Latest news with #spread
News.com.au
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
‘No excuse': Meghan Markle's As Ever fruit spread savaged by MasterChef star
The queen of jam has spoken. Jam expert Donna Collins trashed the new apricot spread from Meghan Markle's As Ever lifestyle brand. 'It's a real disappointment that Meghan is selling a fruit spread, which is what you make when your jam fails,' Collins said, according to the Daily Mail. 'In the jam industry a spread is what we call something that didn't work,' the Jelly Queens owner continued. 'It can have the best ingredients, but if I had a jam that was too runny, I'd slap a label on it and call it a spread.' 'There's no excuse for this,' Collins added. 'It should be perfect.' The MasterChef alum, who has reportedly won over 40 world championship honors in jam-making competitions, also called out Markle, 43, for her 'conventionally grown apricots, which will have used pesticides.' 'And why is she using pectin, which is a gelling agent, unless it's because her spread was too runny?' Collins asked. 'Most spreads don't use pectin.' On Friday, Markle released her new apricot spread in an individual jar for $9 and keepsake packaging for $14. Both items quickly sold out. 'Her apricot spread sold out in minutes, just like her earlier raspberry spread, which may mean they only made a small batch,' Collins surmised. 'I don't know who's making her spread,' the jam guru continued, 'but we all know it's not Meghan. It sounds like they really don't know what they are doing.' The Post has reached out to Markle's reps for comment. Markle revealed her plans to sell homemade jam after announcing her own lifestyle company last year. The royal even sent out lemon-filled gift baskets containing fresh fruit jam to 50 of her friends last summer. She ended up releasing fruit spread instead of jam as part of the official launch of her lifestyle brand in April. The other products (which also all sold out) included a limited-edition $28 wildflower honey with honeycomb, $12 herbal teas (hibiscus, peppermint and lemon ginger), $14 crepe mix and shortbread cookies with $15 flower sprinkles. Earlier this month, The Sun reported that Markle is looking to add hotels and restaurants to her brand.
Telegraph
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Battle of the breakfast spreads – how an Algerian rival to Nutella exposed France's insecurities
El Mordjene, France's most controversial spread, is easy enough to come by in London. I find a jar in a shop by Fulham Broadway. 'It's very popular, and here it is very good price,' says the man who sells it to me, who declines to give a name to the newspaper but is happy to take £8.99 for a jar. 'El Mordjene and Dubai chocolate, both very popular in the last six months.' Why, I ask. He shrugs, with the phlegmatic air of a man who has seen enough grocery trends come and go to have given up wondering how this one in particular might have come about. When I get home I spread the El Mordjene on a cracker. It has a light gloopy texture and a sweet, hazelnutty, moreish flavour, as if it were Nutella's pale, silken cousin. I instantly have another. My wife tries it and does the same. 'Like Nutella but more sophisticated,' she pronounces. This free and easy access to El Mordjene is a privilege. Because while plenty of North African shops in London stock the spread, in France the spread has become rarer than baked beans at breakfast. Across the Channel, El Mordjene has become a political football, the subject of a bitter trade row, a social media flashpoint and a jumping-off point for an angry discussion about the relationship between Algeria and its former colonial ruler. 'El Mordjene is a show of pride for Algerians,' says Rachida Lamri, founder of Culturama, an Algerian cultural organisation in the UK. 'Algerians are known to be fond of their flags, now this is like the new flag: El Mordjene spread. We take it to our parties, take it to our friends, we feed it to our kids, make everyone taste it. It is like a joke against France. It says 'we are here, we exist, we're going to sell our products, this is our identity, and we're going to do it despite you'.' El Mordjene was launched in Algeria in 2021 by the Algerian firm Cebon. It is a mix of sugar, vegetable fat, hazelnuts, skimmed milk powder, whey, emulsifiers (such as soy lecithin) and vanilla flavoring. It quickly became popular in the domestic market. Influencers on social media touted Mordjene's superiority to Nutella, the children's breakfast behemoth made by the Italian multinational, Ferrero. Ferrero also make Ferrero Rocher and Kinder Bueno, the latter of whose smooth interior El Mordjene was said to resemble. French-African shops in France began to stock the spread, too; word of the delicious new spread quickly spread. The trouble began last September, when two shipments of El Mordjene were stopped at French customs. Initially, one of the reasons given was that the Algerian spread appeared to 'infringe' Nutella's trademarks. A couple of days later, however, the French ministry of agriculture confirmed that El Mordjene was banned within the EU because Algeria was not one of the countries permitted to export dairy products to the union. The skimmed milk powder in El Mordjene meant it was interdit. The authorities added that investigation was 'currently under way' to work out how the tasty paste crossed the Mediterranean in the first place. Prices rocketed to up to 30 euros per jar. Copycats sprung up, made in Turkey; French recipe writers described recipes for making your own at home. 