Yesterday was shopping day. I normally go on a tuesday when all the near end of best by date stock is off the shelves and the fresher stuff has arrived (Yep - cynicism for 2010 already) So Tuesday it was when, due to inherent stupidity and lack of desire to be out in the cold too long I shopped at Waitrose instead of my more normal Aldi or Lidl.

Ignoring the fact that, on the whole Waitrose stock is certainly no better, often worse and always more expensive than the other two named companies, even I was surprised by the level by which I was ripped off for one particular Item.

To whit - a cauliflower.

I suspect most of you have noticed the increasing amount of 'foliage' we are now expected to buy when we purchase a cauliflower. Normally hard and inedible (and often already woody) this is consigned to the rubbish or recycling.

I seem to remember from my youth that we would eat the cauliflower 'green' as we would cabbage. These days I'd certainly not try it as it would be like eating plywood.

However I bought my cauliflower for £1.19.

It weighed just over 2 pound (or about 950gms).

By the time the shrubbery and wood-like stalk portions had been removed I was left with a cauliflower head of a mere 9oz (255gm) and a pile of leaves, stalk etc which weighed in at 1lb 8 oz (680gms).

Now personally I think this is a complete and utter rip off on the part of waitrose as that would make 'edible' cauliflower cost well over £2 per pound and I am damn sure that farmers don't get anywhere near that price from the field harvest.

So you big chains, stop bleating about how hard it all is because to be honest that's nothing but a load of old shoe-menders!