Temple of British tables (3): what to by in Waitrose

"What’s in a name?", asked Juliet. A name, in fact, is not the object itself, is a tag. I left my last post asking me what's behind Waitrose's philosophy: the name of Waitrose alone evokes a high standard. Waitrose's motto - Quality food, honestly priced - establishes a parallel between quality and fair prices. This is obvious. In comparison to M&S, they do not state that their prices may sound too high, why? This is because their customers are upper middle class, wealthy people for one or two generations.

Juliet: What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
      Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
      Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
      What's in a name? that which we call a rose
      By any other name would smell as sweet.
(W. Shakespeare, Romeo & Juliet, II, 2)

Claire Catherine Danes (NY, 1979), here aged 17,  in one of her most breath taking
close-ups in Romeo + Juliet (by Baz Lurhmann, 1996) with Leonardo di Caprio.

Sri Frank Bernard Dicksee, Romeo and Juliet (1884)
[Southampton City Art Gallery]:
one of my favourite paintings of this magnificent
late victorian painter, almost a Pre-Raphaelite. 

 Despite this consideration, Waitrose is part of a multinational group. Why is this calmly accepted? The first argument is that Waitrose policies benefit of its multinational status, but aim to a promote Fairtrade and Organic merchandise. The second answer might be that Waitrose does not challenge its customers. Its (hidden) approach, in fact, is that of the exclusivity. Here a consistent part of the Orwellian proles won’t have cultural access, because they cannot understand the logic beneath the chain. A person who buys, for instance, some Asda Spaghetti at 30p per pack would feel robbed to pay 95p (more than the triple) for the same amount of food. On the contrary, who goes into how food is produced accepts as a sort of compromise the co-habitation between Capitalism and a greener ethic.

Although a little timeworn, this book represents
the cornerstone of the modern sociological interpretation
of some mass phenomena. Worth reading:
Max Weber, The protestant ethic and the spirit of Capitalism.

What I have just explained is not a sterile critique, nor do I wish it to be taken as a lunge against these companies or the people loyal to one name or another: I am personally (and emotionally) attracted by Tesco as I showed in the previous posts. Moreover, every chain wishes to be trusted for its philosophy: if you are more relaxed you spend more and reason less. Each of these brands employs a multitude of psychologists to study human behaviours and to orientate their policies toward distinct directions. Let's take the Organic tendency. Organic produces are more respectful of the soil, in terms of pesticides and fertilizers. Each chain now has its own "hook" for environmental attentive people:

Ravishing organic hummus

Not bad brown spaghetti

Freshly baked baguette, although I fear is a demi-worked produce

Broccoli and red onions from Egypt

Waitrose is perhaps the British pioneer for organic products and the company encourages British organic farms too. The acquisition of the brand Duchy, which raised several perplexities, according to the management of HRH Prince Charles' rural portfolio, brought into Waitrose a vital range of goods, coming from a sustainable estate. 

Here is the link to the Duchy of Cornwall website:

http://www.duchyofcornwall.org/accessible/index_a.asp

British apples, kiwi, quail eggs, and pork meat.
Tomatoes and broccoli are likely to be imported from Southern Europe.

What I actually fancy the most is a Waitrose side effect, so to say. The more you are part of the dynamic part of a nation, the more you have a wider and more open vision of Reality: because you travel more, you read more, you always wish to expand what may be defined an insular vision of the world, you spend more and goods talk to you. This is why Waitrose customers are experimenting something new in comparison to their fellow citizens, who shop elsewhere. They are welcoming a the world to their cupboards:

• Yeo Valley yogurt and Waitrose red chicory are two British produce;
• Heritage Shetland black potatoes are from Scotland (violet and delicious when fried);
• Waitrose peeled cherry tomatoes are produced in Italy;
• Crosta & Mollica bread is from Puglia, the heel of Italy;
• Green & Blacks chocolate developed from Canada, but now is made in the EU as well;
• Herta Frankfurters are from Germany (gorgeous when boiled);
• Charles Basset white tuna tin is from France (once a month the perfect salad ingredient).

On the other side, Waitrose provides its own characteristic trademark! What comes after the label "essential", often does not mean that is of poor quality, but only that it is an essential ingredient for your diet and preparation:

Pasta, curly lettuce, paella rice, oranges, vegetables, minced meat and the pear, were meeting the highest standards.

A package of Waitrose Aberdeen Angus Beef:
I appreciate the lightness of it, without polystyrene container.

Whereas in all the other supermarkets the chain is prone to the customers oddities, Waitrose operates as a global and multicultural bazaar: the best choice from every country, at least of Europe. If you are not able to orient within this assortment, you can be tricked and spend fortunes on tastes difficult to combine. This is the only serious inconvenience, because you are bombarded by clusters of goodness: the quality of fruit and vegetables is sensational, less appealing is the fresh meat, impressive is the amount of Continental goods, mouth watering the quality of wines. Moreover, also the non-food selling is appealing, for instance I bought this lovely mug, inspired by a decoration related to Enea Silvio Piccolomini's figure - pope in the XVcentury with the name of Pio II. I guess it is linked to a tapestry owned now by the Victoria and Albert museum foundation.

There also is another phantasy available (5£)

Time for an organic Teapigs green tea and some Patisserie Valerie bon-bons.
If I am not mistaken I found this teabag in the Waitrose kitchen magazine of May 2012.

