I must say, I love the name: “Strawberry Dessert”. What does that mean, exactly? It could really be anything! Perhaps a delicate pink soufflé or a magical strawberry-scented fluff?

While British readers won’t find the word “pudding” any less ambiguous than “dessert”, for the Americans out there, the translation is simple: this is just like Jell-O brand pudding. You get some powder, stir in some milk (semi-skimmed or whole are equally tasty, boasts the box) and viola! Ten minutes later you have pudding, which ever definition you follow.

I was a bit meh on this one. The texture was odd, with the top layer gritty and a different consistency than what lie beneath, however, I suspect that stirring might remedy this. The taste was like Nesquick, in other words, very artificial. The product itself wasn’t terrible, and I think I might give the chocolate flavour a go, as it does have one big draw for me: it’s low in calories and saturated fat. For the diet conscious, you could do worse.

Image of Alpine Strawberry taken from van swearingen’s Flickr photstream.

Sainsbury’s Basics plastic freezer bags seem like a good way to keep costs down. They are inexpensive (49p), and allow you to bring food from home to lunch, a practice most of us are turning to during this time of economic hardship. There is a better option, however, one that will continue to keep costs down and be friendly to the environment: plastic containers.

Personally, I’m thinking of throwing Tupperware parties. Tupperware should be hot like it’s the 50s, considering how dire most of our finances are. Instead of tossing last night’s leftover Basics Stuffing (review coming soon!), pop it in a container and eat it tomorrow!

Maybe Sain’s should consider throwing Tupperware parties, too. Okay, maybe not parties, but rather than sell cheap, wasteful bags, why not sell some eco-friendly reusable containers? It would make sense, considering the no-more-plastic-bags-at-the-till campaign they’re running. Or perhaps that is just for show, as I am always hearing cashiers ask people if they want a plastic bag. It should no longer be a question of want, but one of need. Do you really need to put that one apple in a plastic produce bag, then in a plastic bag, and then in your wheely cart that you’re pushing home?

This is a Basics product that I’m going to have to give a big thumbs down to, not because of its quality or value for money, but for the simple fact that while we may like low cost plastic bags, the environment doesn’t.

And if you want some Tupperware, party at my place!

Image of The Oxford Road Orange Bag Parade taken from Zach_ManchesterUK’s Flickr photstream.

The bag says “all shapes and sizes”, but really, a pepper is a pepper. This Basics product should be a no-brainer to the cost-conscious pepper lover, as a bag of six peppers for only £1.48 is a steal. And if you’re lucky, you might get a bag with no greens! Sure, some of the peppers are small, others are a bit dirty, and even more are lopsided, but when cut up (and thoroughly washed) who can tell the difference?

I’m sure the Sainsbury’s Basics marketing people were working late last night, after the news that the EU is lifting the ban on selling less-than-perfect produce. Expect to see a cornucopia of new Basics, including carrots, cucumbers, asparagus and garlic. With the addition of 26 new Basics fodder, the marketing team is going to have to put in some overtime to come up with snappy slogans. I’ve decided to help them out with a few ideas of my own:

Carrots: Knobbly but nice

Onions: Nothing to cry about

Beans: Will still make you toot

Garlic: Strange shape, still smelly

Mushrooms: At least we washed the shit off!

There are still 11 fruits and vegetables that are lovingly protected by the EU, so don’t expect to see any unappetising apples, unsightly strawberries, or loathsome lettuce anytime soon. Personally I’m glad—we can’t let the world think we’ve gotten rid of all of our standards, can we?

Recently I was down the pub with my friend Ciq and he asked me whatever had become of this blog. Rather embarrasingly, I was forced to admit that I’d neglected it horribly for no good reason other than my own laziness. It could have been worse, though: I could have switched to buying Tesco Value.

Best to remedy this sad state of affairs with a product review, I say! Let’s start with a less-than-a-pound gem that the feline of the house uses daily: Sainsbury’s Basics Cat Litter.

Before you alert the animal cruelty authorities to this, make no mistake that this is a decent quality cat litter and it’s clearly Chloe’s preference. I once tried to upgrade her to the £4/bag posh stuff and she pissed on my bed in protest. Perhaps she didn’t want to damage her street cred by using a prissy piss powder and have the other cats think she’d gone soft. One mattress flip and a quick run down to the Camden Sainsbury’s later and the little princess was back peeing in her box, though temporarily banned from the bedroom.

What you get here is the sheer essence of cat litter, nothing more. It’s a giant bag of chunky, somewhat absorbent gravel. There’s no odour-cancelling aspect nor any fancy clumping action here. One might say there’s something retro about its simplicity. This is litter that any cat from the 70s would proudly poop in, whilst the modern kitty can delight in a lack of pretense that sets them free to pee without worry of overstepping their station in life.

One crucial caveat does, however, exist. Due to the coarse nature of the litter, your cat will be able to kick up a fair bit of dust as they paw around in it. This isn’t a concern for open top cat boxes, but ours came with a cover and a cat flap door. In that closed environment, Chloe kicked up such a cloud that she sometimes emerged wheezing and coughing. We ditched the cover and now just leave the box open, but if that’s unacceptable to you, you probably want to avoid this and try something slightly more refined.

In summary, I declare this to be a Basics bargain. You get a massive sack of litter for less than a pound and it does exactly what it says on the tin (or, er, paper bag): it “does the job”. Could you do worse? I suppose you could try to shred the London Lite and see if your cat will give that a go, but I’d make sure the bedroom door is shut tight beforehand.