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apples seem dear to me


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Old 27-10-2014, 23:11
gemma-the-husky
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Apples seem a bit dear to me. 2.00/k for braeburns, more for some others.

I got a bag of pears for rather less, and persimmon are really nice and quite cheap. Can't understand why apples are so dear.
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Old 28-10-2014, 00:38
Default_User
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There was an article on Newsnight last week which said that farmers were choosing to cover their land in solar panels, rather than growing food, and as a result, we now have to import 80 % of our apples.

They didn't mention persimmon, funnily enough. Or say what percentage of apples grown here are exported.
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Old 28-10-2014, 09:00
Menk
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Yes I've been noticing what an expensive fruit an apple is these days.

I buy a bag of pink apples and they are usually 50p each (5 for £2.50).

Compare that to about 12p for a banana and the value for money is incomparable.
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Old 30-10-2014, 13:56
Glawster2002
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We alsways buy our apples direct from a local fruit farm this time of year. They have a wider choice than any supermarket at a fraction of the price.

The apples available now will easily keep for the next three or four months if they are stored in a cool, dry, place..
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Old 30-10-2014, 15:27
bobcar
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There was an article on Newsnight last week which said that farmers were choosing to cover their land in solar panels, rather than growing food, and as a result, we now have to import 80 % of our apples.
The percentage of land given over to solar panels is tiny and is not the reason we are importing so many apples. The major reason we are such a large net importer of food is that so much of the farming is of animals or to feed animals rather than the massively more efficient growing of plants to feed people.
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Old 30-10-2014, 15:40
swingaleg
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I haven't really noticed the price going up at Sainsbury........I usually buy the 6 packs which are £1.50 to £2.00 depending on the variety and which ones are on offer.......there's usually one variety on offer at any one time.

The only ones that seem more expensive are the Pink Lady and the more expensive range of 'Taste the Difference' (I still sometimes buy them as they are sooooo delicious !)
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Old 30-10-2014, 15:50
bobcar
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We alsways buy our apples direct from a local fruit farm this time of year. They have a wider choice than any supermarket at a fraction of the price.

The apples available now will easily keep for the next three or four months if they are stored in a cool, dry, place..
Same here plus we have a very productive apple tree in the garden, also in the park near here they have quite a few apple trees where if we don't take the apples they are left to rot.
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Old 01-11-2014, 19:38
RussJ
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I only ever buy apples these days when they are reduced in price. I got a pack of 4 Jazz Apples form Sainsburys at half price three week running. What a bargain!
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Old 01-11-2014, 20:11
Isambard Brunel
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I think it's a combination of three things.

Firstly, they charge what people are willing to pay. If sales dropped, so would the price.

Secondly, people seem to eat less fruit these days, and my perception is that those who do are more 'up-market' customers. They have more disposable income and like to think they get what they pay for. So they buy posh big apples like Pink Ladies or Jazz rather than more 'boring' varieties.

Thirdly, many of the trendy apples are grown abroad, despite the UK being where an incredible number of apples are grown each year. Today I bought six Pink Lady apples (net weight about 900g) for £2 from Aldi, which were grown and imported from South Africa. Cox's and other UK brands are much cheaper, but less desirable.

Third-and-a-halfly, I think for the last 30 years, French apples have been perceived as 'cooler' than English apples, which has led to French brands costing more. That's capitalism. This has all paved the way for charging an even bigger premium for apples grown in America, Africa or anywhere else that's far away.

And to think you can buy four pints of UK milk for less than a pound!

Still, I hope the UK still drinks enough cider to make good use of all those unwanted English apples going cheap. I know I do.
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Old 01-11-2014, 22:43
U96
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I bought 5 big(British) Cox Pippin apples today for £1.71.Bloomin love them.
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Old 01-11-2014, 23:47
farmer bob
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McIntosh Reds are our favourite.
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Old 03-11-2014, 10:36
swingaleg
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I got a different one today at Sainsbury

'Zari'........from Kent (it even names a particular farm on the pack)

4 for £1.50

Don't think I've had these before but I've still got some Cox to finish before I start on them...........
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Old 03-11-2014, 11:58
Glawster2002
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I think it's a combination of three things.

Firstly, they charge what people are willing to pay. If sales dropped, so would the price.

Secondly, people seem to eat less fruit these days, and my perception is that those who do are more 'up-market' customers. They have more disposable income and like to think they get what they pay for. So they buy posh big apples like Pink Ladies or Jazz rather than more 'boring' varieties.

