Wednesday 10 February 2010

Bitter sweet

This is going to be the last Philadelphia I eat.  I'm furious with Kraft, the double dealers.  When I was a lad, one of the most romantic sights lay between Bristol, where we lived, and Bath.  It was a special treat when we'd drive to Saltford and take a rowing boat out for a couple of hours.   On the way we passed the red brick Fry's factory at Keynsham - which was where they made Fry's chocolate cream and turkish delight and the small round chocolate creams with different coloured creams - I loved them.  I don't remember going round the factory, but we did sometimes have factory seconds....  Cadbury's with whom Fry's amalgamated in the 30s, I think, had decided to close the Keynsham factory and transfer production to Poland.  And then along came Kraft, the American food business, with their take-over of Cadbury's.  They would, they said, keep the factory open after all.  Whether that won them friends among British investors or not is a moot point.  Anyway within days of their winning the battle, they've just announced they're going to close it after all.  They didn't know how advanced things were - they said.  Oh yes?  Pull the other one!  Don't tell me your advisers don't do their homework in minute detail.  So I'm cross, very cross.  They've raised and then dashed my childhood dreams.  Cruel.

4 comments:

  1. Hi Micheal
    You seam to steamed up about turkish delight, maybe Jane can find a reciepe for some.


    Norman

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  2. I can live without philadelphia cheese, but I do like Kenco coffee, so I am not sure I could join you in a boycott

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  3. So you're blaming Kraft - when all those English shareholders decided to take the cash and run ..........

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  4. I'm blaming no one, Brian, just saying.... They were tricked. But you're right. The English shareholders were just unpatriotic and venal.

    The thing is, Norman, they did these large rectangular bars of Turkish Delight, rather like exotic Chivers' jellies, covered with milk chocolate. You just don't get TD like that home-made. Those were the days!

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