Anyone for a sausage roll?

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Posted at 12:30PM, 16 January 2009 by Abbie Dobson - News journalist

So it's time for the annual self-flagellation, out with the crisps and chocolate, in with the edamame and cabbage soup. Or is it? According to the high street, apparently not... but I'll come to that later.

Marks & Spencer, the home of 'not just food...', has seen one of its worst trading periods in a decade, heralding the closure of 25 Simply Food stores . Is it possible these closures suggest a cultural shift in our collective food psyche? Are we moving away from the high-end pre-prepared food that has galvanised Marks' popularity in recent years?

We've been comforting our financial woes in the doughy bosom of Domino's pizza

They're not the only ones feeling the pressure during these difficult times. FishWorks has been reeled in asking for its share trading to be suspended. But it's not only about the losers in the market, as we've been comforting our financial woes in the doughy bosom of Domino's pizza and the humble sausage roll, courtesy of Greggs the bakers.

Both companies have bucked the downturn and have seen their sales rise sharply. As people hunker down to watch prime time telly on a Saturday night, rather than going out for the evening, they call on Domino's to deliver. It appears that our desire to be healthy and organic goes out the window when we feel the financial pinch, or so says Greg Feehely, analyst at Altium Securities. Meanwhile, Greggs have managed to sell 12 million sausage rolls in the last month alone!

So it seems for many of us a financial diet is giving us a huge appetite for fast, quick-fix, fatty foods. With gym memberships also taking a hit, are we losing control of our waistbands as well as our wallets?

If sucking on a pasty or chowing down on a stuffed crust isn't your thing, then maybe it's time to console yourself by eating out - and it needn't cost a fortune. A huge number of the big chain restaurants are offering phenomenal deals this month on buy-one-get-one-free. It's never been cheaper to eat out - from Bertorelli to Zizzi, these companies are desperate for our trade, even if our tummies are crying out for a rest!

Comments

James

17 January 2009, 8:15AM
James

Eat yourself into happiness. High fat foods are comfort foods - no wonder Pizza Hut made news yesterday on putting out their nutritional contents. I hardly think the downturn in M&S foods is a cultural shift - just people have traded down to the budget stores as the pennies pinch - as soon as it's over M&S will be opening more stores again.

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AdrianB

17 January 2009, 9:35PM
AdrianB

I really can't understand the popularity of Gregg's - I've never indulged in their products, but they just appear so bland. But perhaps both Greggs and Dominos (and Pizza Hut) for that matter understand the value of a good advertising campaign. Classical economics would suggest that we buy more staples in times of hardship - even when those staples themselves become more expensive. That's why the potato will always sell well. As will bread. Perhaps pizza is not so far along the line? M&S Loch Lomand Scallops in a organic this, that and the other sauce naturally become less attractive. Hell, maybe pizza is just a great comfort food.

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Nunnington

20 January 2009, 10:12AM
Nunnington

I love Dominos! Its tasty, someone brings it straight to my door ready to eat - and most importantly, it doesn't cost much. Reading this blog I've just realised a universal truth - nothing that's good for you is cheap! If I had all the money in the world I'm sure I'd be a svelte size 10, feasting on huge fresh prawns and tempting tropical fruit, or paying a chef to make the most boring healthy food seem beautiful. But at the moment, the least wallet-busting choices are always the fast and fatty ones. Surely there's a niche in the market here for cheap, low-fat, healthy food? I for one would definitely buy it...

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Emma

21 January 2009, 4:53PM
Emma

Cheap, low fat, healthy, tasty food is available - but not if you want it pre-prepared/processed. I know it can be a bit of extra work, but cooking fom scratch (within eason)is cheaper than buying processed foods and much better for you. They key is to be a bit organised, and think about quantities so that any leftovers can be used up the following day. I still like a pizza delivered every now and then, and do buy certain processed foods, but I'm not going to pretend it's because they're cheaper. When I do buy them, it's because it's easier or quicker or because I just fancy it!

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