Here is the Teapigs web-site:
http://www.teapigs.co.uk/

Where to shop in Edinburgh: The Finest* addiction (second part)

Why then I appointed Tesco then?  (My) Ignorance, (a logistic) convenience, and (the company) philosophy are the answers I left in suspension at the end of last post. The first answer - which is also the most laughable - is that in 2007 I didn’t know Waitrose existence (which is increasingly becoming my favourite point of alimentary reference). Waitrose is more a European bazaar, so to say: there you can find the best selection of every sort of international goods, and I guess European travellers appreciate it more, because of its multicultural and non-filtered flaunting of products. Moreover, Waitrose is pushing further the Organic battle, line that I appreciate a lot. 

Detail of Effects of good governance by Ambrogio Lorenzetti, 1338-1340,
Palazzo Pubblico, Siena. Organic farming means essentially an holistic and ecologically
balanced approach to farming, avoiding the severe usage of specific chemicals.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_food

Waitrose acquired Duchy the brand once owned and launched by HRH Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall. Waitrose licensed the brand that was suffering substantial losses, due to the abrupt fall of organic sales and because the organic inclination is now satisfied by a wider spectrum of goods at lower prices. Waitrose now pays royalties on sales, so it is basically the market which will decide and the food-industry-chain is more rationally organized. I shall come again on this subject, because I tend to appreciate both the Prince's efforts and the solution achieved.

Let's head back to the primary argument: why Tesco? Proximity made the choice simpler! Morrisons, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer were too far from Warrender Park Road (where I used to live) and - at that time - I wasn’t shrewd enough with the online shopping:

If Waitrose is more open to contaminations, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Marks & Spencer are, instead, more essentially British: they fear to detach too much from what British people are believed to fancy. I should devote a page to them as well, sooner or later! It is virtually impossible to shape a personal idea, without shopping in all of these places. Especially to signal those asperities related to employment factors, often debated within the British society, but under surface for foreigners.

http://deanvipond.com/blog/?p=129
This blog offers an interesting angles about brands and capturing words.

The second reason I picked Tesco then was its relative closeness. Lastly, it was extremely evident its selling angle: there are essentially three streams of products and it's easy to stuck to what we understand. Everyday Value (once Tesco value) is thought to help people save money. The brand’s motto is Every little helps, which pays its debt to the hard discount initial vocation "pile 'em high, sell 'em cheap". It is a foul play - for my taste - the use of the word value: the effect is that of stressing on the reduced cost, yet alluding to a sneaky ethical field. The high abuse of Palm Oil, Sugar, Salt, Preservative and Fats does not really make these goods appealing, neither to my palate nor to my environment friendly inclination: they aren’t poison, but definitely not ambrosia.

In my opinion this line of products is too shabby in presentation and quality,
there are wonderful exceptions related to foil, cling film, oven paper (non edible stuff)

Then there’s (standard) Tesco, which offers a good range of merchandise, but too many ready meals, which encourage people’s laziness and uncritical attitude. If you ignore how to cook something, you cannot judge it. On the other hand, Tesco seems attentive to local products, which on the average is a good effort. I noticed, for instance, that Waitrose, here in Scotland, privileges English meat to the Scottish one, which is fine, but does not help to create a short food chain. 

http://realfood.tesco.com/our-food/tesco-standard.html

Here what the brand itself states on Tesco standard

Finally, we have Tesco Finest, which I would like to define REAL FOOD: Tesco Finest* is actually able to challenge - in terms of prices and qualities - with M&S and Waitrose best items. Only how consumers will enact (or “inact”) is going to force food groups to diversify – according to more respectful policies - their goods assortment. I have to admit it: I am in love with Tesco Finest*. Not even soups are a turn off. This addiction is beneficial and healthy and it teaches a little lesson: good food costs only a bit more than sub-standard food, but it is also important not to make it become a fetish. Tesco Finest* is a combination of knowledge, expertise, care, quality and choice: not an easy goal:

http://realfood.tesco.com/our-food/tesco-finest-range.html

Sometimes, I got almost offended by the co-existence of shoddy goods and excellent ones. It is unfair: it is a shame to acknowledge how many superb aliments Great Britain has and trades and how miserably low is its food reputation. Moreover, I disagree with the market rule of demand and offer: if you invest in the organic philosophy, fostering an ideological battle, those organic goods will cost less and even who is not aware of what she/he is eating will feed her/himself better. Tesco Finest* is often lush, but not always heathy: it is a guarantee of quality, yet indulging on something too caloric doesn't make it suitable for an every-day diet. For instance, an high consumption of vegetable crisps, which I personally adore, might produces a misbalance of your blood system, because of the excessive assimilation of salt:

Vegetable crisps...a decadent temptation

In my small way, I try to influence the orientation of these chains, selecting only quality products, preferably organic, preferably local. Tesco Finest is inside the highest standards, this is for sure! How to cope with its costs, someone might ask? Waiting for offers, planning the diet, avoiding whims helps me to keep myself fitter, eat better, and spend much less, without passing through frustrating renounces.  Is Tesco Finest* the answer? I do not think so, but it is a valid option, which as to be flanked by varying the place where one shops. A critic: often the packaging of Tesco Finest is too loud and useless, for instance in the shortbreads. My wish is that self indulgence does not become and excuse to forget food is not a gratification in itself, but is much more. In next post, I shall provide some practical purchases I made.

A critic...from Disney Ratatuille