The pie’s the limit (From York Press)

The pie’s the limit

9:10am Wednesday 3rd October 2012 in Letters By Reader's letter

THE food and drink festival is a wonderful diversion from the rainy season. I had, however, a sobering shock when asking for a small pork pie.

There was no price, so when I asked, the good man said: “Do you want it hot, and with peas?”

When he asked me to pay £4, I nearly dropped the pie!

“Isn’t it a bit steep?” I managed, whereas the good man probably thought I was a Scotsman. He frowned, and his look was not pleasant.

But I consumed the very tasty pie, and my afterthoughts were these: “I guess that my ancestors might have fainted at the thought of paying £4 for a small pork pie.

Furthermore, this butcher might price himself out of business, blaming his customers and the government.”

Further down the food and drink tents, I discovered another pork pie stand with a smiling butcher. The price of a small pork pie there was £2 – without the dollop of mushy peas.

On my way home I wondered if this little incident was not a larger part of the British price malaise, namely pricing itself out of world markets.

Max Hagen, Beckfield Lane, Acomb, York.