I wasn’t sure if it was the jet lag or something else, my teariness at the sight of an M&S logo when I stepped off the plane at Gatwick. After 18 months living in Australia, my partner and I had been excited for many elements of our return to the UK: summer in London, access to Europe, the reunions with friends and family – these were the main reasons we decided to leave the sunshine and our beachside flat and move home.
But this part of landing back in Britain took me by surprise. Australia has plenty that the UK doesn’t when it comes to food and drink: TimTams, proper bakery pies, high-quality steak, genuinely good coffee. But since moving back a couple of months ago, one thing has struck me in particular: I am unexpectedly emotional about British supermarkets. You don’t know you’ve got it ‘til it’s gone, apparently – and it turns out our grocery shopping is, quite rightly, the envy of the world.
Mock me all you like but every supermarket trip since I returned has felt oddly thrilling. The £12 dine-in-for-two date-night offers, the tiny Gu ramekins everyone keeps at the back of the kitchen cupboard, the Mini Cheddars and the Jaffa Cakes and the bars of Cadbury’s chocolate – I can’t tell if it’s a patriotism thing or plain familiarity. But even the giant yellow Clubcard prices and the unattended-item-in-bagging-area announcements had an odd kind of charm about them. Have I really aged so much in 18 months that I go watery-eyed at the sight of a reduced-to-clear shelf?
Shorts
Scroll to previous short
Scroll to next short
Menopause causes Alzheimer’s-like changes to the brain
Some symptoms overlap
between the perimenopause
and dementia which can be worrying for women but
experts say lifestyle changes can help.
The new research
Could this explain why
more women develop dementia than men?
Two thirds
According to the Alzheimer’s Society, women account for around two thirds of people living with Alzheimer’s disease (the most common form of dementia) in the UK.
Menopause
Some of the symptoms of menopause which are similar to dementia include memory issues, trouble with word retrieval, irritability, anxiety and frustration.
The differences
Someone with menopause brain fog may have difficulties with memory or clear thinking, but in dementia, these issues increase over time.
The person’s abilities will decline progressively and they will need more support with everyday tasks.
Memory problems with
menopause, however, can
improve with treatment, lifestyle changes or time.
Life lessons
5 min read
What to do if you have menopause-related brain fog
Managing menopause is a bit like putting together pieces of a jigsaw.
British Menopause Society (BMS) trustee Dr Paula Briggs says HRT can help but it’s not the only solution.
“It’s important to ensure that you’re eating well and exercising regularly throughout menopause, when your body is under some strain due to fluctuations in hormones”.
The lifestyle changes to make
Caption: Healthy senior woman doing swim noodle exercises in aerobics pool class. Active senior people doing workout in swimming pool holding swim noodles.
Photographer: Luis Alvarez
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Digital Vision
Exercising
This supports mental health and sleep but it can be as simple as walking for 30 minutes.
Learn new things
Keeping your brain active can improve your brain health, cognition, well-being and mental health.
Caption: Portrait of elderly woman solving sudoku puzzles at home, sitting in living room. Sudoku as popular game for aging people, logical thinking, problem solving.
Photographer: Halfpoint Images
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Moment RF
Caption: File photo dated 26/11/14 of a pint of beer and a set of car keys on a bar in a pub in central London. More than a fifth (21%) of motorists have drunk alcohol after 10pm when needing to drive before 9am the following morning, a new survey suggests. Road safety charity IAM RoadSmart, which commissioned the poll, warned that drinking alcohol the night before getting behind the wheel can pose a “serious threat” because a “groggy head” means slower reaction times. Issue date: Friday July 18, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Philip Toscano/PA Wire
Photographer: Philip Toscano
Provider: Philip Toscano/PA Wire
Source: PA
Reduce unhealthy habits
Reducing alcohol intake and quitting smoking are also worthwhile, says neuroscientist Professor Barbara Sahakian.
Selling a house can be a minefield
The market is stagnant, first-time buyers are struggling to save enough for deposits and sales are falling through.
To help, we asked experts for their tips on completing a sale. From what to do with decor and lighting to marketing it correctly.
These are the most common mistakes they see.
(Photo: Anastasiia Krivenok/Getty).
LOREM IPSUM
Paint problems
If you give people the choice of a renovation project or something that’s finished, they’ll go for the latter.
Arsh Ellahi, who has over 20 years of experience in the property industry, says buyers want houses that are done.
