Climate change could kill off the authentic Bakewell tart, a manufacturer has warned.
The cherry-topped Derbyshire pudding is now being produced without almonds by some makers because of supply chain problems linked to global warming.
Supplies of the nut are under strain because of extreme heat and declining water quality in California, where 80 per cent of the world’s almonds come from.
Complete fucking nonsense. This is a PR stunt:
Macphie, a food ingredients manufacturer, has launched a new almond-free Cherry Bakewell Sensation, which it says delivers the “same indulgence” as the authentic offering.
“We can still give you the experience you expect, the same aroma, the same balance of flavours, the same indulgence, but with an ingredient list that works in today’s supply climate,” said Kirsty Matthews, the company’s brand manager.
They’ve made it up. There’re thousands of acres of almonds that start next village over from me…..
Macphie and their brand manager can go and Macphuck themselves.
What does Mr. Kipling have to say about this…?
plus hundreds, if not thousands of acres of almonds doing well in NSW Riverina Irrigation areas. Usual BS manufactured panic
Oh, if only we had people in the media whose job it was to do more than simply regurgitate press releases uncritically.
According to AI (and I cant be bothered to properly check) inflation adjusted spot almond price was $4.26/lb in 2015. This year it has been well under $3 and reportedly touched $2.10
Yep, it’s a marketing stunt.
I have a pal in the marzipan industry she says that most industrial almonds come from California and there are loads available. Their problem is irrigation but that is due to the state’s policies on dams and stuff.
More junk copy from a dying rag.
Bakewell tart? Horrible stuff.
My almonds come from Aldi or Costco. Probably Californian. Not expensive. Same for walnuts. Suits me.
The minute I see ‘climate change’ I know that it’s complete twaddle.
Em, expect too see ‘climate change’ appear in ever more tenuous links as being the reason for whatever is being pushed. Al Beeb reported on how brassicas and peas have suffered this year(down 30-50%) yet no mention of 300% increase in rapeseed.
JuliaM,
Well, of course, this sort of website is now the media for regular explanations of “bollocks”.
It blows my mind that people pay for Telegraph subscriptions. You pay to get regurgitated press releases.
Addolff,
“Em, expect too see ‘climate change’ appear in ever more tenuous links as being the reason for whatever is being pushed. Al Beeb reported on how brassicas and peas have suffered this year(down 30-50%) yet no mention of 300% increase in rapeseed.”
The price of cocoa, the rise of English wine production. The first was really bad weather and general lack of investment. The latter is just a load of posh people who happen to own land giving it a go. It isn’t globally competitive and it isn’t making a profit.
If it doesn’t have almonds in it, it’s not Bakewell tart. FRAUD!
Addollff: I’ve just got home from our local country show, and the veg, including brassicas and peas, are humoungous. There’s no shortage. I saw a winning potato the size of a person’s head.
I used to wonder why the famous “five a day” didn’t include nuts. Then I found that the slogan didn’t come from some sort of medical or scientific conference but from a meeting of “produce growers” in California. All was clear: the almond growers presumably hadn’t shown up so nuts were not included with the fruit and veg.
Mind you, growing almonds in the Central Valley is said to use lots of water – but a lot less, I dare say, than growing rice. “What?” I hear you expostulate, “they grow rice in a desert’s edge climate?” Yes, it’s marvellous what unrealistic pricing of water can bring about. It’s like rent control but in reverse.
I’ve had both “original” Bakewell tarts, at both rival “original” Bakewell tart places, in (shock, horror) Bakewell. Maybe I should have made a viral youtube video comparing them.
what unrealistic pricing of water can bring about. It’s like rent control but in reverse.
This canard about farmers being sold water cheap won’t flush.
90% of the water companies costs are in sewerage. Farmers irrigating their fields aren’t flushing water down the toilet, so they don’t pay the sewerage charge, they pay for the water they use at the same rate as everyone else.
Not true in CA, no. Farmers often get water (from damns, irrigation systems) at $100 per acre foot. Cities would pay $600 and $1,000 for the same volume from the same canal. CA has a weird system of historic water rights – it’s what the movie Chinatown is all about.
My first published piece in an English/American magazine was on this very point, New Times of San Luis Obispo that was.
@philip: in California? You may be right but it runs counter to everything I’ve ever read on the subject. Are you sure?
The water problems for almond growers (and cities) in California is the result of Democrat green policies. No new storage has been built in decades. Trillions of gallons were wasted trying to protect an endangered fish that turned out to be an invasive species. Infrastructure to route water from the water rich northern part to the southern part was rejected for political reasons. It hasn’t helped that the almond growers themselves have formed a cartel to keep prices high.
Oh, if only we had people in the media whose job it was to do more than simply regurgitate press releases uncritically.
Indeed, Julia, and they wonder why they are losing their jobs to AI.
The German press recently reported a bumper apple harvest well above the 10 year average. Looking at our apple tree I’d say we’ve got a good 20% more this season and they look healthier. My wife also thinks they’re 2-3 weeks ahead of their usual ripening time.
In Yorkshire I had a bumper blackberry crop…… in July! Normally I’m getting them in September. I harvested all my potatoes a fortnight ago and am thinking of planting another crop.
@Addolff – “no mention of 300% increase in rapeseed.”
Don’t worry, someone somewhere is preparing to post an article which says that following a surge in illegal immigration, rape is up 300%.
“They’ve made it up. There’re thousands of acres of almonds that start next village over from me…..”
Vacationing in Andalusia a few years back, up in the mountains south of Grenada. There were many almond trees, and orange trees – all uncropped – some even had individual irrigation lines to them but seems the farmers thought it not worth the while to bother to pick them.