Thirdly, many of the trendy apples are grown abroad, despite the UK being where an incredible number of apples are grown each year. Today I bought six Pink Lady apples (net weight about 900g) for £2 from Aldi, which were grown and imported from South Africa. Cox's and other UK brands are much cheaper, but less desirable.

Third-and-a-halfly, I think for the last 30 years, French apples have been perceived as 'cooler' than English apples, which has led to French brands costing more. That's capitalism. This has all paved the way for charging an even bigger premium for apples grown in America, Africa or anywhere else that's far away.

And to think you can buy four pints of UK milk for less than a pound!

Still, I hope the UK still drinks enough cider to make good use of all those unwanted English apples going cheap. I know I do.
I think it is more down to the complete ignorance of the general public in this country over what we produce.

Take the French Golden Delicious apples you mentioned as an example. Heavily mass marketed and subsidised, hence their cheapness. The only minor disadvantage? They were tasteless.

Six Pink Lady apples for £2? What a waste of money, for half that I can get a bag of 20 or more Worcester, Fiesta, Russett, etc, apples that you never see in any supermarket. Apples that this time of the year will keep for months if they are kept in a cool dry dark place which, of course, doesn't suit the supermarkets.

We never buy any supermarket apples between October and March, there is no need especially as they are so staggeringly over-priced. Give me locally produced, reasonably priced apples that actually have taste any day of the week.

Eating apples rarely make good cider as they are too sweet.

The reason why supermarkets can charge £1 for four pints of milk is because the farmers bare the loss.
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Old 05-11-2014, 11:53
towers
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And yet people will pay up to a pound for a bottle of water, which you can get from a tap - crazy.
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Old 06-11-2014, 13:07
walterwhite
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And yet people will pay up to a pound for a bottle of water, which you can get from a tap - crazy.
Depends what your tap water is like. I wouldn't drink water straight from my tap.
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Old 06-11-2014, 13:28
bobcar
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Depends what your tap water is like. I wouldn't drink water straight from my tap.
It will certainly be safe and can be easily and very cheaply improved by water filters if you wish. People who regularly use bottled water at home are either mugs or very wealthy with money to throw away.
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Old 06-11-2014, 13:34
walterwhite
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It will certainly be safe and can be easily and very cheaply improved by water filters if you wish. People who regularly use bottled water at home are either mugs or very wealthy with money to throw away.
Safe yes, nice to drink, no.
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Old 06-11-2014, 14:19
Isambard Brunel
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I bought six Cox apples from Aldi yesterday. They don't taste as nice as the Pink Lady apples, so that's why they were 69p rather than £2.
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Old 06-11-2014, 14:49
PERILLA
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So glad I saw this as I've thought the same for a few weeks now. There again, I think all fruit in the supermarkets is rising in cost. I now buy frozen raspberries and just defrost them as and when I need them to put in yogurt etc.
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Old 08-11-2014, 15:49
moonlily
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I bought eight small Gala apples for £1 from Sainsbury's the other week and they were lovely , also got a huge bag of weather blemished apples from Waitrose recently for about £1.80 and they were very good too.
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Old 08-11-2014, 17:43
Orangemaid
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i get Tesco's golden delicious 6 in the pack for £1.50--i don't like any other apples just those
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Old 09-11-2014, 10:26
Diamond stat
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I have noticed over the last few years the price of apples has risen dramatically with little or no discussion.
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Old 10-11-2014, 19:48
tangledinblue
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I find cooking apples very expensive, apple pie used to be fairly cheap to make.
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Old 10-11-2014, 20:57
Gogfumble
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I love russets but the supermarkets I go in rarely do them and unfortunately I don't know of any local fruit farms. May have to have a google to see if I can find any.
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Old 11-11-2014, 00:24
c00kiemonster72
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I got a different one today at Sainsbury

'Zari'........from Kent (it even names a particular farm on the pack)

4 for £1.50

Don't think I've had these before but I've still got some Cox to finish before I start on them...........
Zari are my favourite apple that you can buy from the supermarket, and as their season starts early its nice to get some new season British apples at the tail end of summer..
They are sweet fresh and crisp, and much nicer than most of the other apples available, and they're grown in Britain.
There are some Gala apples in Sainsbury's at the moment which are also very nice, plus these are British as well.

I hope you like the Zari, I first tried them 3 years ago when they first launched and have been hooked on them ever since.
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