Warmer tones like stone and neutrals can also help a sale.
The mistakes to avoid
Leaving out clutter
If all someone can see is clutter, they’re more likely to think the house is too small. Space is value.
‘I do his laundry. I’ve learned to check the pockets. I regularly pull out enough snack wrappers to fill a small bag’, says Allana (Photo: Rani Nurlaela Desandi/Getty)
(Photo: Nuthawut Somsuk/Getty).
Over-decorating
Show homes come without the personal element and are usually plain but modern. This draws people in.
Overpricing
When the price is set too high, it’s more likely to stay on the market. Your home has to look like good value for money.
For the vast majority of people selling the home they live in the process is straightforward and tax-free (Photo: Karl Hendon/Getty)
The mistakes to avoid
Declining offers
Ellahi says the best offers tend to come within the first four weeks of marketing.
Mortgage rates have been rising for days (Andrew Matthews/PA Wire)
A reader is currently viewing properties (10’000 Hours/Getty Images/Digital Vision)
Being present for viewings
If the owners are there, buyers can feel uncomfortable walking around and getting a sense of the place.
The wrong photos
Photos are the first thing a potential buyer sees, and poor-quality images will stop stage two – the inquiry and viewing.
What to do
Light a candle for atmosphere (Photo: VeranikaSmirnaya/Getty/iStockphoto)
Prepare your home
Windows should be opened to allow fresh air in, and, if it’s cold, the heating should be turned on to make the house feel inviting and homely.
Be flexible
It’s really important to accommodate viewings on weekends or evenings when they’re most popular.
Black alarm clock and bed – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
You do not need to have it all figured out but you do need to start (Photo: Olha Danylenko/ Getty)
Financially prepare
Solicitors’ fees, agent fees, and capital gains tax are all big things to consider when it comes to finances and being ready to sell.
Navigating hot and sticky weather is often a sensory and social nightmare
With summer approaching,
Dr Adil Sheraz of the British Association of Dermatologists, explains why we sweat and
what we can do about it.
Monica Garcia, 65, swelters in Madrid’s first heatwave of the summer (Photo: Isabel Infantes/ Reuters)
Why do we sweat?
Sweating is an important part of thermoregulation. When you sweat and it evaporates off the skin, it will take the latent heat with it.
We’re covered in three to four million sweat glands and the majority produce a sweat made up of just electrolytes and water. In other words, completely odourless.
These eccrine glands function from birth
to keep us cool.
When does sweat smell?
Oil in our sweat can suck in microplastics posing a health risk (Photo: Tom Williams/Getty)
Glands in the armpit, groin and scalp operate differently.
They’re under the control of hormones and the glands contain lipids and potentially fatty esters.
The bacteria on our skin will
feed off these fatty acids and
lipids and cause the odour.
LIFESTYLE
6 min read
Are we sweating more now?
It is not just the weather impacts how we sweat…
The bigger you are (in height, weight or muscle mass), the more surface area you will need to sweat on in order to cool down.
This is why men tend to sweat more than women and why you sweat
more when you gain weight.
Medical conditions like diabetes
and thyroid problems will also
cause increased sweating.
Certain dietary items, including caffeine, processed foods and spicy foods can also trigger the chemicals in our body which cause us to sweat more.
When does it matter?
If it’s impacting your daily life, you will likely have some form of hyperhidrosis and need
to speak to a doctor to determine further.
Primary hyperhidrosis is excessive sweating with no underlying cause.
Secondary hyperhidrosis means there’s a condition or illness causing the sweating.
There are two main ways to tell the difference.
Sweating with secondary causes tends to happen all over the body rather than just localised to your palms or armpits.
Primary hyperhidrosis tends to switch off when you’re sleeping as the neurons stop firing. This doesn’t happen with secondary hyperhidrosis.
How to manage sweat
Caption: Relaxed young woman in bright summer clothes is sitting on a bench on a city street with her eyes closed enjoying music through headphones from a smartphone.
Photographer: Tanja Ivanova
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Moment RF
Clothing
Wear natural or wicking fabrics that prevent sweat patches, or clothes that are cooling for the skin.
Antiperspirant
One that contains aliminimium is advised as it’s well known for blocking and plugging our sweat ducts.
