View Full Version : Caithness and surrounding counties
Caithness has got it all...........
We have it all, right here on our doorstep or at least not too far away from our doorsteps,
we are fortunate enough to live in a county surrounded by countryside, farms and crofts,
Our Crofters and farmers are producing some the best livestock / cereals / etc, that Scotland herself has to offer and yet and I fail to understand why so many people in this county are so reluctant to support their local farm / croft business/s,
A wee search on google shows the prices being charged to city dwellers and others ordering foodstuff from the internet, and many more people looking further afield and paying through the nose for something, you would literally pay considerably less for here.
The supermarkets and lets face it we have a few, are charging an arm and a leg for what has been affectionately called "plastic meat", and the shoppers, actually buy great quantities of it,
? who can understand why,
Is it that people have forgotten what food should taste like, or that they have never tasted meat which has been reared traditionally?
Is it that they just don't care what they eat or that they have been brainwashed into thinking that supermarket food is best? that the food they buy has travelled hundreds of miles just to end up on a shelf until best until date?
I wish someone would enlighten me,
I think it is as simple that people no longer know how to prepare/cook their food. Home made food has become something very complicated that Nigela and Gordon do on the telly in a variety of cooking programmes, not what householders do every day in their homes.
I must be one of a dying breed then as I try to (when the pennies will allow) buy all my meat and veg from farm shops and local butchers and cook everything from scratch. I wouldn't say I am a good cook but I go enjoy the taste of fresh meat and veg.
Scarybiscuits03
22-Sep-10, 14:08
I don't remember the last time I bought meat from the supermarket! I always use the local butcher. Supermarket meat has no flavour whatsoever and I was sick of the bacon shrinking to nothing! Like to make everything from scratch if I have people to cook for, if it's just me - I just snack on rubbish! lol Oh and fresh eggs too - what a difference, they actually have a strong coloured yolk, not like the pastey things you buy from the supermarket!
I think it is all to do with convenience.....people like convenience.
Used to be women stayed at home with the children, and were able to cook and set nice basic meals. Now because we all want bigger houses/ bigger cars etc.,etc., the women must work, and thus they have no time to cook and God forbid that the men do the domestic thingy!
Someone mentioned the cooking shows on TV....They do a 30 minute show and it takes days of filming to get it together. You think that it is all done as you see it/ dream on!
Rescue 911., I don't know if you had it over there, had 3 segments, each of 16 minutes = 48 minutes of the hour ....60 minutes....12 minutes of commercials!
One 16 minute segment, took 6 days of filming and weeks of editing...I know/ I was there.....
So 'scuse me for butting in, but where do the people have the time to do anything other than get all their groceries under one roof!
changilass
25-Sep-10, 00:25
I made a rather yummy chicken and bacon salad tonight, it took all of 10 mins including prep, happy to report that all plates were cleared.
Home cooking doesn't need to take an age.
Most things I make take much less time that it would take to get something out of the freezer and cook anyhow, so no real excuses.
Experiment, its fun and you could come up with a family favourite.
Its a great way of spending some quality time with the wee man too, if its really yummy he claims it as his lol.
I think it is as simple that people no longer know how to prepare/cook their food. Home made food has become something very complicated that Nigela and Gordon do on the telly in a variety of cooking programmes, not what householders do every day in their homes.
I agree with what you have said. I have come back from China an nearly all young girls and boys can cook and cook local produce. Even people who work at the shops cook for the workers and no it is not just rice. Meat, fish, etc.
I made a rather yummy chicken and bacon salad tonight, it took all of 10 mins including prep, happy to report that all plates were cleared.
Home cooking doesn't need to take an age.
Most things I make take much less time that it would take to get something out of the freezer and cook anyhow, so no real excuses.
Experiment, its fun and you could come up with a family favourite.
Its a great way of spending some quality time with the wee man too, if its really yummy he claims it as his lol.
With you all the way on this one! well said :)
onecalledk
25-Sep-10, 12:48
"dont have time" is the illusion created by the 24hr world that we live in. There is still 24 hours in a day just like there was decades ago but the world as it is would fool you into believing there is no time to switch off. Constant news, constant shopping, constant illusion....
I just wouldnt buy any meat from a supermarket, why would I living up here?! Totally agree that caithness has everything right on the doorstep.
When I shop in the butchers I know where the meat has come from, I know that it didnt start off half way across the world and go through various processes to end up on my plate. The difference in taste is amazing, chicken actually tastes of chicken and not nothing....
