One evening whilst we were in Devon, management decided that we should avoid having a high calorie dinner in the hotel – instead a modest low calorie repast in the sanctuary of our hotel room.
So – I found myself at 7.30 pm in a Morrison supermarket in Teignmouth looking for a suitable meal. Management found for herself a salad with prawns with an apple for afters – I went for the low calorie Melton Mowbray pork pie, an ultra low calorie mature cheddar cheese, french bread stick, Eccles cakes for afters and a nice bottle of plonk.
As we drove back to the hotel with our meals, Libby asked me if I had noticed the stuff the woman in front of her at the check-out was buying. She said that this shopper had a range of things – all marked down to 9 pence including packets of salad, a pack of minced beef, a large Melton Mowbray pork pie and some packs of bread rolls.
Now fast forward 3 days, we are back at home, and I am dragged out to our Morrisons at 7.15 pm (which also closes at 8.0 pm) on a bargain hunt. I was a reluctant companion but went along with the scheme for the sake of marital harmony.
It was quite an experience – I found myself reluctantly mixing, and barging shoulders with, professional bargain hunters in the melee as prices were marked down on items which had a sell-by date expiring that day. It was literally a rugby scrum - which at first I found repugnant - but eventually my competitive spirit took over, I sharpened my elbows, and I launched myself into the fray with gay abandon. (No jokes about the use of the word “gay” please).
We came away with £28.68 worth of food at a total cost of £4.05 which included a cooked chicken (normal price £5.45 for 40 pence), a pack of 4 lean pork steaks (for £0.65 instead of.£6.35), a £1.65 seeded loaf for 9 pence and numerous other items of great value.
I have been booked to accompany her again next Wednesday.
