Say NO to food snobbery

I will be the first to admit that I have been rather unkind in the past about other peoples cooking habits. One particular incident that springs to mind was someone posting a Facebook status about how they'd made their own crumble topping and that they were really proud not to have used a packet. I made a sarcastic comment about rubbing together flour, butter and sugar being easier than opening a packet and then I headed over to the safety of Twitter to cast disparaging comments about people who open a jar of pasta sauce and then mistakenly claim to have cooked from scratch.

It was cruel and uncalled for and from now on I'm making a stand. I will be saying NO to food snobbery. It's gone too far and people are trying to outdo each other at every turn. From gloating over finding a grocer who sells vegetables harvested under the shadow of the third phase of the moon to only buying meat from a butcher who has personally hand reared each animal from birth on a diet of classical musical and unicorn tears. Food snobbery is ruddy everywhere, it's even being used against something as beautiful as chocolate.

"I love chocolate"
"Me too"
"It has to be the proper stuff though"
"Oh absolutely, 70% cocoa for sure"
"Only 70%? I have to have 85% it really makes a difference"
"I've recently been having 90% actually, it's a shame you've not tried it"
"The 90% stuff is ok but if you really want to properly experience chocolate you need to get the 99% pure cacao bar"
"Well funny you should say that, I've been importing cocoa beans and having them raw. You can't beat 100%"

When did it become such a crime to enjoy a bit of Diary Milk or a Twix?

And as for pastry, heaven forbid you should use pre-made. Whenever you watch Come Dine With Me there's always a sanctimonious trout questioning the pastry and down marking if it's not home made. We all know that pastry is easy to make; mix ingredients, rest, roll, done. I've even been to cookery school to learn how to make it but that doesn't mean I'm never going to cheat with a packet especially when it comes to puff pastry. The best restaurants in the world buy their puff pastry ready made and if it's good enough for them then it's certainly good enough for me. It's the gloating that gets me riled up; "Well of course it's home made pastry" and then they act appalled at the idea of someone even suggesting that they would have even allowed a packet of pastry into their house let alone having used it. You made some pastry. Well done. Give yourself a pat on the back.

Don't get me wrong, despite my stand against food snobbery there are certain things I will be unwavering on. I only buy free range eggs and this is something I will never change. I always buy British or Irish meat unless the option isn't there - occasionally I've had to buy Danish bacon and some things are country/region specific such as Parma ham. I know there are British alternatives to Parma ham but unless they have it the supermarket, there isn't a charcuterie for miles and miles so it's not an option.

That point brings me to another bone of contention for food snobs across the land *dramatic music* SUPERMARKETS. Some people seem to be of the opinion that because they avoid supermarkets like the plague they are superior to us lower mortals who visit for our weekly shop. Obviously it's great if you happen to live within a stones throw of a greengrocer, butcher, baker and candlestick maker but most of us don't. I live less than a 5 minute walk from a twice weekly market which features not one but two grocer stalls but I still don't use them. They only sell by the bowl rather than in single units and I simply have no need for an entire bowlful of onions or oranges. I only cook for myself and Rich so if I bought everything by the bowl I'd end up throwing an awful lot away or we'd get bored of eating the same stuff every day. If you've got the time to visit several different independent shops throughout the week then good for you, enjoy it. But there are plenty of people who don't have that option. It may have been a standard way of life a few years ago but with the addition of fridge freezers to every home coupled with microwaves, longer working hours and longer commutes, it's not really practical anymore.

I do believe that home-made tastes better not to mention the sense of achievement and pride you get from starting with lots of separate items and finishing up with something wonderful and delicious. However, if someone wants to buy a jar of ready made pasta sauce for £1 instead of buying some tomatoes, pasata, onion, peppers, garlic and herbs (for obviously a lot more than £1) and stand over a hot stove for ages after a hard day at work, with the kids running around, the dog needing a walk, the house needing a tidy and a mountain of ironing then who am I to judge. Sometimes you just want dinner on the table and if a packet helps you get through the day then it can only be a good thing.