It’s not just our currency that will have to change with the ascension of King Charles, some items on our supermarket shelves will also have to change their labelling.
Anything with a royal warrant will have to remove warrants granted by Prince Philip and the Queen, including products popular in Australia such as Twinings tea, Johnnie Walker whisky and Moet and Chandon champagne.
The companies will have to remove the coat of arms and seek permission from King Charles to use them.
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A royal warrant of appointment is a document that appoints a company or individual trader to supply the royal household and allows them to use the royal arms on their labelling. The supplier must have supplied the household for at least five of the past seven years.
The Queen was responsible for 875 royal warrants and Prince Philip granted 34 warrants.
And before anyone assumes it was food suppliers who got a guernsey, there are also royal warrants for companies responsible for emptying the royal septic tanks and a broom company.
Other well-known brands include Bacardi, Schweppes, Cadbury, Axminster, Clarins, Bentley and Boots pharmacies.
Fancy supermarket for a fancy suburb
Harris Farm Markets has opened a swish new supermarket in Sydney’s Lane Cove that has its own Gelato Messina concession, in-house butcher and fishmonger, build-a-cookie pie station, and a ‘milk tap’ although I’m not sure about the appeal of that. I want my milk sealed and safe if it’s all the same to you.
It also carries 500 cheeses, a popcorn cart, doughnut display and fresh sushi and sashimi.
Will it last? Upmarket supermarkets tend to crash and burn in Australia. We just don’t have the same attitude to food as, say, the French, where the quality counts ahead of the price.
There was the extravagant David Jones offering in the Prahran Market that looked fabulous but lost tens of thousands a week. It only lasted a few years. Woolworths gave it another shot with its gourmet supermarket offshoot Thomas Dux that was a bit more durable at nine years but now only exists as a gourmet deli range.
Hopefully, its location in the elite suburb of Lane Cove – where the average house price is a tad under $3 million – will deliver the cashed-up locals such an outlet needs to survive.
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This week’s best deals
Woolworths
Sensible: Tom and Luke Snackballs, $3.50, save $1.50. Can you make protein balls at home? Of course you can. But will you? Probably not. These are great for travel snacks or work and I don’t care what anyone says, I will fight you if you don’t think salted caramel is the best.
Indulgence: Tasmanian Atlantic Salmon, skin on, $29.50/kg. Who would have thought salmon would one day be cheaper than lamb? Supermarket seafood has come a long way in the past few years and these fillets would be great on a barbecue or as the hero in an Asian-inspired dish. It’s an Australian product for the win.
See the catalogue here.
Aldi
Sensible: GoldenVale toasted muesli, 400g, $2.99. Typical Aldi cheeky packaging here. Lovers of Australian muesli will be able to work out which brand they are ‘honouring’ by imitation, but it’s not a bad replacement all the same and at a fraction of the price.
Indulgence: Jindurra Station eye fillet, $29.99/kg. Great price for eye fillet. Impress your friends at your next barbecue by rolling this baby out without having to fork out outrageous butcher prices.
See the catalogue here.
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Coles
Sensible: Coles brisket, $15/kg, save $2/kg. Brisket is having a bit of a moment as Australians embrace the slow-cooked, American-style barbecue trend. Buy two at this price.
Indulgence: Herbert Adams slow-cooked chunky beef pie range, $6.80 for a pack of two, save $1.70. Australia loves a good pie, and these are some of the best in the supermarket range. Eat now during the last of the cold weather or stick in the freezer for a lazy weekend lunch.
See the catalogue here.
IGA
Sensible: MasterFoods freshly grated ginger or chopped chilli, $2.50, save $1.50. I’m a bit of a control freak in the kitchen, if the recipe says chopped ginger, chilli or garlic, that’s what I do. But sometimes time is fleeting and having a jar of these in the fridge can be a game changer if you just want to pump out a meal with minimum fuss. The ginger is great in smoothies as well.
Indulgence: Sopressa salami, 25.99kg. With footy finals in full swing, there’s nothing like a big platter of meat, cheese and crackers, maybe with some party pies on the side, while watching the games. Start here with this spicy burner to set your tastebuds aflame.
See the catalogue here.
Recall: Fine Food Holdings Crispbic gluten-free wafers,100g. Recalled due to undeclared wheat and gluten. Return to the place of purchase for a full refund.
Would you shop at an upmarket supermarket? Is price the main barrier? Why not share your opinion in the comments section below?