'Clearly, [the French authorities] were looking for a loophole,' Amine Ouzlifi, a Cebon spokesman, told The New Yorker recently. 'They considered a bunch of options and finally settled on dairy products as the most viable.' He added that it was suspicious French authorities had only decided to enforce the rule once the spread became popular, but that he would not unnecessarily 'open the gates of Hell' by contesting the ban directly. Algerian influencers and food industry professionals took umbrage, arguing that this was classic sour grapes from their old antagonists. Some suggested the ban was down to ' seum ' – a slang term that means feeling bitter or resentful – on the French part. In France, Right-wing pundits suggested that the veiled woman depicted on the El Mordjene jar was a metaphor for Islamic values being smuggled into France. 'El Mordjene started to pose a problem the second it became a star,' Habib Merouane Hadj Bekkouche, a spokesman for the Algerian Organisation for the Protection and Orientation of Consumers and their Environment, told The New Yorker. While some wondered about a possible Ferrero-backed corporate conspiracy, most saw it as old-fashioned French protectionism. ['We'll politely decline this one,' said a Ferrero representative when approached for comment, although in other pieces a spokesman refuted the idea of Ferrero involvement.] 'It has nothing to do with Nutella,' says Lamri. 'Nutella is an institution. Not everyone was going to move to El Mordjene. France did us a favour. Mordjene has gained such popularity that maybe we are taking on Nutella. The FDA in the US have just validated Mordjene as safe. It's now being exported to the US. Who needs France?' There was another delicious twist. It turned out that offending skimmed milk powder contained in El Modjene had itself been imported to Algeria from, of all places, Brittany. It made no difference to the French attitude. The ban continues. 'We are seeing a resurgence of counterfeiting of our product and the usurption of the Cebon brand,' Ouzlifi tells The Telegraph. 'We are taking the necessary steps to counter this.' The El Mordjene contretemps has been amplified by the fraught political situation between France and Algeria. Relations have remained on a knife edge since Algeria won independence in 1962, after decades of conflict in which at least 300,000 people were killed, and possibly 1.4 million. They are currently at a low ebb. Last July, Algeria withdrew its ambassador after President Macron supported Morocco's plan for an autonomous Western Sahara. In February of this year, an undocumented Algerian went on a fatal knife rampage in Mulhouse, near the borders with Switzerland and Germany. Cebon, founded by two brothers in 1997, is emblematic of Algeria's attempts to build its own industries to compete internationally. For many Algerians, the spread row is yet more proof that France cannot bear the idea of a strong, independent Algeria. 'El Mordjene is defiance,' Lamri says. 'If you try to ban us, we will go to great lengths to still exist and be part of the dialogue. With a spread, or a flag, or a song.' And for British customers who can still get their hands on a jar, it may be the most moreish Brexit dividend yet.
The Sun
25-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Tesco fans are racing to snap up new pistachio spread which costs £4 a jar & it makes toast taste like Dubai chocolate
FOODIES are going wild for Tesco's new pistachio spread which is said to have a 'decadent nutty flavour.' Their Pistachio Creme spread is part of the Tesco Finest range and could well be a hit with fans of the popular ' Dubai chocolate.' 4 4 While the chocolate bars have been a sell out success in multiple supermarkets, Tesco has now launched the spread. The tasty treat is said to be 'rich and creamy' and combines the flavours of the insanely popular Dubai chocolate but in spreadable form. That means you can slather it on toast, pile it onto pancakes, dip fruit in it or even spoon it from the jar. The Tesco Pistachio Creme spread is said to cost £4 for a 300g jar. Dubai chocolate lovers took the Facebook group Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK to share their delight at the launch. One said: 'Oh I need this.' Another added: 'Will be going there.' This follows Tesco selling a Ritter Sport Pistachio chocolate bar which cost £2.20 for 100g. The supermarket is following in the footsteps of Lidl, who has also launched a pistachio spread. You asked, we delivered' says Irish supermarket as viral chocolate lands in stores but 'they won't last' The Sun can exclusively reveal the new Della Sante Dubai-Style Chocolate Cream spread will hit shelves in just a week's time on May 29. The tasty treat contains a blend of smooth chocolate, sweet cream, salty pistachio and crisp Kadayfi pastry for an added crunch. You'll be able to get it in Lidl stores across the country. It will cost £3.99 for Lidl Plus members or £4.99 for non-members. Lidl has said it will be available "while stocks last" - so you may want to get in quick. The supermarket is expecting the spread to be extremely popular so it's limiting purchases to three per customer. When Lidl launched its Dubai-style chocolate bar back in March, shoppers were queuing outside shops to get a taste. The Sun spotted a queue outside the Gosport, Hampshire, store at 8am with shoppers eagerly waiting for the doors to open. Dubai chocolate craze Chocolate