Fruit and veg again everything that is sold in a supermarket will have had lots of pesticides etc sprayed on it before being prepared then shipped half way across the world. A worrying pesticide is being used in the US on strawberry crops, dangerous to human health and pesticides become part of the crop as the crop grows, you cannot just wash it off.
Food is how we live, it fuels our bodies, if we dont watch what we put in to our bodies as fuel then how can we be surprised if we suffer illness? ADHD has grown as a label for our children, are we suprised if on getting up in the morning they wolf down a bowl of sugar (which is the first ingredient on nearly every cereal box) as a way to start the day?
human behaviour is shaped by what the human body is fueled with. We ate more healthily decades ago before supermarkets began to dictate what we should eat.
how many people know which fruit and veg is in or out of season when Mr Supermarket has anything you want from anywhere you want all year round? Remember the supermarket does not care about QUALITY, it only cares about QUANTITY, thats how they make such massive profit......
K
I made a rather yummy chicken and bacon salad tonight, it took all of 10 mins including prep, happy to report that all plates were cleared.
Home cooking doesn't need to take an age..
I reccommend your Butter Tartlets, yummy[lol]
Walter Ego
25-Sep-10, 14:23
"dont have time" is the illusion created by the 24hr world that we live in. There is still 24 hours in a day just like there was decades ago but the world as it is would fool you into believing there is no time to switch off. Constant news, constant shopping, constant illusion....
I just wouldnt buy any meat from a supermarket, why would I living up here?! Totally agree that caithness has everything right on the doorstep.
When I shop in the butchers I know where the meat has come from, I know that it didnt start off half way across the world and go through various processes to end up on my plate. The difference in taste is amazing, chicken actually tastes of chicken and not nothing....
Fruit and veg again everything that is sold in a supermarket will have had lots of pesticides etc sprayed on it before being prepared then shipped half way across the world. A worrying pesticide is being used in the US on strawberry crops, dangerous to human health and pesticides become part of the crop as the crop grows, you cannot just wash it off.
Food is how we live, it fuels our bodies, if we dont watch what we put in to our bodies as fuel then how can we be surprised if we suffer illness? ADHD has grown as a label for our children, are we suprised if on getting up in the morning they wolf down a bowl of sugar (which is the first ingredient on nearly every cereal box) as a way to start the day?
human behaviour is shaped by what the human body is fueled with. We ate more healthily decades ago before supermarkets began to dictate what we should eat.
how many people know which fruit and veg is in or out of season when Mr Supermarket has anything you want from anywhere you want all year round? Remember the supermarket does not care about QUALITY, it only cares about QUANTITY, thats how they make such massive profit......
K
Well said.
So 'scuse me for butting in, but where do the people have the time to do anything other than get all their groceries under one roof!
The reason I mentioned the cooking programmes is because they make cooking look so complicated that you can ONLY feel totaly inadequate. And yes, it is harder to come home and cook after a day of work. But it isn't as hard as it looks. With some planning and less giving in to fussy eaters anyone can cook and not feel swamped. Though I do confess we tend to eat dinner later than most families here. Maybe it is a cultural thing, but dinner at 17:00 is far too early for us. We tend to eat around 18:30.
The reason I mentioned the cooking programmes is because they make cooking look so complicated that you can ONLY feel totaly inadequate. And yes, it is harder to come home and cook after a day of work. But it isn't as hard as it looks. With some planning and less giving in to fussy eaters anyone can cook and not feel swamped. Though I do confess we tend to eat dinner later than most families here. Maybe it is a cultural thing, but dinner at 17:00 is far too early for us. We tend to eat around 18:30.
I have heard in my travels, that the later you eat the evening meal the more 'class' one has...I mean the 'toffs'. Of course that could be due to all the pre dinner Martinis!!!!!
I remember going to dinner one evening with some people who thought they were above us mortals, and by 9pm the host had his head in he soup bowl!!! Just funny thoughts....
We have very few local butchers in our area (and they charge the earth!) so we buy organic from the wide range of supermarkets here. Today we are cooking a casserole from chicken thighs with veg from our allotment - carrots, greens, potatoes, onions, herbs and peppers. This may be accompanied by roast homegrown pumpkin.
When I retire (if ever!) I would like to move back up to Caithness. What is it like for growing yer own veggies?
Caithness has got it all...........
