AS I waited in line to checkout at my local supermarket yesterday, I overheard two women ahead of me complaining about rising prices and how difficult it was to provide her family with decent meals.

But I couldn’t help noticing, as she placed the items from her overladen trolley on the belt, that much of her shop was pre-prepared.

Several packs of ready-mashed potato, ready-cut carrots, chopped greens, grated cheese, ready-to-eat pineapple and melon etc.

I was sorely tempted, but refrained from doing so, to point out that for the price she was paying for those items, she could have bought three or four times as much fresh produce (although admittedly she would have had to do a little peeling, scraping, cutting and grating).

One of the most ridiculous ‘pre-packed’ items I have ever seen.

A few years ago I was astonished and almost reduced to tears when in one supermarket I came across a bubble-packed ‘omelette-making kit’ (I kid you not) which consisted of two eggs, a small amount of grated cheese and some chopped ham.

Who on earth decided that it would be a good idea to drop home economics from school curricula?

ROBERT READMAN

Norwich Avenue West, Bournemouth