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American visits Sainsbury's and 'can't comprehend' UK vs US differences

American visits Sainsbury's and 'can't comprehend' UK vs US differences

Daily Mirror16-07-2025
Natalie Barbu said she was shocked by what she found on the shelves when she visited the supermarket
An American woman who was shocked by her Sainsbury's shop wowed social media users after pointing out the differences between UK and US supermarkets. Natalie Barbu, from Miami, recorded a recent visit to a Sainsbury's store in London.

Posting the video online as @nataliebarbu, she said: "I was shocked at the grocery stores in the UK. Here are some differences that I noticed as an American shopping at Sainsbury's, which is one of the biggest grocery stores in all of London." She added that the supermarket reminded her of Walmart.

Explaining the differences she noticed, Natalie spotted something she didn't expect as soon as she entered the supermarket. "One thing I couldn't comprehend is the fact that you had to bring a coin in order to get a shopping cart," the shopper shared.

"You also have to bring your own bags when shopping, because if not, they will charge you for a bag, and you were able to scan your own items as you're shopping."
Making her way to the food aisles, she found another surprise. "The first thing that I noticed was the meat selection was definitely different than what we have at home, and British people definitely love their sausages. So it's not ground beef, it's beef mince.

"British people will also find any excuse to put something into a pie or a pastry. They'll put meats, they'll put eggs. Anything can turn into a pie, pastry, or a roll."
On the other hand, Natalie wasn't surprised to find baked beans. "Of course, you have everything you need for a Sunday roast or an English breakfast, like beans," she said. "They love baked beans, and they're very different than American baked beans."
That said, the eggs did catch her eye. The shopper explained: "You definitely won't see this at an American grocery store, but the eggs are not refrigerated, and you will never find these prices there."

Moving on, she praised the "iconic British meal deal", before pointing out more differences she noticed. Natalie said: "This has been hard for me, but there are no dill pickles, only sweet ones."
She added: "What we call chips, they call crisps, and there are slight differences. Like notice in the Doritos, they're not cool ranch, it's just cool original."

Rounding up her video, Natalie acknowledged that there are other foods with different names across the pond. "We just call certain foods different things. Like porridge is oatmeal, zucchini is courgette, and eggplant is aubergine," she told followers. "Are there any other differences that I missed?" Her caption added: "There are some things the American mind can't comprehend when shopping at a British supermarket."
Replying to the video, someone pointed out Brits say "shopping trolley" not "shopping cart." Another viewer commented: "After living here two years I've noticed they don't have pretzels and honestly the section where they have cookie and cake mix is not very good!
"Not a lot of chocolate chip options, if any. Also no meatloaf mix pre-made and a lot of dairy products that come in containers don't have lids, only plastic peal off tops."
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Dragon's Den star & gold medal-winning athlete took out £100k in fraud loans despite £75k show investment
Dragon's Den star & gold medal-winning athlete took out £100k in fraud loans despite £75k show investment

Scottish Sun

time20 minutes ago

  • Scottish Sun

Dragon's Den star & gold medal-winning athlete took out £100k in fraud loans despite £75k show investment