We have it all, right here on our doorstep or at least not too far away from our doorsteps,
we are fortunate enough to live in a county surrounded by countryside, farms and crofts,
Our Crofters and farmers are producing some the best livestock / cereals / etc, that Scotland herself has to offer and yet and I fail to understand why so many people in this county are so reluctant to support their local farm / croft business/s,
A wee search on google shows the prices being charged to city dwellers and others ordering foodstuff from the internet, and many more people looking further afield and paying through the nose for something, you would literally pay considerably less for here.
The supermarkets and lets face it we have a few, are charging an arm and a leg for what has been affectionately called "plastic meat", and the shoppers, actually buy great quantities of it,
? who can understand why,
Is it that people have forgotten what food should taste like, or that they have never tasted meat which has been reared traditionally?
Is it that they just don't care what they eat or that they have been brainwashed into thinking that supermarket food is best? that the food they buy has travelled hundreds of miles just to end up on a shelf until best until date?
I wish someone would enlighten me,
OK The next time I have a couple of hours spare in town I'm going to compare prices and quality with the local butchers against Tescos on 5 key products to see if you are right or no.
1 Beef mince
2 Beef steak
3 Lambs Liver
4 Lamb joint
5 Pork chops
onecalledk
26-Sep-10, 12:36
OK The next time I have a couple of hours spare in town I'm going to compare prices and quality with the local butchers against Tescos on 5 key products to see if you are right or no.
1 Beef mince
2 Beef steak
3 Lambs Liver
4 Lamb joint
5 Pork chops
There is no comparison, the meat is from various countries in a supermarket , there is no way you can compare like for like as the butcher sells (they will state where) local meat. Pre packed meat says one thing on the cover and could have something different inside. Take Beef mince, supermarket bought beef mince cooked in a pan will result in a lot of fat and hardly any meat by the time you have finished. Butcher bought beef mince will cook and have hardly any fat coming out of it.
Chicken bought from the local butcher needs to have some oil added to the pan as it cooks and gives little juice. Supermarket chicken spits and hisses at you due to the high water content.
It pays to know WHERE your meat comes from. A lot of intensive farming is done in which the use of antibiotics and other supplements to feed are used. These are intensive "battery" farms of animals where the antibiotics are needed to keep control of disease. This is passed into the animals blood stream and into the meat of the animal. Perhaps why the human race is building such a huge resistance to antibiotics in general is due to the mass consumption of antibiotics through our food.
Have you looked at the labels of cows milk lately in the supermarkets. Even blue top "whole milk" is no longer whole. It contains only a certain amount of fat in it !! Milk that is not full fat has little nutritional content for a human, we need the fat in it. If you drink semi skimmed or skimmed milk you might as well drink coloured water......
Same bottles, slightly different label and vastly different contents .......... Supermarkets are good at making things appear what they arent . Do you remember the farmed salmon that M & S sold where they invented the name of the Loch where the salmon was taken from. This is an english M & S product and was on watchdog. When they did a bit of detective work on it they found it had been made up as a lot of people in england would have no idea where places were in Scotland!
So do I believe the labels in a supermarket .....erm no .....
K
There is no comparison, the meat is from various countries in a supermarket , there is no way you can compare like for like as the butcher sells (they will state where) local meat. Pre packed meat says one thing on the cover and could have something different inside.
Take Beef mince, supermarket bought beef mince cooked in a pan will result in a lot of fat and hardly any meat by the time you have finished. Butcher bought beef mince will cook and have hardly any fat coming out of it.
Chicken bought from the local butcher needs to have some oil added to the pan as it cooks and gives little juice. Supermarket chicken spits and hisses at you due to the high water content.
K
Err am I missing something here, you just compared like for like so it can be done.
I read somewhere that soils are poorer in Scotland especially in the far north compared to England and elsewhere so produce must be better in other parts of the UK? So local farming is highly reliant on artificial fertilizers or the skill of the local farmers overcome the local handicap?
Kevin Milkins
26-Sep-10, 20:30
Err am I missing something here, you just compared like for like so it can be done.
I read somewhere that soils are poorer in Scotland especially in the far north compared to England and elsewhere so produce must be better in other parts of the UK? So local farming is highly reliant on artificial fertilizers or the skill of the local farmers overcome the local handicap?
Poor soils doesn't necessarily equal to poor meat, it just means the stocking rate will be lower on farms that grow less food or fodder per acre.
