And while on the subject...

Asda gives me a few giggles with some of its offers. It's favourite one is the 'Buy one for £1.35, buy 2 for £3'. Anyone who falls for that deserves what they get. But I do have to compliment Asda on some of its genuine prices.

I'm not an addictive type - particularly where consumables are concerned, but I do have a weakness for crisps. Not any crisps - just plain ol' Ready Salted. Generally, I don't buy them, because there's a danger I won't stop eating them. I'm the one you often see at a party stationed protectively near the snack dish.

Anyway, I did want to buy some crisps for a children's picnic so I looked for a big pack. Asda's Ready Salted are about 65p for 12 packets (or is it 10?). The best bit is, they're really good - made with sunflower oil and salt only. The downside is the packets are quite small. But enough for a little one and not too high in calories for snacking. Too small for me though.

Shopping trail

Good ol' Waitrose. I did have occasion to complain there last week - something I rarely do there. It was about a 'buy one for £199, buy 2 for £3.50'. Well, let's put it like this, I didn't get the £1 reduction for buying 2 because the offer blurb was situated alongside the wrong product. Also, a price for an organic carton of milk was cheaper than the standard - or so it appeared, but again, wrongly labelled. I was a bit annoyed with the customer service assistant who somewhat patronisingly told me 'Well, prices have gone up madam'. Do I look like I've been shut away without a good shop for 6 months? That's not the point anyway. But, all is forgiven. The free bottle of wine helped.

With other stores you usually get the 'So what?' look, or as my daughter experienced in another supermarket 'We all make mistakes'. Yeh, well I'm sorry but if I catch you out, from now on... pretend you're Waitrose!

Inflatable Skate Park

I took two of my young grandsons to the Leisure Centre for a swim during the week. In the large pool it had what one of the boys described as an 'inflatable skate park'. I thought he said a 'steak park' but on close observation I could see why he called it the former. It just looked like a rubber assault course to me - balanced on water of course. Whatever it looked like or whatever it was called it was great fun. I have to point out here it was great fun for me as an observer rather than a participator. At first I was a bit reluctant to let the 6 year old go on it as most of the those using it were much larger, but I couldn't really see it presenting any real dangers. There were plenty of staff supervising, so I let both boys go on. The downside was that they had to join a very large queue, but staff were ensuring that users of the inflatable were monitored carefully to travel the length of it one at a time

My doubts about the 6 year old's use of the inflatable were unfounded. Both he and his 9 year brother are quite agile and two of the thinnest boys in the school I should think. After one travelled across it in record time without a ducking, the other followed suit. I was dying to have a go, but I would not only have been the oldest but also the fattest user of the 'skate park'. Not only that, it struck me that size is everything. Inflatable posts are not the best to hold onto when you are trying to get over the 'ramps' (especially when pool-side staff are throwing buckets of water at you) so the less weight they have to support the better. It seemed to be the larger users were the ones most likely to take a dip. If I had got on there, the whole contraption would probably have taken a 360 degree turn and I didn't want parents complaining that I'd spoilt it for their kids. Even without my help it did start to deflate at one point (I tried not to think what it reminded me of).

I'll say this though. If there had been no one else in the pool other than a couple of lifeguards to rescue me, I'd have been on there like a shot. And if I had one in a private pool, I'd be much fitter. Bye everyone, I'm off to the steak park.

Pea Porridge, Bury St Edmunds

I scarcely need to recommend this. It is probably one of the most popular restuarants I know of around these parts, and with somewhere like this you don't really need to travel any further. However, I would be interested in comparing it with the Leaping hare at Wyken Vineyards, Pakenham. I used to think that was the best restaurant for miles, but it became too expensive for me.... and no-one has offered to take me.... aaah!

I went to PP with my daughter and it's rare she and I both enjoy the same restaurant on the same night, but in this case we did. We both used to like the Angel but she was disappointed last time she went and I wasn't as enthusiastic on my last visit, but that was a while ago.

Pea Porridge has a very unconventional menu - a fair amount of game and offal. That said, S had half a lobster and I had some beautiful hake. I'd say that last Tuesday the menu had something for everyone, and there were certainly a lot of people there to enjoy it. The restaurant was full. It's good with the small touches and the service was excellent. Didn't get around to a dessert, but the starter was delicious. It is quite 'fussy' food but in the right way. Lots of good and unusual ingredients, and the salad I had as a starter really didn't need the griddled lamb's heart with it. It would have sufficed on its own. It took me back to a cruise I had on an American ship where a salad started every meal. They were amazing dishes.

