably also those who don’t as well) know that I have a pretty small tank on board, so need to make frequent trips to the loo.

And up until starting the challenge to avoid the supermarkets, the public toilets in stores like Tesco and Morrisons were my saving grace.

As a roving reporter in Scotland a few years ago I was often out on the road for most of the day and relied totally on my supermarket stop-offs to prevent me from spoiling my car upholstery.

Now I’m mainly office-based, but yesterday I spent the afternoon out and about in Derbyshire visiting farms for Friday’s food you can trust feature. And sure enough, a couple of hours into my trip, after enjoying a nice fresh orange juice at Hackwood Farm cafe, near Derby, I started to need the loo.

Unfortunately, the time this need became more pressing coincided exactly with the moment I realised that I had got myself lost while on my way to Woodside Farm and nature reserve, near Shipley.

What followed what a tense time in the Astra, as I clutched the steering wheel and shifted in my seat, swearing colourfully at every red traffic light or slow driver.

Would I make it to the farm in time? And once there, would there be a loo? Or would I have to suffer the ultimate indignity of finding myself a secluded patch of shrubs?

So when I reached Heanor and the familiar blue Tesco sign loomed into view I’d never been more grateful. It was time to invoke the toilet clause of this challenge.

I skidded into the car park, parked diagonally across one of those family spaces and shot into the store, veering sharply past a security guard and into the cafe where the toilets were situated.

Perhaps I’m not quite ready to give up supermarkets completely. I have a feeling I’ll always be able to make use of their loos.

Tuesday 6 August 2013

What's wrong with cauliflower?

What's wrong with cauliflower?

Apparently sales of this traditional British vegetable have fallen by 35% over the past decade, and last year around half of all UK households didn't buy a single cauli - prompting some growers to stop producing them.

I know loads of people who don't like cauliflower. I wonder if it partly harks back to childhood memories of mushy, rank-tasting vegetables boiled to within an inch of their lives by some well-meaning granny.

But no vegetable is going to taste great when it's been overcooked.

Personally I love cauli. It's great just lightly steamed, and one of my favourite things in the world is good, homemade cauliflower cheese. Anything smothered with cheese sauce is okay with me.
Cauliflower baked with lemon

But it's much more versatile than that. The Indian dish aloo gobi is another brilliant example of tasty cauli cooked really well.

And I even like to put it in salad. Yesterday I bought a cauliflower, grown locally in Melbourne, South Derbyshire, at artisan food store Brown and Green, in Little Eaton. 

I chopped it up, covered it with extra virgin olive oil, parsley and a good squeeze of lemon, and baked it for about 40 minutes.

Allowed to cool, cauli baked in lemon is a really tasty addition to the salad I've made for my lunch at work today.

So don't overlook the humble British cauli!




Monday 5 August 2013

On the hunt for Hendos

Horror. The pure, cold feeling of dread creeping down my spine.

That was how I felt this morning when I made myself scrambled eggs on toast for breakfast and then reached for the cupboard, only to suddenly realise that I'd forgotten one crucial, critical detail when moving in with Anna recently.

I forgot to bring a bottle of Hendos.
Phew! Got the Hendos!

As anyone from Yorkshire will know, this represents a very very severe emergency situation... akin perhaps to accidentally leaving the house without any clothes on, or forgetting an important anniversary.

It's just not cricket.

And clearly, now I'm in Derby, Henderson's Relish is not readily available.

So I ate a miserable and depressing Hendos-free breakfast and resolved to spend my day off working doing something to rectify the situation.

Luckily my plan for the day involved going to the stables, and as I've decided not to move the horse, this involved going to Chesterfield.... which is close enough to the Yorkshire border for several of the shops to stock the hallowed sauce, including my favourite greengrocer Hasland Fruit and Flowers.

And while I was there, I picked up some veggies too. And then, because I figured by this point I might as well, I swung via Meringue bakery to pick up some decent bread, and then came home via Brown and Green, at Little Eaton near Derby, for a few other bits.

So as it turns out, I've done loads of supermarket-free shopping today - but not found any new shops close to Anna's.

Ah well.

And in other news...here's the text one of my mum's friends, Georgina, sent to her in response to yesterday's blog:


"C u ave bin annoyin Jade wiv ur txts!"

So apparently my mum isn't the only one who fancies herself as down with the kids.






Sunday 4 August 2013

I'm back! How r u?

The words (if you can even call them that) “How r u?” are always going to be upsetting to a journalist. I hate hate HATE the abomination of the English language that is text speak. It makes me shudder, and with the advent of smart phones and the abolition of character limits there’s just not excuse for it any more.

So who is it sending me these messages? A teenager perhaps? Or someone who missed out on English classes in school?

Nope, it is in fact my own mother - a well-spoken woman with neat handwriting who normally wouldn’t even allow herself a spelling mistake on her own shopping list. But put her behind a mobile phone and she reels off the “txtese” like a 13-year-old schoolgirl arranging to meet her mates outside the corner shop for a sneaky fag, telling me “c u l8r” and “thats gd”.

And unfortunately, right now, she’s texting me quite a lot. The reason being that I’ve not been blogging as much recently so she’s no longer getting her little daily diary entries telling her what I’ve been up to.

So I’m returning to the blog quick-sharp!

And joking aside (sorry mum) I do need to make a little apology, because a few people have asked me recently why I’ve not been blogging as often. I set out to do it every day and for the most part I’ve succeeded, but over the last few weeks life has been so hectic that things have run away with me a bit, I’ve not been shopping much, and My Year Without Supermarkets has taken a bit of a back seat.

I’ve still not actually been anywhere near a supermarket. I’m eight months in and doing fine. In fact I was in Baked, Derby’s brilliant bakery, the other day and owner Victoria was asking me whether I’ll continue avoiding the supermarkets once the year is done. I told her yes - to be honest I really can’t see myself going back to the likes of Tesco. There’s just no need when you can find much nicer food elsewhere and support local business owners into the bargain.

So I’ve not given up - quite the contrary. And I’m going to try to blog more often again too.