It is my opinion that a beast grown slower, on poorer fodder over a longer period will produce a better quality lean meat than one stuffing it's face on ad-lib diets and getting fat.
There is no comparison, the meat is from various countries in a supermarket , there is no way you can compare like for like as the butcher sells (they will state where) local meat. Pre packed meat says one thing on the cover and could have something different inside. Take Beef mince, supermarket bought beef mince cooked in a pan will result in a lot of fat and hardly any meat by the time you have finished. Butcher bought beef mince will cook and have hardly any fat coming out of it.
Chicken bought from the local butcher needs to have some oil added to the pan as it cooks and gives little juice. Supermarket chicken spits and hisses at you due to the high water content.
It pays to know WHERE your meat comes from. A lot of intensive farming is done in which the use of antibiotics and other supplements to feed are used. These are intensive "battery" farms of animals where the antibiotics are needed to keep control of disease. This is passed into the animals blood stream and into the meat of the animal. Perhaps why the human race is building such a huge resistance to antibiotics in general is due to the mass consumption of antibiotics through our food.
Have you looked at the labels of cows milk lately in the supermarkets. Even blue top "whole milk" is no longer whole. It contains only a certain amount of fat in it !! Milk that is not full fat has little nutritional content for a human, we need the fat in it. If you drink semi skimmed or skimmed milk you might as well drink coloured water......
Same bottles, slightly different label and vastly different contents .......... Supermarkets are good at making things appear what they arent . Do you remember the farmed salmon that M & S sold where they invented the name of the Loch where the salmon was taken from. This is an english M & S product and was on watchdog. When they did a bit of detective work on it they found it had been made up as a lot of people in england would have no idea where places were in Scotland!
So do I believe the labels in a supermarket .....erm no .....
K
Ah! someone who knows the truth behind the supermarkets! :)
Poor soils doesn't necessarily equal to poor meat, it just means the stocking rate will be lower on farms that grow less food or fodder per acre.
It is my opinion that a beast grown slower, on poorer fodder over a longer period will produce a better quality lean meat than one stuffing it's face on ad-lib diets and getting fat.
Love it!
Can I incorporate that into my sales pitch?
Love it!
Can I incorporate that into my sales pitch?
Is that all it is? A sales pitch?
Is that all it is? A sales pitch?
I twigged that the moment I read the opening post. Its alright spouting about local grown produce but not everyone can afford the rip off prices. Stuff grown or bred locally should be cheaper than stuff that has been flown halfway round the world surely?
Thank God for Tesco is all I can say !!
C3....[disgust][disgust]
onecalledk
28-Sep-10, 14:46
I twigged that the moment I read the opening post. Its alright spouting about local grown produce but not everyone can afford the rip off prices. Stuff grown or bred locally should be cheaper than stuff that has been flown halfway round the world surely?
Thank God for Tesco is all I can say !!
C3....[disgust][disgust]
take your eyes off the price , you should be looking at the nutritional content of the food and not only the price. If you look at what you are actually buying and ingesting in a lot of supermarket produce then you will realise the illusion that is "cheap food". Food will continue to get cheaper in supermarkets and less nutrionally dense until the customers of said supermarkets begin to take a real look at what they are buying.
Lettuce bought from tesco survives in the fridge for approx 1 week or so, taken out the ground said lettuce will survive for a day or so before starting to wilt after being picked. So why does the lettuce in tesco survive for so much longer ? Everything that is sprayed onto the soil that something is grown in is within the cellular structure of that plant, we humans then eat the plant and ingest it....
Doesnt anybody question the food on the shelves in supermarkets? does anyone read labels on products? or do you all just blindly trust and absorb the advertising and lovely colours that are used ??????????
To go back to your original statement, its not "rip off pricing" you need to watch for more "rip off contents" .
K
Duncansby
28-Sep-10, 14:50
'rip off' prices? Because something isn't dirt cheap doesn't necessarily mean it's a rip off - more an indication that the cost of producing something which has been grown at a natural rate and with sufficient room to thrive does cost more.
I think as a society we have become far to used to convience foods which have no or little nutritional quality, that have been reared in cramped conditions and stuffed full of unnatural supplements in order to get them to grow quickly.
I twigged that the moment I read the opening post. Its alright spouting about local grown produce but not everyone can afford the rip off prices. Stuff grown or bred locally should be cheaper than stuff that has been flown halfway round the world surely?
Thank God for Tesco is all I can say !!
