No, my main problem is the inherent buzzer I have in my head whenever more than 20 strides away from my kitchen/children/computer – please note this is in no particular order as all three can cause just as much angst as the other!  So if I actually manage to escape passed the St Margaret’s Bay Sign at the top without coming out in rash or my head exploding in excitement/anxiety it’s a major achievement. 

Thus it was at Dover Station with an excited sense of escapism (not sure that Dover and escapism are two words generally associated with one another…) I was almost bowled over by the cost of a small bag of minstrels.  69p to be exact for a mere 40 odd grams whilst the larger ‘Family’ pack at 225g was £1.99.  Now for a start I’m beginning to think I need to up my children’s pocket money a touch.  I remember back in the old days being given 10p by my granny for some one penny two penny sweets, well, at a single minstrel working out at about 3.5p each depending on which packet you buy, perhaps 20p for a weeks worth of sweeties isn’t really feasible even for a 4 year old!  Aside from that, I was now faced with a dilemma.  Clearly at £1.99 the fatso bag was a far better deal seeing as by my dodgy long division you get about 5.3 bags in a big one for not much more than the cost of 2 so you’d be mad not to.

The thing is – and again this might be down to me being stuck in my nice cosy kitchen for too long – what makes the small bag so expensive in comparison? It can’t be solely the packaging, transportation and don’t tell me it costs more to market the smaller one coz that’s just silly.  I reckon it’s a stealth tax on the parents of small children, small children and anyone that’s watching their weight!  Hey, I thought avoiding being Porker was current Government advice.  Ok, so perhaps suggesting that there should be a financial incentive to eat smaller packs is going a bit far but you can start to see what I mean….

Anyway, at decision time (the train pulling onto the platform) I succumbed and the big mega bag was purchased on the self understanding that I’d only eat a few and leave the rest for the girls (thereby not having to up the pocket money this week at least!).  Sadly, while puzzling out all of the maths in my head it was at about Tonbridge I realised I’d eaten the lot.  Do you have ANY idea how many calories a single minstrel has……..