fans have been going crazy for supermarket dupes of the expensive Dubai chocolate bars and they've been going viral on social media. Lidl's version was the cheapest when it was brought out at £3.99. Before it arrived in stores, the chocolate bar had been available on Lidl's TikTok Shop. It wasn't around for long though as it sold out in a mere 84 minutes. Numerous supermarkets and bargain stores have been jumping on the Dubai-style chocolate trend. One of the most-anticipated was the M&S version, which it turned out was a new take on the viral Big Daddy chocolate bar. The Big Daddy Pistachio is on the pricier end, costing £8.50 for a big 280g bar. Similarly posh supermarket Waitrose also released a version for £10. How to save money on chocolate We all love a bit of chocolate from now and then, but you don't have to break the bank buying your favourite bar. Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how to cut costs... Go own brand - if you're not too fussed about flavour and just want to supplant your chocolate cravings, you'll save by going for the supermarket's own brand bars. Shop around - if you've spotted your favourite variety at the supermarket, make sure you check if it's cheaper elsewhere. Websites like let you compare prices on products across all the major chains to see if you're getting the best deal. Look out for yellow stickers - supermarket staff put yellow, and sometimes orange and red, stickers on to products to show they've been reduced. They usually do this if the product is coming to the end of its best-before date or the packaging is slightly damaged. Buy bigger bars - most of the time, but not always, chocolate is cheaper per 100g the larger the bar. So if you've got the appetite, and you were going to buy a hefty amount of chocolate anyway, you might as well go bigger.
The Sun
22-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Lidl reveals new viral Dubai chocolate product that shoppers will go mad for
LIDL shoppers will be delighted as a new Dubai-style chocolate product will be hitting stores in days. The bargain supermarket's Dubai-style chocolate bars were a sell-out hit that had shoppers queuing to get a taste - and now Lidl is launching a tasty chocolate pistachio spread. The Sun can exclusively reveal the new Della Sante Dubai-Style Chocolate Cream spread will be landing on shelves in a week's time on May 29. The tasty treat is a blend of smooth chocolate, sweet cream, salty pistachio and crisp Kadayfi pastry for an added crunch. It combines the flavours of the insanely popular Dubai chocolate but in spreadable form. That means you can slather it on toast, pile it onto pancakes, dip fruit in it or even spoon it from the jar. You'll be able to get it in Lidl stores across the country. It will cost £3.99 for Lidl Plus members or £4.99 for non-members. Lidl has said it will be available "while stocks last" - so you may want to get in quick. The supermarket is expecting the spread to be extremely popular so it's limiting purchases to three per customer. When Lidl launched its Dubai-style chocolate bar back in March, shoppers were queuing outside shops to get a taste. The Sun spotted a queue outside the Gosport, Hampshire, store at 8am with shoppers eagerly waiting for the doors to open. Chocolate fans have been going crazy for supermarket dupes of the expensive Dubai chocolate bars and they've been going viral on social media. Lidl's version was the cheapest when it was brought out at £3.99. Before it arrived in stores, the chocolate bar had been available on Lidl's TikTok Shop. It wasn't around for long though as it sold out in a mere 84 minutes. Which other shops have released Dubai-style chocs? Numerous supermarkets and bargain stores have been jumping on the Dubai-style chocolate trend. One of the most-anticipated was the M&S version, which it turned out was a new take on the viral Big Daddy chocolate bar. The Big Daddy Pistachio is on the pricier end, costing £8.50 for a big 280g bar. Similarly posh supermarket Waitrose also released a version for £10. Despite the price, it was so popular the retailer had to impose a two-bar limit on shoppers. Iceland is selling two different bars: the Nelino Dubai-Style Chocolate (£2 for 62g) and Bolci Dubai Chocolate (£5 for 100g). Bolci's Turkish-made treat is also available at Morrisons. Meanwhile Home Bargains is selling Dubai Chocolate Cookies for the bargain price of £1.25. How to save money on chocolate We all love a bit of chocolate from now and then, but you don't have to break the bank buying your favourite bar. Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how to cut costs... Go own brand - if you're not too fussed about flavour and just want to supplant your chocolate cravings, you'll save by going for the supermarket's own brand bars. Shop around - if you've spotted your favourite variety at the supermarket, make sure you check if it's cheaper elsewhere. Websites like let you compare prices on products across all the major chains to see if you're getting the best deal. Look out for yellow stickers - supermarket staff put yellow, and sometimes orange and red, stickers on to products to show they've been reduced. They usually do this if the product is coming to the end of its best-before date or the packaging is slightly damaged. Buy bigger bars - most of the time, but not always, chocolate is cheaper per 100g the larger the bar. So if you've got the appetite, and you were going to buy a hefty amount of chocolate anyway, you might as well go bigger.