C3....[disgust][disgust]
Who said it is not?
changilass
29-Sep-10, 20:00
My supermarket bill says its not, other than the stuff I grow myself that is.
Why do folks think they can get away with putting an extortionate premium on stuff just cos its local.
I would be more than willing to support local growers if they didn't do this.
Surely they would be better off with lots of sales at a reasonable price than just one or two rip offs.
I can't afford to shop locally.
Duncansby
29-Sep-10, 21:01
Why do folks think they can get away with putting an extortionate premium on stuff just cos its local.
Ah but you get what you pay for. A lot of local foods are marketed as quality / luxury goods because of the way it's been produced. The potatoe production in Egypt is on a massive industrial scale while reducing production costs has huge environmental and social costs.
Just out of interest can you give a specific example?
Ah but you get what you pay for. A lot of local foods are marketed as quality / luxury goods because of the way it's been produced. The potatoe production in Egypt is on a massive industrial scale while reducing production costs has huge environmental and social costs.
Just out of interest can you give a specific example?
You are right Duncansby, a lot of stuff is produced up here as luxury/quality stuff, is this done for the tourists because I am sure I am not alone in the fact that I cant afford to live on this luxury/quality stuff week in week out. A treat now and again yes, but not on a regular basis. The one example that sticks out for me is a very rare treat of sirloin steak, I paid about the same in Tesco and again in a local butcher, the difference was I got almost twice as much in Tesco. But now you are going to ask which tasted best arent you? I admit the local tasted better but only marginally and the fact I got nearly twice as much with the Tesco one will sway me to buy there again when I have saved up enough money.
Its good stuff but far too expensive for the average family!
C3....:(
Walter Ego
30-Sep-10, 08:17
I twigged that the moment I read the opening post. Its alright spouting about local grown produce but not everyone can afford the rip off prices. Stuff grown or bred locally should be cheaper than stuff that has been flown halfway round the world surely?
Thank God for Tesco is all I can say !!
C3....[disgust][disgust]
Nope.
We are constantly given the 'cheap' mantra by the supermarkets because they excel at bulk buying produce enabling them to screw the price right down. Find a product ,standardize it into a weight/size/appearance unit (easier for them to account and sucker the public with) and tell everyone that this is the 'normal' way to buy produce. Small local producers find it difficult to challenge them on price.
Standard supermarket meat is a mediocer - or in some cases - disgustingly poor product.
What they sell as 'premium' cuts with sales pitches focussing on, say in the case of beef, "21 day matured" is absolute crap. Beef should be hung for a couple of weeks at least before it gets on the slab anyway..
It's all smoke and mirrors with the big players.
Spuds? Bland rubbish compared to John O'Groats produce.
'Consumers' have been brainwashed and conditioned by the supermarkets. Don't get me wrong, they're good at business and I use them myself. But informed buying decision making isn't something that the big players tend to be keen on.
They like their 'consumers' to trot along behind the Pied Piper of 'cheapness' whilst being gulled that they are - at the same time - buying 'quality'.
Don't make me larf.
Walter Ego
30-Sep-10, 08:21
You are right Duncansby, a lot of stuff is produced up here as luxury/quality stuff, is this done for the tourists because I am sure I am not alone in the fact that I cant afford to live on this luxury/quality stuff week in week out. A treat now and again yes, but not on a regular basis. The one example that sticks out for me is a very rare treat of sirloin steak, I paid about the same in Tesco and again in a local butcher, the difference was I got almost twice as much in Tesco. But now you are going to ask which tasted best arent you? I admit the local tasted better but only marginally and the fact I got nearly twice as much with the Tesco one will sway me to buy there again when I have saved up enough money.
Its good stuff but far too expensive for the average family!
C3....:(
I don't think Harrolds butcher in Wick is full of tourists.
I buy my veg from puffin croft and all my meat from greystones i find it works out cheaper, much better value, and tastes how food should:) I havent got cash to throw around and find these two the best quality and value for money, shopping localy doesnt have to cost the earth.
onecalledk
30-Sep-10, 12:47
You are right Duncansby, a lot of stuff is produced up here as luxury/quality stuff, is this done for the tourists because I am sure I am not alone in the fact that I cant afford to live on this luxury/quality stuff week in week out. A treat now and again yes, but not on a regular basis. The one example that sticks out for me is a very rare treat of sirloin steak, I paid about the same in Tesco and again in a local butcher, the difference was I got almost twice as much in Tesco. But now you are going to ask which tasted best arent you? I admit the local tasted better but only marginally and the fact I got nearly twice as much with the Tesco one will sway me to buy there again when I have saved up enough money.