Caption: Woman applying deodorant roll on under armpit
Photographer: wing-wing
Provider: Getty Images
Source: iStockphoto
Britain’s best coffee shops have been revealed – spanning from the tip of Scotland to the bottom of England. (Photo: William Lailey / SWNS)
Dietary changes
Where possible
reduce dietary causes like caffeine and
spicy foods.
Can I save money without giving up fun?
When it comes to financial planning, I’ve always lived month to month, but recently I’ve wanted to be slightly more serious.
So I spoke to a range of financial experts for the easiest, idiot-proof ways to be savvier with money – without just hibernating.
The expert tips
Print out your bank statements
“This is the hardest step but you’ve got to know what’s coming in and out, down to the pound,” says financial coach Ian Dempsey. You’re more likely to remember what’s on there, and pay attention to it on paper.
Caption: Kasia Delgado reads old letters from her childhood.
A professor of happiness at Bristol University taught Kasia how adults can train themselves to be happier and find more joy, like when they were unencumbered children.
Photographer: mail@teripengilley.com
Provider: Teri Pengilley / i News
Source: Teri Pengilley
Caption: Kasia Delgado, Chief Features Writer, i News.
Photographer: Teri Pengilley
Provider: Teri Pengilley / i News
Source: Teri Pengilley
Draw an image of what you’re saving for
“Anything that requires discipline is much easier to achieve when you [can picture] the end goal,” says Ruth Power, from the Financial Management Bureau.
The expert tips
Experts are arguing that the UK should make greater use of existing government data
Photographer: Andrzej Rostek
Provider: Getty Images
Source: iStockphoto
Copyright: andrzejrostek@gmail.com
Go on a money date
If you’re in a relationship, for 30 minutes once a month, take a notebook to the pub/cafe and talk about money with your partner.
Delete shopping apps…
They are designed to be compulsive. Removing them gives you an extra layer of resistance.
Close up of an unrecognizable woman shopping online with credit card via mobile phone – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
An image of a hand that quickly sends an email – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
…and unsubscribe
Marketing emails are designed to reach you when you’re likely to spend money.
How it went when Kasia followed the expert advice
I delete Vinted and only re-download it when I actively want to replace something for my son that he’s grown out of.
I’m no longer buring my head in the sand. Sections of my bank statement flash into my mind when I go to use the Uber app.
Money dates have been uncomfortable. We did have a small argument about buying own-brand beans versus Heinz for example, but scribbling down numbers we want to save has also been exciting.
I have found it easier to be mindful about spending and broke some unhelpful habits, like associating walks with always getting a coffee.
How the UK currently saves
The average person in the UK has £16,067 in savings in 2025.
39%
However, 2 in 5 Britons have £1,000 or less in savings. A quarter have £200 or less.
1 in 6 UK adults (16 per cent) have no savings at all, equating to around 8.4 million people.
82%
Men are estimated to have 82 per cent more in savings than women.
Almost three in 10 (28 per cent) of adults state saving money is a habit.
The final verdict
The truth is, I’m never going to be someone with five side hustles and the financial savvy to become a bitcoin billionaire. But I’m no longer thinking, “where did my salary go?”. The small changes have, over time, made a difference to my bank account, but also my mind and self confidence.
KASIA DELGADO
‘I’ve found greater joy in spending money in an active, more conscious way – on things that felt worth it such as a massage, a cocktail with a friend, a comedy gig, a tricycle for my son,’ says Delgado (Photo: Teri Pengilley/The i Paper)
Six easy swaps to increase your fibre intake
We asked the experts why it’s so important to include enough fibre in our diets, and how to do it without totally overhauling our diets…
Why fibre is important
Fibre isn’t a fad nutrient. It’s been consistently linked to better health outcomes for decades. Unlike protein, which the majority of people already get enough of, fibre is something most of us (96 per cent) are significantly lacking.
NICHOLA LUDLAM-RAINE, SPECICIALIST REGISTERED DIETITIAN AND AUTHOR
The small diet tweaks to make
Beans, lentils and chickpeas are fibre powerhouses, with around 6-8g per half-tin. If you find beans tricky to digest, start with microdosing them for a week and gradually build it up to half a can at a time.
Bread is the category of food that is most thrown away, survey finds (d3sign
Provider: Getty Images)
Caption: Green vegetable salad with chickpea, spinach, cucumber, red onions, and greens on a wooden table. Top view
Photographer: Qwart
Provider: Getty Images/iStockphoto
Source: iStockphoto
One of the simplest changes you can make is to switch to wholegrain versions of everyday carbs. Swapping two slices of white bread for wholemeal adds around 3g of fibre.