At PP the heart (was it calves heart?) element wasn't particularly memorable I do have to say (and it probably won't go on and on....) but by the time I had eaten that and some lovely bread and the complimentary pea hors d'oeuvre, I didn't need much more. The hake though, was 'Iberian' style and it was well-worth ordering.

I thought the prices were reasonable. Pea Porridge must be taking quite a lot of custom from other restaurants of a similar nature in town, but they do need some competition.

Butley's Oysterage, Orford, Suffolk.

I have loved the little village of Orford and Butley's restaurant for many years. A family-run business, the food quality remains constant throughout. Wish I could say the same about the prices, but they really are not bad nevertheless. One of my favourite dishes is a mixed seafood hors-d'oeuvres plate which comes with Butley's smoked mackerel, trout, salmon, prawns, cod's roe... and other delights. Didn't eat it on my last visit for lunch (last week) as it's best shared as a starter. At about £9 it's very reasonable really (especially when you think of a £9 burger and chips). I didn't have it because most of my friends wanted Butley's lovely oysters. I will forgive them for that.... eventually. But nearly all of us had the same main course - a mixture of griddled giant prawns, squid and sardines. Delicious, but they're simply served with bread and lemon mayo. Still great value at around £12 for so much delicious protein. Most dishes are quite simply prepared and are definitely for lovers of fish. They do serve smoked chicken (if it's well behaved) but that's about it on the meat front. Desserts are lovely too but we adjourned to a little cafe across the road for cake and coffee - very enjoyable. There are also two great pubs in Orford and a hotel with a renown restaurant ... not to mention the Lady Florence, but an update on that later in the summer I hope. Do go to Orford if you've never been before and you like 'quaint', traditional and good quality.

Giraffe, Parkway Bury St Edmunds

I rarely visit a chain restaurant unless it's with children. I went along to Giraffe with my family last Tuesday because it was Burger Tuesday - meaning burgers were half-price and so was the wine, as long as you ordered before 7pm. My fairly basic burger with a portion of fries was halved from £9 or so. It was very nice but I'd consider it a bit of a rip-off at full price. No complaints about the wine!

White Horse, Risby (just off A14)

Not a nice spot to have a five hundred year old pub - what a difference it would have made if it had been in the village itself. Location, location, location...... but if it carried on running like it is now it could be in just about anywhere and I don't think it would attract the crowds other than for beer - it is a Free House after all. I suppose that it's the vicious circle syndrome - when you can't get people out of Bury without a magic formula, then the managers can't afford to run it in the way they would like (or know how ). Take my fishcakes - yes, please take my fishcakes! I don't mind two little fishcakes posing as a light lunch (or even a starter) at around a fiver if you can taste the fish. Magnifying glasses out!

Given it was mostly a potato cake they could have at least served it with a half-decent salad rather than just a garnish. No wonder there were only two other lunchers to be seen - and they were in the mirror. It is such, such a pity. The building is so full of potential. Even as it stands it is not bad if you could eradicate that 'old guest house' smell that prevails. It would make a good film set..... and it is supposed to be haunted. Not by customers though I imagine.

St Edmund's Tavern, Risbygate Street

I think it's a shame this pub changed it's name from the Rising Sun some year or so ago. I never see the point in changing pub names. This place has so much history (yes, I once worked there) and the building is so beautiful.

I'm not sure what's going on there but I don't think it's as successful as it should or could be. It's not central which is a problem - and it is primarily a restaurant (though it does house a few drinkers). I think either prices need to be very competitive or the menu needs to be a bit different, and I feel that good though the food is, it's not got a hook for the more adventurous diners. It's not 'special' in any respect other than the building, but it could so easily be with a few tweaks.

I have had a couple of pleasant lunches there recently; they serve some lovely fresh, home-made tasting bread as well as other quality ingredients, but one shot at evening dining was enough for me as things stand. I hope the proprietors get to grips with what might be missing as I fear it could end up another casualty of Bury's town centre when it really should not be.