Its good stuff but far too expensive for the average family!
C3....:(
This goes beyond taste and price. WHAT is it that you are buying in the guise of Sirloin steak from Tesco. WHY can tesco give you that amount for that price ? Tesco are there to make profit and thats it. Give it a fancy package, put nice words on it you wouldnt know the difference. The fact that said meat could be a mixture of different countries animals makes no difference cos the customer is looking for CHEAP.
Meat massed produced on an industrial scale has little nutrient value. Its pumped full of antibiotics and the animals are fed on food that will bulk them up quickly so they can be slaughtered quickly. This is intensive farming at its worse. The animals live in horrendous conditions all to satisfy the CHEAP food market. We used to have a huge outcry at battery chicken farms, now cattle are kept that way no one bothers.
This is not just about the plight of the animals though, how can a totally stressed out animal "grown" on one of these farms produce high quality meat? it cant. Compare then to locally produced meat, where you can drive passed the fields and see the cattle grazing. Little pollution up here in Caithness, no intensive farming, happy animals. The butcher is giving the best price he can for top quality meat.
I agree completely with the poster who stated we are being conditioned to see things as the way it should be bought by supermarkets. They are NOT doing us any favours at all. You buy CHEAP produce at CHEAP prices, quality doesnt have a look in. Perhaps you should shop around locally if you find the prices too high, I find that buying my veg and meat locally is cheaper than buying in tesco.
We have all been conditioned over the years to think that buying CHEAP under one roof is convenient and affords us the best food. ITS A LIE. I remember years ago my mother wouldnt buy meat from certain supermarkets and she stated that it was inferior, there was only one supermarket she would buy from (it wasnt tesco) , other than that she went to the local butcher. I remember when supermarkets used to have their own butchery department where you saw the meat being cut up and packed before being put on display. That is not longer the case. They make more profit having this done on a huge scale before importing into the country. The "instore" bakers are still there but for how much longer?
Soon supermarkets will have no staff just automated tills, you wont need staff cos its a bit like a production line already, you go in, get led round the aisles and then spat out at the checkout. Disposable ......
K
I twigged that the moment I read the opening post. Its alright spouting about local grown produce but not everyone can afford the rip off prices. Stuff grown or bred locally should be cheaper than stuff that has been flown halfway round the world surely?
Thank God for Tesco is all I can say !!
C3....[disgust][disgust]
What makes you think it isn't?
It's not all sales pitch, in fact it wasn't sales pitch at all.
The original post was that I was trying to gage local opinion about locally grown produce.
That is all.
:)
changilass
14-Oct-10, 16:45
What makes you think it isn't?
It's not all sales pitch, in fact it wasn't sales pitch at all.
The original post was that I was trying to gage local opinion about locally grown produce.
That is all.
:)
Aye guaging local opinion to work out what your next sales strategy was gonna be.
At least have the decency to be upfront about it in future.
Aye guaging local opinion to work out what your next sales strategy was gonna be.
Not at all,
we don't add premiums to anything we grow / breed,
At least have the decency to be upfront about it in future.
So the next time that I wish to sell something be it food or otherwise, I should first ask the opinion of the general public,
I don't believe there was anything "indecent" in my original post?
Where I asked "can I use that in my sales pitch" it was to be taken with a pinch of salt, I was I thought merely being sociable, obviously having a sense of humour "dry" or otherwise is not an requirement on the forum.
I apologise, if I "led" anyone to believe otherwise.
So the next time that I wish to sell something be it food or otherwise, I should first ask the opinion of the general public,
I don't believe there was anything "indecent" in my original post?
Where I asked "can I use that in my sales pitch" it was to be taken with a pinch of salt, I was I thought merely being sociable, obviously having a sense of humour "dry" or otherwise is not an requirement on the forum.
I apologise, if I "led" anyone to believe otherwise.
No you dont have to ask the public, but on the other hand you shoudnt look upon the public as being stupid.!!
Your posts have slagged off the supermarkets but there are some(myself included) that love the supermarkets. When prices come down for local stuff then I will buy but at the moment Tesco is my Friend!!!
C3.....:mad:
No you dont have to ask the public, but on the other hand you shoudnt look upon the public as being stupid.!!