How to add fibre to your diet
When you cook potatoes the right way they go from being a health burden to a health hero (Photo: Getty)
Keep some skin
The skin of some foods can contain up to 50 per cent of the total fibre. Just make sure it’s safe to eat.
Level up the snacks
Berries, raw vegetables with hummus, or a small handful of nuts are all easy fibre wins.
Yoghurt and frozen berry crunch in a glass jar – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Breakfast cereals can be swapped out for overnight oats (Photo: Jogy Abraham/ Getty Images)
Don’t skip seeds
Ludlam-Raine adds a spoon of mixed seeds to porridge, cereal, yoghurts, soups and salads.
EASY WAYS TO ADD FIBRE TO YOUR DIET
Add in, don’t take away
Plant-Based Anti-Inflammatory Diet Ingredients Flat Lay – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
A few extra handfuls of fibre-rich ingredients might be all that’s needed to take your meals from average to fibre-full.
Small changes are key because they’re more sustainable and better tolerated by the gut. Increasing fibre too quickly can cause bloating or discomfort.
One in four people in the UK is living with mould and/or damp in their home…
David Prince, a leading damp surveyor who travels across the country treating mould, spends the day with The i Paper writer Eleanor Peake.
Surveyor David Prince warns people are being overcharged by rogue companies for unnecessary treatment (Photo: Teri Pengilley)
The UK
Britain’s damp problem is one of the worst in Europe.
45%
Private renters are disproportionately affected, with 45 per cent currently battling symptoms of damp.
30%
From 2015 to 2024, British winters were 16 per cent wetter than in previous years.
By 2070, UK winters are projected to be up to 30 per cent wetter.
The house I visited with David Prince – a private rental
Renters are desperate for a resolution to their ongoing damp issue.
David notes that although the bathroom has an extractor fan, the room wasn’t being ventilated efficiently.
The hot air from the bathroom was floating towards the coldest part of the building (the bedroom) and turning into water as it hit the cold bedroom walls.
This was an internal ventilation issue, other houses have an external issue. When the guttering is overgrown the water has to go somewhere else, sometimes seeping back into the brick.
The houses most at risk
Victorian terraces, or those built in the 1910s, are more likely to have rising damp – where the water seeps through the foundation of the house.
Caption: David Prince, Director of Abbott Property Care Ltd.
For a feature on damp by Eleanor Peake, Senior Features Writer at The i Paper.
Photographer: Teri Pengilley
Provider: Teri Pengilley / The i Paper
Source: Teri Pengilley
Caption: David Prince, Director of Abbott Property Care Ltd.
For a feature on damp by Eleanor Peake, Senior Features Writer at The i Paper.
Photographer: Teri Pengilley
Provider: Teri Pengilley / The i Paper
Source: Teri Pengilley
Modern houses are often built with concrete ring beams, one of the coldest materials to build with. The damp turns to condensation just by hitting the walls.
Damp specialists
Caption: Eleanor Peake, Senior Features Writer at The i Paper, meets David Prince, Director of Abbott Property Care Ltd, to examine the issue of damp in rental properties.
Photographer: Teri Pengilley
Provider: Teri Pengilley / The i Paper
Source: Teri Pengilley
Only a small number of damp specialists – around 250 – are registered with the Property Care Association (PCA) in the whole of the UK.
This means that a majority of people in the UK are receiving quotes and recommendations about damp from building surveyors who aren’t qualified to give a diagnosis, says Prince.
The golden rules for managing damp
The most common issues can be solved by simple tweaks.
Start with the outside. When it’s raining, have a walk around your building to see if the gutters are pouring water down the wall, or water is being trapped in some way.
Make sure you have good ventilation in key wet rooms: kitchen, bathroom, utility, and toilets.
Open all your windows every day for a short period of time to force natural ventilation – even on cold days.
Never place furniture, or even pictures, on an external wall if it suffers from mould. It helps retain moisture.
Woman awaking after sleeping well in a nice sleeping room. – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
SLEEP
How to reset your sleep
Irregular sleep has been linked with poorer cardiovascular health, metabolic disruption, inflammation and mood imbalances.
If your sleep has fallen out of whack, this is what the experts recommend.
