How to weather an economic ‘Perfect Storm’

ent areas of London are merrily trying to fleece customers with more money than sense wherever they can. In my experience here in Spain, though, there are many great places where overall quality of food is indeed higher than at the supermarket, you’re less likely to buy stuff you don’t need and there’s way less plastic involved. It’s just a shame not everyone has the budget or time (or inclination) to shop there.

But what gets me is ‘artisanal coffee’? How is that artisanal? It’s grown, picked, imported and roasted and bagged just like any other. There must be a word like greenwashing for all this. ‘Artisanwashing’? Artisan, my ****!

specific products and the selection is often more limited. They’re known for their long checkout queues, they generally don’t offer loyalty programmes or rewards for repeat customers and, typically, have fewer staff members, making it difficult to find assistance when needed.

So, to put it bluntly, shopping at Aldi or Lidl low­price supermarkets during a cost ­ of ­ living crisis can be a smart way to save money, but the limited selection, long checkout queues and lack of loyalty programmes may not work for everyone...

terrific. But in the end, it’s a lifestyle choice. It’s entertainment and the wealthy buyer is getting more of an experience than a tangible bang for their buck.

However, not all farmers’ markets are the same. Doubtless the ones in afflu ­