Reuters
21-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Italians and 'lo spread', an obsession whose time has passed
ROME, May 21 (Reuters) - A previously unused English word crept into the Italian language during the euro zone debt crisis of 2011 as the country's borrowing costs soared to unsustainable levels. Ever since then "lo spread", or the gap between the yield on Italian benchmark bonds and their German equivalents, has been brandished by politicians and the media alike as a symbol of national pride or shame, much like a sporting victory or defeat. After the BTP-Bund gap took a rare dip below one percentage point, or 100 basis points (bps), Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told parliament last week "this means Italy's government bonds are considered safer than German ones." Her economy minister, aware the narrower spread in fact meant merely that Italian bonds were considered comparatively less unsafe than before, smiled and shook his head beside her. Fourteen years ago the attention on the spread was justified. Germany's economy was the European powerhouse and the surge in Italian yields meant Rome had to pay huge sums to service its debt and risked losing market access altogether. Times have changed, however, and many economists say that with German benchmark bond yields rising due to a planned spending splurge on defence and infrastructure, Italians' fixation with the BTP-Bund spread now makes far less sense. "What matters for us is the level of interest rates, not the spread with Germany," said economist Tito Boeri, a former head of Italy's state pensions agency. "If German yields rise that doesn't help Italy's public accounts." Rome spends some 90 billion euros ($101 billion) per year, or 4% of gross domestic product to service its 3 trillion euro public debt. With the yield on 10-year BTPs still above 3.5%, that implies a heavy burden on state coffers regardless of the narrow spread with Germany. At around 135% of GDP, Italy's debt is proportionally the second-largest in the euro zone after Greece's, and it is forecast by the government to rise through 2026. Analysts say Meloni's unambitious but relatively prudent economic policies have reassured markets, but the recent narrowing of the spread is mainly down to developments in Germany and the United States. Economist Lorenzo Bini Smaghi, a former European Central Bank board member, said investors' waning appetite for U.S. Treasuries had benefited European bonds and particularly high-yielding paper such as Italy's. "If I consider Europe as a safer bet, partly because I expect the dollar to fall, I'm going to invest in European bonds, especially those that offer higher returns," he said. Italian bond yields are still the highest of any euro zone country, reflecting the risk-premium demanded by investors, and Boeri warned that market volatility linked to U.S. economic policy meant Rome had no reason for complacency. Italy's 10-year yield of around 3.6% compares with 3.2% on equivalent Spanish bonds and 3.4% on Greek ones. "We need to be very, very careful because what is happening on international government bond markets shows us the slightest mistake (in economic policy) can be costly," he said. Italy could come unstuck even without a mistake. Spread fluctuations very often reflect "risk-on" or "risk-off" market sentiment driven by international events, not Italian ones. The BTP-Bund gap widened briefly but sharply, for example, after U.S. President Donald Trump announced swingeing trade tariffs on April 2, only to suspend many of them a week later. "The spread widens when we see a flight to safety because Italy is not considered 'safety'," said Roberto Perotti, economics professor at Milan's Bocconi university. A glance at the past shows the BTP-Bund spread has dipped below 100 bps under several Italian governments, sometimes surging shortly afterwards due to factors outside their control. For much of 2009 the spread hovered between 80 and 100 bps under Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, before widening out to a peak of more than 570 bps in 2011 during the euro zone debt crisis, despite Rome following a broadly stable fiscal policy. In 2021, under former ECB President Mario Draghi, it again narrowed to less than 100 bps only to widen to 250 the following year amid surging global inflation after the COVID-19 pandemic. Perotti said it was understandable that Meloni should point to the narrow spread as a political success. But with Germany no longer seen as a pillar of fiscal restraint and stability, its value as an indicator had diminished. "At the moment it doesn't have much meaning," he said. ($1 = 0.8890 euros)