From personalised ‘sleep windows’ to unhelpful bedtime routines.
Consistency in bedtimes
It helps the brain feel safer and more predictable around sleep, which is important for people with insomnia. When sleep and wake times are consistent, that clock stays well aligned. When sleep timing is all over the place, the body clock becomes confused…
dr ZOE GOTTS, CONSULTANT CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST AT THE LONDON SLEEP CENTRE
Couple sleeping in bed – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
The changes to make
Sleep tourism in hotel. Exhausted woman sleeps sweetly in bed in the morning – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Find your sleep window
When do you naturally start to feel tired? Aim to allow your body to sleep within that timeframe most nights.
Wake at the same time
Pick a wake-up time you can stick to and anchor everything around that, says Dr David Garley, sleep expert.
Sleep doesn’t have to be so complicated (Photo: Olga Pankova/Getty)
Caption: TOPSHOT – NASA’s Artemis II Space Launch System (SLS) rocket is seen at sunrise at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on April 1, 2026. On Wednesday three men and one woman are set to embark on the first crewed journey to the Moon since 1972, a landmark odyssey that aims to launch the US into a new era of space exploration. The NASA mission dubbed Artemis 2 has been years in the making after facing repeated setbacks, but is finally scheduled to take off from Florida as early as April 1 at 6:24 pm (2224 GMT). (Photo by Gregg Newton / AFP via Getty Images)
Photographer: GREGG NEWTON
Provider: AFP via Getty Images
Source: AFP
Copyright: AFP or licensors
Get out into sunlight
Exposing yourself to daylight soon after waking helps to sync your circadian rhythm, says Dr Garley.
How to reset your sleep
Regulate your nervous system
Many people are running on exhaustion but still in a state of high alert, so might not be able to rest when needed, says Dr Gotts.
Gentle routines, reduced evening stimulation, and calming the body can make a huge difference.
Sleep tourism in hotel. Exhausted woman sleeps sweetly in bed in the morning – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Senior bed woman problem pain headache home elderly mature pain bedroom upset unhappy female caucasian adult relationship retirement old difficulty ache head sick migraine hangover sleep – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Don’t spend too long in bed
If you cannot sleep within 20 minutes, get out of bed, ideally out of the bedroom, and find a relaxing and distracting activity to do while you wait for the natural urge to return.
The tweaks to make to reset sleep
(Photo: AzmanL/Getty/E+)
Look at your bedtime
Don’t presume earlier to bed (ie. more time in bed) equals better sleep. The timing needs to fit you.
It might mean going to bed later
Set an alarm to anchor the wake-up time, then choose a bedtime that allows you to fall asleep easily and aim to sleep solidly within that time.
Woman in bed at night having trouble sleeping. – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
A mature woman lies in bed and reads a hardback book – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Don’t overdo it
Too much preparation can increase pressure around sleep so a short and consistent routine is far more effective.
Weight training has a host of benefits, but only if it’s done correctly.
We asked personal trainers the common mistakes that people make when lifting – especially for the first time or early on in their strength journey – and how to avoid them.
Woman lifting barbell with heavy weights in cross training gym – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Priotising weight over form
When the load is too heavy, form usually breaks down, the wrong muscles take over, and the risk of injury goes up. If you can’t control the lowering part of the movement, keep good posture, or move through the full range, you’re compromising.
CELEBRITY TRAINER AND PT AIMEE LONG
The mistakes you could be making
Close up of male athlete gripping heavy green kettlebell during strength training exercise in cross training gym – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Not progressing
If you’re reaching for the same pair of dumbbells each week you’re likely just maintaining muscle, not building.
The wrong trainers
You need adequate support for your ankles, without overly cushioning your arches.
Find the best shoes for you (Photo: Xavier Lorenzo/Getty/Moment RF)
Woman at the Gym – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Not timing your rest
PT Nancy Best’s advice is to take 90 seconds of downtime before picking your weight back up.
Research has found that strength training can help slow bone loss
(Photo: FJ Jimenez/Moment RF
via Getty)
Neglecting recovery
Progress does not happen during the workout itself; it happens afterwards when your body repairs and rebuilds.
Poor sleep, not eating enough calories or protein, or training the same muscles hard every single day can hinder recovery and leave you constantly exhausted, says Long.
Not choosing the right exercises
An effective programme is built around variety.
Ensure your training includes each movement for the upper and lower body.
