pumpkinstrokemarrow

The most rural food packaging of the holiday came from Hele Mill (http://www.helecornmill.com), with their flour coming in a brown paper bag which was not really strong enough for 1.5kg of the stuff. Label DIY with the only concession to the Quality Commission being a best before date filled in in biro. None of the many hieroglyphics which appear on, for example, packets of margarine from Sainsbury's.

Next up were the raisins from the Berrynarbor Community Shop (http://www.communityshops.coop/shop/berrynarbor-community-shop-and-post-office), imported from Argentina, parcelled up into 1lb (I think) clear plastic bags with labels front and back. Labels of identical size but different in content and looking reasonably DIY. Does Berrynarbor have sweated labour filling the bags from some much larger bag from the Argentine? Is this really easier than getting the raisins ready bagged from some wholesaler? How do they get the raisins from the Argentine to North Devon? Air freighted to Madrid then trucked north?

In the middle was something described as farm house cheddar from some named farm (possibly a real farm, if not the centre of operations) and wrapped in a yellowish translucent plastic printed to resemble a coarse cloth, presumably the idea is for us to associate with cheese cloth and artisanal cheese, even though this cheese, while entirely acceptable, had probably never seen a cheese cloth in its life. Plus a slightly posher label than that on the raisins, maybe the product of a packing station rather than someone's kitchen table.

Then, to remind us of metropolitan ways was the tub of Flora, in new colours, and describing itself on the top left of the lid as original and on the bottom right as new. BH was unable to detect any difference in the product.

But pride of place goes to the splendid chip shop on the front at Ilfracombe, possibly Maddy's on St. James's Place (spelling of James's from Google maps. Not convinced they have got it right). Illustrated for the avoidance of doubt. Two visits, and two fish specials on both occasions, both good grub and good value. But on exit, on the first occasion, we saw this wagon from T. Quality (http://www.tquality.co.uk/) pulling in to unload. We suddenly wondered how the fish was being delivered. Cut to portions? Battered? More or less cooked then refrozen then reheated to serve, like the bread you buy from many grocers? We will never know, but if I were a betting man I would say the fish was being delivered in portions, frozen and raw. Furthermore, T. Quality look to supply everything a chip shop driver could possibly want in the way of consumables - including here palm oil to heat (if not cook) the product and natty cardboard boxes in which to sell it.

I notice in passing that the waitress told us that the battered Mars Bars on special were very popular. I wonder if they came from T. Quality too?

And thinking about it, a lot easier for a busy chipper to buy its stuff from a proper wholesaler, which is what this outfit clearly was, than messing about with the vagaries of supply from the locals - there being at least two modern looking, if small, trawlers tied up at the nearby dock. And the local suppliers need a proper wholesaler who can cope with the vagaries of demand. DIY not really on on either side of the fence, as the old Etonian rhubarb grower from Axminster probably knows full well, despite his cuddly gardener presentation on the telly. One needs markets and wholesalers to smooth things out.

PS: Chrome playing up again. Have to spend some quality time with the thing. A pity, it had been doing really well until recently.