Your posts have slagged off the supermarkets but there are some(myself included) that love the supermarkets. When prices come down for local stuff then I will buy but at the moment Tesco is my Friend!!!
C3.....:mad:
Agreed, I don't like supermarkets (or the fact that they diddle people right left and centre) although I do shop in them for some things,
Geez, I seem to be upsetting a lot of folks today.......................
Agreed, I don't like supermarkets (or the fact that they diddle people right left and centre) although I do shop in them for some things,
Geez, I seem to be upsetting a lot of folks today.......................
So where do you buy your local grown stuff then Commore? You say in the Pickle thread that you are an Incomer and dont have time to go round all the small shops and you dont even know where Mackay's is. I wish you would make your mind up, in two threads now you have rubbished supermarkets and in this one telling everyone they should be buying local and now you are saying you dont know where the local shops are and you shop in supermarkets......Jeeeeeeeezzzzzz !!!!
C3.....:confused:confused
So where do you buy your local grown stuff then Commore? You say in the Pickle thread that you are an Incomer and dont have time to go round all the small shops and you dont even know where Mackay's is. I wish you would make your mind up, in two threads now you have rubbished supermarkets and in this one telling everyone they should be buying local and now you are saying you dont know where the local shops are and you shop in supermarkets......Jeeeeeeeezzzzzz !!!!
C3.....:confused:confused
I am an incomer, I grow / breed my own, I don't like supermarkets but do shop in them for items that I myself cannot produce,
I didn't know where MacKay's was until fairly recently.
I am not telling everyone where they should shop, just surprised more don't buy locally, or maybe I should rephrase that and write buy direct
and apparently I have spelt "Geez" wrongly, it should be........
Jeeeeeeeezzzzzz !!!!
pentlander
14-Oct-10, 22:48
I am an incomer, I grow / breed my own, I don't like supermarkets but do shop in them for items that I myself cannot produce,
I didn't know where MacKay's was until fairly recently.
I am not telling everyone where they should shop, just surprised more don't buy locally, or maybe I should rephrase that and write buy direct
and apparently I have spelt "Geez" wrongly, it should be........
Jeeeeeeeezzzzzz !!!!
Originally posted by Conmore
''My knowledge of Thurso is Tesco and Lidl's,''
You've not tried terribly hard have you if you are honest.
Originally posted by Conmore
''My knowledge of Thurso is Tesco and Lidl's,''
You've not tried terribly hard have you if you are honest.
The name is Commore,
I had a nosy around Thurso town today, I found some shops and yet another supermarket no less,
and guess where I got my pickling spice?
Seems at least one supermarket still deals with the company that makes the spices.
Ooo ta, to that supermarket :)
The name is Commore,
I had a nosy around Thurso town today, I found some shops and yet another supermarket no less,
and guess where I got my pickling spice?
Seems at least one supermarket still deals with the company that makes the spices.
Ooo ta, to that supermarket :)
Oh I think Conmore suits.....Although I am not one to be conned!!!
C3....;)
Oh I think Conmore suits.....Although I am not one to be conned!!!
C3....;)
More sarcasm, the lowest form of wit, so they say,
I buy my veg from puffin croft and all my meat from greystones i find it works out cheaper, much better value, and tastes how food should:) I havent got cash to throw around and find these two the best quality and value for money, shopping localy doesnt have to cost the earth.
Absolutely agree, both suppliers are excellent.
I buy a beast or 1/2 a beast (depending on what it is)straight from contacts (local and local meat)after the slaughterhouse and get my Dad to butcher it...works out cheaper...unless a wee horror switches off the freezer:eek:
Or the butcher shop for something different or sausages.
For veg I use Lidls or tesco..for convenience
welsh-witch
15-Oct-10, 21:25
"dont have time" is the illusion created by the 24hr world that we live in. There is still 24 hours in a day just like there was decades ago but the world as it is would fool you into believing there is no time to switch off. Constant news, constant shopping, constant illusion....
I just wouldnt buy any meat from a supermarket, why would I living up here?! Totally agree that caithness has everything right on the doorstep.
When I shop in the butchers I know where the meat has come from, I know that it didnt start off half way across the world and go through various processes to end up on my plate. The difference in taste is amazing, chicken actually tastes of chicken and not nothing....
