What the experts say
How Aldi won over the middle classes
There was a time when I wouldn’t have dreamed of shopping at Aldi, says Kath Brown in The Daily Telegraph. But latterly, “I’ve changed my tune” – and I’m not alone in that: the German discount retailer posted record sales over Christmas, and has now been named in a Which? poll as the UK’s best supermarket. Of course, “value for money is the main driver of its success”, and Aldi has been deliberately including in its cut-price ranges products to attract middle-class shoppers. It sells, for instance, a “cheap but surprisingly good champagne” (Veuve Monsigny Brut, £12.99), and it also has products that mimic well-known premium brands, such as Haysmith’s gin: “Sipsmith, Haysmith – see what they’ve done there.” As for the retail experience, it may not be deluxe, but the shops are very well laid out, making them easy to whip around. There are, it’s true, a few things “Aldi hasn’t cracked”: the fish isn’t brilliant, you can’t get decent dishwasher tablets or ketchup, and you won’t find more obscure ingredients. But I’ve developed “the perfect formula: weekly shop at Aldi for all the basics, monthly shop at Sainsbury’s for the brands and regular visits to the local fishmongers, butchers and deli”.
What to do with a picky child
If your child is a picky eater, it can be deeply frustrating, says Katy McGuinness in The Sunday Times. But parents needn’t despair. According to Ciara Attwell, author of the popular My Fussy Eater blog, there are plenty of strategies that, if applied consistently, will make even the most stubborn child more adventurous. When introducing a new food, always start off with small amounts: children will be more willing to have a taste if they’re not faced with a daunting portion, she says. She recommends filling 75% of the plate with foods they like, and 25% with the items you want them to eat. While persistence and gentle encouragement are important, it’s a mistake to exert too much pressure. “Even getting them to smell something new is a win.” For younger children, texture is often an issue, so don’t criticise them for playing with their food. It “may be the route to tasting”. With older children, she advises involving them in the process – helping with the planning of a meal, the shopping and preparation. But when it comes to the idea that family meals encourage good habits, she is sceptical. “I actually think that the family meal is contributing to fussy eating”, as it often means eating too late for young kids.
A period piece for our times
Kathleen Le Riche’s Cooking Alone – first published in 1954 and now “cleverly reissued by Faber” – is undoubtedly a period piece, says Rachel Cooke in The Observer: it assumes, for instance, that evaporated milk is a pantry mainstay. But in a time of lockdown, its advice for returning jollity to cooking is likely to strike a chord. Le Riche begins by coming up with a series of characters – the Bachelor, the Bedsitter, the Career Woman – and then provides culinary suggestions for each of them, the better to yank them out of their “toast-bound slump”. And many of her tips are useful even for those who don’t live alone: make stale cake “tipsy” by pouring booze over it; put a “little ketchup alongside your bacon just before it comes off the grill, the better to warm it”; and, more generally, make a “great fuss” of your ingredients.