WE CHANGE WHAT WE EAT

It’s warmer in the evening, and we’ve got more time to sit on the deck before the sun goes down, so we’re moving away from roasts and soups, and we’re dusting off the barbecue instead.

Jason McQuoid, the store manager at Countdown Ponsonby in Auckland, said that if the weather is fine today the supermarket will see a marked change in what people buy.

‘‘If we have a really beautiful day on Sunday we can guarantee we’ll see a lift in salads and barbecue meats because people will get the barbecue out Sunday, they will enjoy their first late night,’’ he said.

Sales figures in August and September from Countdown over the past two years showed that roast meats, soups and root vegetables dropped by 30 per cent in October.

Instead, sales for summer foods increased by 15 per cent as shoppers filled their baskets with salads, sausages, burger patties, pre-packed cheese boards as well as beer and cider.