None of the money he applied for went towards his business STAR JAILED Dragon's Den star & gold medal-winning athlete took out £100k in fraud loans despite £75k show investment Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A DRAGON'S Den winner and former Team GB gold medallist fraudulently used Covid loans to buy himself a £1.8million mansion. Rick Beardsell illegally pocketed £100,000 worth of taxpayers cash to purchase his home - despite receiving a £75,000 investment during his stint on the BBC show. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 6 Beardsell received £75,000 in investments after appearing on Dragon's Den Credit: Cavendish 6 The British world sprinting champion illegally pocketed two Covid Bounce Back business loans to buy himself a £1.8m mansion Credit: Cavendish 6 Beardsell was only entitled to apply for one loan worth £50,000, but fraudulently applied for two Credit: Cavendish The 46-year-old fiddled two Covid Bounce Back loans to buy himself five-bed Holly House in the exclusive village of Prestbury, Cheshire. Dad-of-two Beardsell was only entitled to apply for one loan worth £50,000, but fraudulently applied for two and greatly exaggerated his annual turnover by up to 23 times. It came after the world champion sprinter had successfully secured investments from TV Dragons Tej Lalvani and Deborah Meaden for his successful protein shake bottle business, ShakeSphere. Chester Crown Court heard he applied for the loan to prop up his other company, Sports Creative Ltd, but none of the money went towards the sportswear business. Prosecutor Geoff Whealan told the court Beardsell made the fraudulent applications to HSBC in December 2020 and then to NatWest in January 2021. He said: ''The defendant stated on the HSBC form that the turnover of Sports Creative was £485,000 and on the NatWest form said it was £320,000. "But unaudited financial statements showed turnover for the year end February 2020 was £20,622. ''The turnover was clearly exaggerated to secure the maximum bounce back loan. "Subsequent transactions showed the bounce back loan funds were not being used for the economic benefit or business purposes of Sports Creative at this time.'' The money arrived in Sports Creative's account in January 2021, but then almost £400,000 was transferred to Beardsell's personal Santander account in the space of six months. Then £431,160.80, including the remaining bounce back loan funds, was transferred to a firm of solicitors for the purchase of Holly House he bought with his wife Ezster. Mr Whelan added: ''In effect the bounce back loan funds had been used for this purchase. Shocking moment Dragons' Den winner Ross Mendham smashes £100k Ferrari after ploughing into bike racks in city centre "It can be inferred from the defendant's conduct that it was his intention to use the bounce back loans for this purpose at the time he made the application for it." Beardsell, who won two World Records for sprinting, faced three years in jail after he admitted two charges of fraud. In October 2024, he attended an interview under caution at the Insolvency Services offices. In a statement he said: ''The guidance pertaining to Bounce Back Loans indicated that the proceeds of such loans may be utilised for any purpose that yields a direct benefit to the company. ''At that juncture, I sought professional advice and was advised that such purposes include, but are not limited to, the coverage of overhead expenses or outstanding liabilities, as well as the investment in company assets or property. "The funds that were transferred to my personal account constituted a director's loan and other economical overheads for the business.'' Mitigating, his counsel Nichola Cafferkey explained that the loans had been repaid in full to the banks. She said: ''The loss of his good character is of some significance in respect of a man who has dedicated his life to his family, his professional entities and also his sporting endeavours. "These offences were out of character and were committed four years ago. "He has taken responsibility and repaid the money back. He knows that it's his own fault. "He has brought shame on his family and brought shame on himself. ''His wife is also his business partner and concerns that they have had about the ability to provide financially for their young children have been significant." The court also heard that Beardsell had suffered a series of medical issues both before and after securing the loans. Ms Cafferkey continued: "A year prior to the submission of the first loan application, the defendant was diagnosed with an aggressive form of testicular cancer and required surgery and extensive chemotherapy. "The chemotherapy was successful but led to some significant side effects. ''One of those being vertigo, of which he had a severe episode which required hospitalisation and thereafter there are ongoing long-term issues as a result of that. 6 Beardsell was sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years Credit: Cavendish 6 Hundreds of thousands of pounds were transferred to a firm of solicitors for the purchase of Holly House Credit: Cavendish "The investigations brought on by the defendant's own actions has had an impact on his family which has led to a situation where he has been experiencing significant stress over the past few years. "On top of that there are ongoing knee pains associated with his athletic success at national and international level. "He has been running a business for many years without issue and it is plain he is extremely remorseful and regretful for his actions. "The impact on his wife's physical health in terms of stress and strain has been significant. There has been significant weight loss and insomnia. "This will be the only time that Richard Beardsell appears before the court." Beardsell was sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years. He was also ordered to complete 250 hours of unpaid work and pay costs of £11,142.70. Judge Simon Berkson told Beardsell: "You fraudulently lied and lied again in your applications for these loans. "They were supposed to be for use in keeping your business running but the money was used for your own personal needs and the needs of your family. "This is not a victimless crime. The government was trying to help struggling businesses at the time of national crisis. "People were in lock down, people were dying and people were very ill at the time when people required their public services. "You used fraudulently obtained public funds for your own use, depriving honest people of the scheme's funds when the country was in crisis. "You are a generally successful man both in business and in sports, particularly your involvement with athletics. "You continue to run your business and it was on the TV programme Dragons' Den. "You are a married person with two children and they are young children. You have survived an aggressive form of cancer. "I have concluded that an immediate custodial sentence would have a significant harmful impact on your wife and children.''

