Sugar, you live and learn!

[Snadger]

Bought some Tate & Lyle' sugar the other day with the logo 'Home produced'. It wasn't until I read the blurb that I found it was made from sugar beet.
Just goes to show, I knew about sugar beet but didn't think it was economically viable and always thought cane sugar was what we mainly used in this country!
Home produced is good, so I don't feel so guilty about using it any more!

[zazen999]

Every day is a school day.

[HayleyB]

that's what the sugar beet factories do

[SarzWix]

All of Silver Spoon sugar is made with Sugar Beet produced in this country. Tate & Lyle always used to use cane sugar, I guess they must have changed over recently.

[Snadger]

All of Silver Spoon sugar is made with Sugar Beet produced in this country. Tate & Lyle always used to use cane sugar, I guess they must have changed over recently.

Ahh........it may have been Silver Spoon?

Just as an offshot, and to do with my self sufficiency urge, I looked into growing sugar beet myself a few months a go. I was put off when i found out you apparently only get roughly only one teaspoon of sugar from each beet grown!

[Snadger]

that's what the sugar beet factories do

Aint got any round here and i didn't know they existed until you just mentioned it!
*I must live a VERY sheltered life*

[HayleyB]

Nah don'tcha worry Snadger I only know about them as I sold a house close to one in that there Narrrrrrrrfolk, loads of them over there.

[SarzWix]

I guess you'd need an acre or two to get a couple of bags then?! Hmmm.. Mebbe not this year then

Not that many people know about sugar produced in the UK - I've been subjected to a lecture on the conditions of sugar plantation workers and why I should buy Fairtrade sugar. The person doing the lecturing was very put out when I pointed out that buying British Sugar meant that the workers had the same working conditions as the rest of us, and a lot less food-miles involved too

[zazen999]

and a lot less food-miles involved too

I dunno chuck - Norfolk is a terribly long way drive from anywhere [sorry Norfolkians.........but it used to take me a day to get to and from meetings in Norfolk and I was living in Northampton.......]

[Flummery]

There are loads of sugar beet production factories in Lincolnshire. On one occasion, when the Local Authority here was making new roads and topping up the verges with soil they obviously got free sugar beet washings - all sorts of 'aliens' popped up that we really never get here but that love the sandy soils. Interesting!

[SarzWix]

I dunno chuck - Norfolk is a terribly long way drive from anywhere [sorry Norfolkians.........but it used to take me a day to get to and from meetings in Norfolk and I was living in Northampton.......]

True, very true, but it's still closer than the Caribbean

[Alison]

Ah, sugar beet factories, still remember the foul smell of them when I lived near Peterborough. No way I can describe that smell but it's definitley not nice.

[Polly Fouracre]

I guess you'd need an acre or two to get a couple of bags then?! Hmmm.. Mebbe not this year then

Not that many people know about sugar produced in the UK - I've been subjected to a lecture on the conditions of sugar plantation workers and why I should buy Fairtrade sugar. The person doing the lecturing was very put out when I pointed out that buying British Sugar meant that the workers had the same working conditions as the rest of us, and a lot less food-miles involved too

I always buy Fairtrade sugar. I also didn't know that sugar was produced in this country. It's always seemed a bit of a "tropical" thing!!

[weekendwellies]

I noticed this a few months ago too. Sugar is one of them things you don't bother reading the blurb of, but I was on a recycling binge at the time and checking where everything came from and whether the packaging could be recycled or not.

[di]

Ah, sugar beet factories, still remember the foul smell of them when I lived near Peterborough. No way I can describe that smell but it's definitley not nice.

We used to live fairly close to one in Ipswich...you're right,the smell is definately not nice!
They've stopped using the one in Ipswich now...think it all goes to Bury.Thankfully the smell doesn't waft for that many miles!