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Last weekend we were visiting our local farm shop that does a range of expensive high end produce. The service is pretty good, the selection is interesting and it's well presented. We shop there occasionally to pick up the essentials we've run out of...milk, fruit, veg although given that we have a young family most of our weekly shop comes from elsewhere.
Generally we don't go for the luxury items...occasionally an apple pie as a treat for Caroline if she's had a hard day. Last weekend however they have on special offer some Achiltibuie kippers....mmm!!!! kippers!!!
In our house kippers are a 'dad thing'....and I keep them for those occasions when I'm back late, everyone else has eaten and I need to do some 'single-man-cooking.' So I do have them occasionally but generally I buy the ones that come in a plastic wrapper; potatoes in the water in the bottom of the vegetable steamer, green vegetables in the steamer tray itself, kipper in its plastic wrapper on top of the lot. Because it's in a plastic wrapper it steams in the heat and doesn't stink the house out. And at the end of it you've only got one pot and plate to wash...single man cooking!
But then...all of a sudden you've got the choice of an Achiltibuie kipper. It comes in an attractive package with a picture of a Scottish croft on the front..."Oil-rich summer herring...hand-split, lightly salted..cold smoked overnight..." yum! yum! Got to buy it because it's on offer and it comes at a discount, "...have it if you want but Jeremy, it's still expensive."
Anyway, after all that I'm home alone with my kipper, stinking the house out as only a single man knows how...until the family comes back. "Uhh...!..what's that smell.." Too late, too late, the deed is done...dad's had his kipper. Hearing the kids objecting to the smell makes me giggle...the only real downside is I always forget that when I've done something like this I've got to put up with the cat mithering for an hour or so.
It was a particularly good kipper. I turn the pack over to see how they smoked it. Just as I thought, it's oak-smoked...oh and that's interesting. It's not one of those UKIP herrings....it's an immigrant from Norway....
That's a reminder of modern agricultural economics for you isn't it? It's a Scottish product but it started its life in Norway and most of the value was added in the processing, presenting and retailing. Also a reminder that we're all consumers and like all consumers we'll occasionally make an impulse purchase of something because it's easy, it's well presented and it looks value at the time...even if it's not the cheapest thing out there.