Little-known way to get half-price food from Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons
Little-known way to get half-price food from Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons

Metro

timean hour ago

  • Metro

Little-known way to get half-price food from Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons

With food bills set to rise by an average of £275 this year, everyone will be looking for ways to cut costs on groceries. And while you can try and do this by visiting the UK's cheapest supermarket for your weekly food shop, there's also a little known way to save 50% when ordering items from the likes of Sainsbury's, Asda or Morrisons for a top up. If you find yourself reaching for Deliveroo on days where you just can't be bothered to go out, then you'll want to keep reading. That's because the delivery app has launched a new deal that allows customers to bag themselves half-price food. The Fridge Filler Monday offer is live every Monday and allows shoppers to save 50% on selected fresh and chilled items from Sainsbury's, Co-op, Asda, Iceland, Morrisons and more. This includes everything from fruit and vegetables to meat, fish, poultry, dairy, eggs, bakery and products like ready meals. Discounts are available nationwide and the best part is that there's no minimum spend requirement to use it. But there is a bit of a catch. The T&Cs state that only 90% of customers are eligible for the offer, so while it's the vast majority, not everyone is able to use it. Savvy shopper Lauren Kaye (@_thekayfamily on TikTok) shared a look at an order she'd placed using the Fridge Filler offer at Iceland. The total came to £18 and included part-baked baguettes, bananas, soft pittas, a tiger bloomer, a pineapple, crisps, frozen pizzas, TGI Fridays potato skins, chicken breast fillets and Lurpak butter. For Lauren, the butter was the real standout of her shop, as she managed to nab the 'absolute bargain' for 'just a quid'. Deliveroo isn't the only platform with a similar offer, as Uber Eats also has a Fresh Mondays promotion, which allows customers to buy half-price fruit and vegetables (selected items) at the start of each week. Supermarkets that are featured in this deal including Sainsbury's, Co-op, Iceland, Asda and Morrisons. The discount is automatically applied at checkout, but delivery and service fees still apply. Just Eat doesn't have a consistent weekly promotion, however they do sometimes run Half Price Wednesday offers. So it's worth checking the app to see what's available. If you'd prefer to still head to the supermarket to stock up on groceries, instead of ordering on an app, then there are still some ways to save money this summer, as Aldi and Iceland are offering millions of families money off their weekly shop. Iceland and The Food Warehouse are offering a great way to get money off your weekly shop, from June 30, until August 30, 2025. The supermarkets will be accepting free school meal vouchers to get you money off your groceries. The money you get off your shop is dependent on the monetary value of your free school meal vouchers, which varies depending on your council, but is typically £15 a week. What's more, is if you spend the minimum of £15 of School Meal Gift Cards, then you can get an extra £5 off your shop. More Trending This is as long as you have a registered Iceland and The Food Warehouse Bonus Card. You'll need to scan it in store when completing your shop, and then wait up to seven working days for the £5 bonus to be credited onto your card. Meanwhile, Aldi has launched its Summer Support Scheme which will see vouchers given away every day over the six-week break in July and August. This one is more of a competition format and, to enter, you'll need to send your name and email address to SummerSupportScheme@ to be eligible. View More » Of all the families that do this, one will be chosen at random each day to receive a £50 voucher to spend in store. There are a total of 62 vouchers up for grabs. Do you have a story to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@ MORE: The 'best' restaurant in the US is officially coming to London MORE: McDonald's 'best burger by far' is finally returning — but there's a big catch MORE: Weak password let hackers bring down 148-year-old logistics firm Your free newsletter guide to the best London has on offer, from drinks deals to restaurant reviews.

Who is accountable in privatised Britain?
Who is accountable in privatised Britain?

New Statesman​

timean hour ago

  • New Statesman​

Who is accountable in privatised Britain?

