Kitchen Garden Forum

We like to support our local businesses. If you don't sometimes buy stuff from the local corner shop or fishmonger, etc. then you might miss it when it's gone. We also try to buy British as far as possible in the supermarkets, without getting silly about it.

But, from necessity, I buy a lot of stuff online especially now we're doing up our 'new' house. I've noticed recently that so very many things are 'made in China'. Even things you might not expect to be. It's quite eye opening. Buy tartan napkins for Burns Night - made in China. Buy a poster print by a British artist - made in China. Buy a rug for the living room - made in China. Buy a spirit level - made in China. It seems never ending.

I don't really understand why they seem to have such a large share of the market. Can you throw any light on it? Have you been experiencing or have you noticed the same thing?

Sadly Thatcher's government killed off British manufacturing, we now really are Napoleon's nation of shop keepers, I worked as an engineer in various capacities, I had to move my family and go and work in a Japanese car factory, only job I could find in middle England in the 1990's.

Check out where your garlic comes from, china from Lidl.