Pat Whelan Butcher

As individuals we are defined by our personal values. If you asked me what value I remember most about my Grandmother for example, I could say without hesitation, ‘honesty’.  “Tell the truth and shame the devil”, was her mantra.  The crime was never the issue with her as long as you owned up to it and forgiveness was always the first response.  It was a super lesson for children, the association of telling the truth with the positive consequence of forgiveness and warmth and not punishment and suffering.  Sadly, my Grandmother would have a hard time living in today’s world where honesty is of decreasing importance and marketing relies more on spin than truth.  This was brought home starkly when a glossy brochure from a well known supermarket discounter spilled out of my Sunday newspaper. 

As I picked it up, the retailer and marketer in me instantly recognised a cunning ruse.  Picture smiling Irish farmers and food producers in your fancy brochure and without too much effort you are pedaling the notion that not only have you special offers to tempt me with, but also your products are Irish and therefore the quality is intrinsic.   If I had even a shred of guilt in me before about buying discounted goods from all across Europe, suddenly the consumer in me was acquitted; they were Irish goods after all!  This is, at best, stretching the truth.  Yes you will find Irish produced goods at your local German discounter but nobody will tell you what percentage that is.  Is it 1, 2, 10, 50, 75 or 99% of all they stock?  In fact you will still have to upturn every item to see where it is made and where it has come from.  Not everything is as it seems at first.
 

The trend towards discount supermarkets has been huge in this country.  It has still to sweep the UK in the same manner, but that’s due to tighter controls on planning permission and government imposed competition rules.  Ireland has a different attitude.  During the tiger years our unrelenting appetite for building and development meant that we embraced this European ideal and these stores sprung up everywhere.  Indeed some Irish towns and cities have stores in multiple locations and all Irish market conditions have suited their strategy.  While we were enjoying our prosperity they were bedding in, slowly reprogramming the consumer with the ‘we’re cheaper’ message.  Now at a time of tighter market conditions the bite of recession has blinded us all to the difference between price and value.   We are lured in the main by the cost of the item and in these straitened times few tend to stop and consider the value.  Many would be surprised if they were to learn that sometimes what appears as ‘cheaper’ is actually more expensive and I’m not talking about the added value of nutrition or the environment; actual hard cash.  For example if you see two strip loin steaks for €7.99 it appears fantastic value for the price of a meal for two.  However when you look more closely you will see that the weight might be 300grams per steak.  When you multiply that out, the price per kilo can be more than the price per kilo in your local butchers or in the indigenous supermarkets.  That means that if you were to buy the same size steak at your local butcher’s, it would actually be cheaper in monetary terms.  Of course the other question is do you really want a measly 300 gram steak to begin with!  Maybe if you are on a restrictive diet but eating for pure pleasure will leave you deeply unsatisfied.   There is also the possibility that any profit the local retailer makes will be spent locally.  His or her family will buy their food, their school uniforms, their clothes, their cars, their electrical items etc., from other local retailers.  Sadly when the profits are going to privately owned German companies the likelihood of anybody buying as much as a stick of rock in Clonmel or County Tipperary has about the same odds as hell freezing over any time soon. 

The discounters have done a superb job on the perception front.  By stacking them high and removing all frills they have convinced us that they are ‘definitely’ cheaper.  They have achieved the Holy Grail of good marketing and that is they have managed to change the perception of the public even if the actual difference is, in some cases, negligible and when you consider the offering outside of just price points, they can be more expensive.  So what is the main discounter strategy?  Well essentially it is to keep all business costs to a minimum, hence the no frills and uniform appearance of the stores and the cash only rule.  Also, traditionally they carry a smaller range of goods so choice is restricted.  That said they have had to adapt their model specifically for the Irish market.  Originally they would have sold a small range of own branded, dry grocery goods but the Irish shopper is more used to wider product ranges, fresh produce (meat and vegetables) and fair trade items.  We have all noticed how the Discounter has changed since it first launched on this island.

However I don’t wish to engage in xenophobic bashing of the competition for being foreign or to wage war with guilt and move consumers to buy local and Irish out of some idealistic sense of patriotism.  Money is tight, we are in the grip of recession and we need to find the best bang for our buck, but just because the discounters have the loudest voice in the playground doesn’t mean they have the best value on everything.  As a consumer you owe it to your pocket to verify their claims and statements on value.  Please consider comparing like with like.  Don’t discount the non discounters because of some notional marketing message.  Rediscover your local greengrocer, butcher and deli.  There is monetary value to be had there too and you won’t have to compromise on quality or customer service.   Honest!

I welcome any feedback to pat@jwb.ie

Beef Wellington  for Two

Prepare the Beef Wellingtons ahead of time and you’ll have enough time to change into something more comfortable before you sit down to dinner. Just the two of you.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp. (45 mL) butter, divided
• 1/3 cup (75 mL) minced shallot or red onion
• 1-1/2 cups (375 mL) coarsely chopped mushrooms
• 1/4 cup (50 mL) red wine
• 2 x 4oz Fillet Steaks , cut 1 inch (2 cm) thick salt and pepper to tast
• 1/2 pkg. frozen puff pastry dough, thawed
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp. (15 mL) water

Cooking Instructions

1. Melt 2 tbsp (30 mL) of the butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the minced shallots and cook, stirring, just until softened — about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until mushroom liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms have started to brown. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until it has evaporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper and transfer to a bowl.
2. Add the remaining 1 tbsp (15 mL) of butter to the skillet and increase the heat to high. As soon as the butter has melted, add the steaks to the pan, sprinkling them with salt and pepper and quickly sear both sides until browned — about 1 minute per side. Remove steaks from pan immediately. Let cool.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll the block of puff pastry dough out to a 12-inch (30 cm) square. Cut the square in half, then cut one of two halves in half again (reserve the remaining half of the dough).
4. Beat together the egg and the water and brush lightly over the surface of the two small squares of dough. On each square, spoon half of the mushroom mixture and top with one steak. Pull the corners of the dough up and over to wrap the whole thing up like a package — seal up any openings by pinching and folding them together. Turn over and arrange on a baking pan. Brush with egg mixture. Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut shapes out of the reserved pastry dough to decorate the top of each packet and brush with egg wash.
5. You can prepare the Wellingtons to this point as much as 3 or 4 hours before you want to serve them. Refrigerate, covered until about one hour before you want to begin baking.
6. Remove Wellingtons from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before baking to allow them to come to room temperature.
7. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
8. Place Wellingtons in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until puffed and golden. Let stand for about 5 minutes before serving.

Servings: 2