PT Luke Worthington recommends a push/pull programming.
Upper body push targets the shoulders or chest and upper body pull typically works the back.
Lower body push includes squats and leg press whereas pulls include deadlifts and hinges.
What to do
Perfect the movements before increasing the weight.
Best recommends Nike Metcons or Converse for a flat, stable surface.
Aim to eat 1.4-2g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight if you’re regularly exercising.
When you’re comfortable you can increase the weight, number of sets or reps, or range of motion to progress each lift.
LIFESTYLE
6 min read
Perhaps, but I’m certainly not alone. “I cried when I ate my first Tesco meal deal,” a friend in Sydney replied when I shared a photo of my airport M&S reunion. “Frogmarched my parents straight to Waitrose when I went back last year,” said another. Over the last couple of years, I’ve met and interviewed hundreds of expats and the things they miss about home are almost laughably universal: green fields, cosy pubs that actually feel and smell like pubs, football, British humour, and – almost without exception – M&S. (Boots comes up almost as often. It seems we’re unique in having shops where you can pick up hay fever drugs, mascara and sushi all in one go.)
Few countries could turn gummy pig sweets and caterpillar cakes into objects of near-religious devotion quite like Britain. But it’s not just M&S we expats miss while we’re abroad. It’s the entire British supermarket ecosystem – and, indeed, the fact that we have an ecosystem at all. Australia’s grocery sector is dominated by a duopoly of two stores, two near-identical chains: Woolworths and Coles. Both are broadly equivalent to a large Sainsbury’s or Tesco, but with less variety between them.
Unlike in Britain – where you might rotate between Tesco, Aldi, Lidl, Waitrose, M&S and the Co-op depending on budget, convenience or mood – most Aussies do the bulk of their shopping at one of these two. Living in Sydney, the idea of doing 80 per cent of your shop in one supermarket and topping it up elsewhere was an alien concept.
I realised how spoiled we are in Britain, with at least eight or nine major grocery chains in the UK, and the choice of big superstores and mini supermarkets and convenience branches too. And the choice inside each one is pretty spectacular when you stop and think about it – from tiramisu to school uniform and gardening gloves. I’ll never take for granted again the ability to rock up at any town or train station around the country, and always be within easy reach of a healthy supply of mojito tinnies, Phizzy Pigtails and those little tubs of bell peppers stuffed with goat’s cheese.
Then there’s the prices. Yes, the cost of the weekly shop in Britain has soared in the UK, but try doing it in Australia. I remember going shopping for the first time in Sydney and picking up a punnet of grapes, thinking I must have got my exchange rates wrong when the label said $12 (£6). I quickly got over that particular fruit habit, but the cost of my weekly food shop still shot up overnight. In London, we spend £70 or £80 a week on groceries as a couple; in Sydney, we were regularly spending well over £100 despite being more mindful about what we added to the basket.
I learnt the hard way not to rely on the supermarket if I needed a quick on-the-move weekday lunch. Where were the meal deals, the pre-prepared salads, the spinach and egg protein pots I used to grab on my way into work? Berries felt like luxury items. A basic tuna sandwich could cost more than a British lunch deal on its own.
Geography is largely behind the high cost of grocery shopping down under: Australia’s vast distances, smaller population and supermarket duopoly all push prices up in ways Brits aren’t used to. Groceries are also far more seasonal which is certainly not a bad thing. But I’ll admit it’s been lovely to come back to supermarkets with 10 varieties of brie, hummus in seven different flavours, the pre-chopped roasted vegetables and stir-fry kits.
Supermarkets aren’t just places we shop in Britain – they’re something we talk about. They’re class signifiers and cultural institutions in their own right: the zeitgeisty innovation of M&S and its viral chicken kiev dip and picky bits; Lidl’s cult-like middle aisle stocked with inflatable kayaks and cut-price air fryers; the endless national debates over which one does the best salt and vinegar crisps and hot cross buns. Entire personalities are built around whether you’re an Aldi person or a Waitrose person.
All of which makes me wonder: perhaps it’s not really our history, the BBC or the NHS that’s the envy of the world among Brits abroad. Perhaps our nation’s greatest achievement is simpler than that: the ability to buy an egg mayonnaise sandwich, an Innocent Smoothie and a bag of Mini Cheddars at almost any train station in the country, for less than a punnet of Australian grapes.