Fruit and veg again everything that is sold in a supermarket will have had lots of pesticides etc sprayed on it before being prepared then shipped half way across the world. A worrying pesticide is being used in the US on strawberry crops, dangerous to human health and pesticides become part of the crop as the crop grows, you cannot just wash it off.
Food is how we live, it fuels our bodies, if we dont watch what we put in to our bodies as fuel then how can we be surprised if we suffer illness? ADHD has grown as a label for our children, are we suprised if on getting up in the morning they wolf down a bowl of sugar (which is the first ingredient on nearly every cereal box) as a way to start the day?
human behaviour is shaped by what the human body is fueled with. We ate more healthily decades ago before supermarkets began to dictate what we should eat.
how many people know which fruit and veg is in or out of season when Mr Supermarket has anything you want from anywhere you want all year round? Remember the supermarket does not care about QUALITY, it only cares about QUANTITY, thats how they make such massive profit......
K
well said :Razz
porridge or toast in the mornings..
fruit as snacks..
Lunch can be a bit of a non event after snack time at nursery..
Soup (homemade) something on toast, if not had in the morning, yogurts etc..
Dinner usually cooked from scratch...
Dont think we do too bad!
welsh-witch
15-Oct-10, 23:01
porridge or toast in the mornings..
fruit as snacks..
Lunch can be a bit of a non event after snack time at nursery..
Soup (homemade) something on toast, if not had in the morning, yogurts etc..
Dinner usually cooked from scratch...
Dont think we do too bad!
will you adopt me please please please:Razz
Ok as long as you can listen before I get to 3...and dont draw on walls or switch the freezer off!:lol:
In my Caithness teenage years my parents tried growing their own veg, but it was so worm infested, it all ended up in the bin. later they converted the veg and fruit gardens into lawns.
In London we have ocado- which delivers lovely stuff to the door, and there are specialist fruit and veg shops around. My favourite supermarket is Waitrose-shudder to think at lack of choice further north.
Remember that for the old and housebound the Tesco delivery service is a godsend. When I'm north, i review my relatives' orders and arrange weekly deliveries- and the delviery people are another friendly face for the housebound too
Mrs Bucket
19-Oct-10, 06:23
I think locally produced is a niche market
I think locally produced is a niche market
You could be right, but for the producer it is not always easy to break into and many small farmers out of it and are left to their own devices.
is it really worth it for Caithness? especially when Lidl produce is often better than waht can be home grown- and is also within the pockets of the locals- especially locals no longer making the Dounreay wages
Im pathetic at gardening..but will have a go at tatties in a bucket and parsley in a pot by the front door etc..
My next door neighbour has a lovely veg plot and the veg looks wonderful..so yes I think it would be worth it on a small scale..
Must get a neep or 2 from my sis!
but how much will the compost set you back?
Nothing...you make your own from peelings and grass cuttings in a compost bin!
And if you need stronger stuff speek nicely to your local horse owner..usually you can get as much as you can shovel..
I think locally produced is a niche market
No!! Really??????;)
oldmarine
19-Oct-10, 19:05
Caithness has got it all...........
We have it all, right here on our doorstep or at least not too far away from our doorsteps,
we are fortunate enough to live in a county surrounded by countryside, farms and crofts,
Our Crofters and farmers are producing some the best livestock / cereals / etc, that Scotland herself has to offer and yet and I fail to understand why so many people in this county are so reluctant to support their local farm / croft business/s,
A wee search on google shows the prices being charged to city dwellers and others ordering foodstuff from the internet, and many more people looking further afield and paying through the nose for something, you would literally pay considerably less for here.
The supermarkets and lets face it we have a few, are charging an arm and a leg for what has been affectionately called "plastic meat", and the shoppers, actually buy great quantities of it,
? who can understand why,
Is it that people have forgotten what food should taste like, or that they have never tasted meat which has been reared traditionally?
Is it that they just don't care what they eat or that they have been brainwashed into thinking that supermarket food is best? that the food they buy has travelled hundreds of miles just to end up on a shelf until best until date?
I wish someone would enlighten me,
I agree with your comment Caithness has got it all... However most of your comments appear to be complaints. I have traveled most of the world - mostly Asia & Europe. I have traveled throughout England and Scotland, and found Caithness the most delightful place I have visited. I have enjoyed meeting the local populations and found the people friendly and open for friendly discussion. I enjoyed traveling Bed & Breakfast with my family and found many happy people. I enjoyed my time on duty at the old former Naval Station at Thurso.
Powered by vBulletin® Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.