Price tags on goods misleading

Dear Betsy, Is it really so difficult to ask the supermarkets to get their pricing correct? I know you have had letters about this before, but nothing changes.

I live in Saar and frequent two major supermarkets in the area, both of which get the prices wrong practically every time I visit.

The latest incident was a box of chocolate biscuits priced on the display at BD7.500 but when I paid for them they showed up on the till at BD8.600.

I questioned the cashier who could not tell me why and when her supervisor came over she told me it was a mistake on the display price.

I told her it was misleading and she should change it and put the proper price. She said the manager had told her to leave it that way as it was more attractive to customers!

I was speechless. Maybe everyone doesn't check their till receipt or maybe they have money to burn - but not me.

So this is a warning to your readers to watch at the check out.

Kathy.

Dear Kathy,

I know this is a common problem, as we have had letters about it before and it has also happened to me. Genuine mistakes can happen, but have you noticed that these "mistakes" always mean the price is higher?

I have never known it to be wrongly priced on the display and end up with a cheaper price at the till!

Looks like this supervisor let the cat out of the bag however unwittingly.

In many countries this would be a blatant breach of the law.

I thought we had a consumer protection thingy in Bahrain. I hope they are reading GulfWeekly this week.

l Have you suffered from unfair pricing practices? Email: betsymathieson@hotmail.com

Dear Betsy,

I AM in a real mess. I have the future in-laws coming to dinner and I really, really can't cook. It is only the second time I have met them and I am so nervous.

My fiancŽ says it won't matter what I cook as they are happy just for us all to be together, but I know that first impressions are important and my future mother-in-law will compare and inspect everything that goes on that dinner table.

Help Betsy, what do you suggest as a simple three-course menu for a traditional British family? There will just be the four of us. They are flying in from Oman for the weekend but thankfully are staying with some friends.

Sorry about using a nick name, but my fiancŽ's mum reads everything in sight and might read your column.

Desperate-soon-to-be- housewife.

Dear Desperate-soon-to-be-housewife,

First of all, congratulations on your engagement. This is a wonderful time in your life and you should enjoy every moment of it.

I am sure your future in-laws will be every bit as nervous as you.

The good news is that it is a dinner for four. This is easy, even I can manage that!

My best advice to you is to apply the KISS principle ... Keep It Simple Stupid!

A three-course dinner is easy, don't panic. I always like to include dishes that you can prepare in advance for a dinner party, that way not all the work is necessary on the day. For a starter, you could serve a grilled vegetable salad, or you could try a soup, such as fresh tomato(see websites below) or mushroom soup, served with some 'croutons' (small cubes of fried bread) served on top.

You can cheat a little by buying tinned mushroom soup and adding some fresh mushrooms to it and a swirl of fresh cream.

A casserole-type main course is easy as you can pre-cook it and reheat it on the night. A classic Coq au Vin, is fairly simple and you can dress it up with garlic or mustard mashed potato and fresh vegetables such as broccoli, carrots and spinach.

Any chef will tell you that the most important thing is to use the very best fresh produce, so check what's fresh at the supermarket.

For dessert try some fresh fruit with sorbet (supermarkets have it) and pour over a little 'interesting beverage' to make it special.

Log on to www.bbcgoodfood.com and www.deliaonline.com two of my favourite foodie websites. They are full of quick, simple impressive menus and recipes.

One of the most important things to do is check that neither of your guests have any food allergies, intolerances, hates or food 'no go' areas (like meat if they are vegetarian) and take this a step further and ask your fiancŽ what their favourite foods are and try to include them.

Keep your table layout simple, with some fresh flowers and candles and use real napkins, not paper ones as his mum is sure to be impressed by such attention to detail.

Try to make sure you have some of their favourite tipple on hand to help things go with a swing, but avoid too much of it yourself as you will need to keep your wits about you. Refuse all offers of help to serve or clean up, unless it is from your fiancŽ, and just relax and be yourself.

Have everything organised in advance, such as the coffee cups, so that you don't have to rush about and can spend the maximum time relaxing and chatting with your guests.

If you have enough time, then ask a couple of friends round before they arrive and serve them the same menu and use it as a practice session and this way you will be super-confident on the big night.

Good luck and remember to think positively and make sure you both smile and I am sure that your happiness will be infectious as after all, that is all your fiancŽs parents want to be sure of -_that their son is happy and not engaged to a mad axe murderer with two heads! Enjoy.

BETSY SAYS RELAX...

Enjoy a brisk walk in the late afternoon sunshine. There is nothing as beautiful as the kingdom just before sunset so get out there with your friends and family and enjoy the outdoors before the predicted rains come tumbling down again.

If you only do one thing this week

Celebrate the birth of one of the world's best loved poets and a real humanitarian ... Robert Burns, whose humble birth in Alloway in Scotland will be celebrated all over the world this weekend.

Some of his most revered works, will be read aloud in practically every language of the globe, including Russian where he has been adopted as one of their own.

One of my favourite pieces is "To A Louse" inspired when the bard spies a louse crawling around in the fancy bonnet of a fine lady sitting in front of him in church. It is a hilariously down to earth account, portraying his literary genius in even the simplest of everyday life situations. He ends it with the immortal words:

"Oh Wad some Pow'r the giftie gie us

To see oursels as ithers see us!

It wad frae mony a blunder free us

And foolish notion:

What airs in dress an' gait wad lea'e us

An e'vn devotion!"

And yes, I did type that completely from memory, being a guid Scot's Lass from Ayr,

"Auld Ayr, wham ne'er a toon surpasses, for honest men and bonnie lasses" (from Tam O'Shanter, a 224 line hilarious epic of Tam's market-day escapade).

Even if you don't know anything else about Rabbie Burns, you will know arguably his most famous 'song', Auld Lang Syne. Google him or buy a book of his works. But make sure it has a comprehensive glossary unless you are a native Scot. If you need any translation then email me!

Experience the magic of Burns for yourself by attending one of the two Burns Suppers on the island this Thursday and Friday at the Gulf Hotel and Golden Tulip respectively, proceeds of which go to charity.