Illustration by Andy Carter / Ikon Images 'New, unadopted estate.' The Hitchin MP, Alistair Strathern, pointed. Then he gestured to a building site where diggers were enthusiastically getting to work. 'New estate that will be unadopted… Unadopted estate… Unadopted estate.' During the 20-minute drive from Shefford town centre to Hitchin Station, we passed at least six examples of the phenomenon Strathern had invited me to his constituency, which straddles the Bedfordshire-Hertfordshire border, to explore: new-build housing estates their councils have refused to adopt. Much has been written about leasehold, the peculiarly British 'feudal' system in which homebuyers own a property but not the land it sits on, leaving them liable for spiralling ground rent and management fees. After decades of advocacy, some improvements were made under the Conservatives in last year's Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act, and Labour has promised to go further with protections for leaseholders in this parliament. But even when new-build homes are sold with the freehold, hidden costs can sneak in. Known as 'fleecehold' housing, the estates Strathern pointed out are those where the responsibility for maintaining the roads, street lighting, drainage and communal areas has not been adopted by the council, as it deems development not to have been completed to a high enough standard. Until a development is adopted, the residents must pay for the services the council would usually provide, in addition to council tax, via yearly fees paid to private management companies. The fees themselves may not sound large – £200-£300 a year. Or, at least, that's the level at which they start out. At a new estate I visited, fees had been hiked by 41 per cent in a year, with vague explanations. Calls and emails to the management company went largely unanswered; correspondence was limited to scarily worded 'final demand' letters. If owners refuse to pay, management companies can go direct to their lender to have the charges added to their mortgage, tanking the owner's credit rating. Residents I met spoke of finding it impossible to determine what they were paying for, or to hold the management company accountable for the work it was – or wasn't – carrying out. Fleecehold is now the norm across the country. Whereas councils used to adopt new estates, the Competition and Markets Authority has found that 80 per cent of new homes built by the 11 largest developers in 2021-22 were sold under the fleecehold system, with £260m in estate management charges paid out in 2022 alone. There are stories of owners being assured their estate would be adopted as a formality, only to still be paying fees a decade on. Meanwhile, the government is pushing through planning reform to meet its target of 1.5 million new homes by the end of this parliament. The problem may not be as visceral as the issues with build quality that owners of new-builds often face: cracked walls, dodgy plumbing, damp and mould. But the two are inextricably linked. Every owner I spoke to about fleecehold charges also had a horror story of how their 'dream home' had turned into a nightmare of construction faults that developers were reluctant to rectify. One showed me a brimming lever-arch folder of his correspondence with the developer – 200 pages in 20 months. The question is one of accountability. When things go wrong, whose job is it to fix them? What happens if they fail to do so? And how are they seemingly able to charge what they like, with no cap on costs or any obligation to show how the money is spent? Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe You might imagine the council would step in. But, as I found out in Hitchin, cash-strapped local authorities have little incentive to ensure developments are built to standard, as adopting them means adopting additional costs. The developers, meanwhile, have little incentive to come back to complete repairs once the houses have been sold. Strathern, who worked on the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill committee, is hoping to change this and has introduced a debate in parliament on ensuring new estates are adopted on schedule. But it's hard to fix a problem most people don't even know exists until after they've bought their homes. Passing the accountability buck can be an art form. In Shefford, I visited Old Bridge Way: a 220m stretch of road through an industrial park connecting an estate of some 1,000 homes to the centre of town and a Morrisons. I stood there for ten minutes watching non-stop traffic navigate a maze of potholes six inches deep. Central Bedfordshire Council says this is not its responsibility, as it doesn't actually own that part of the road. Who does own it is an open question: the company responsible for it was liquidated in 2024, leaving it effectively ownerless. But I noticed double yellow lines along the kerbside. I asked the council if it was issuing parking fines for a road it claimed it had no responsibility for, but it did not offer an answer. A council that won't adopt a thoroughfare used by thousands of people is unlikely to adopt estates full of new homes. Strathern described both situations as 'hollowed-out councils retreating from the public realm'. To me, they resembled what the satirical science-fiction author Douglas Adams once termed a Somebody Else's Problem field, a way of concealing inconvenient things that utilises 'people's natural predisposition not to see anything they don't want to, weren't expecting, or can't explain'. For residents placed in fleecehold limbo the issues of rising fees and the lack of accountability are impossible to ignore. For everyone else, they are Somebody Else's Problem. [See also: GMB chief Gary Smith: 'Oil and gas is not the enemy'] Related

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