UK's economy is 'best in Europe'

[BrilloPad]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8099408.stm

The UK is in the best shape out of all the economies in Europe, according to a leading economist.

Paul Krugman, who won the 2008 Nobel prize for economics, said that the UK's economic policies had been "pretty good" and called them "intelligent".

The government also deserved more credit for its policies, he said in an interview with The Observer newspaper.

His comments come at the end of a week when the pound has risen to its highest level this year.

But Professor Krugman believes the earlier fall in the value of sterling may have helped the UK.

"The UK has achieved a lot of monetary traction in the way that no one else has through the depreciation of the pound. In effect, you've carried out a successful beggar-my-neighbour devaluation," he said.

"I think the UK economy looks the best in Europe at the moment."

The government's policies had managed to stabilise the banking system, he said.

He added: "If the government can hold off having an election until next year, Labour might well be able to run as 'we're the people who brought Britain out of the slump'."
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We should all be grateful to Gordon

[Fred Bloggs]

Yeah, and Mandy wants us in the Euro. Knobhead.

[Bagpuss]

Posting news articles without commenting is considered bad form

[PM-Junkie]

Posting news articles without commenting is considered bad form

standard practice for BrilloPad

[BrilloPad]

Posting news articles without commenting is considered bad form

"We should all be grateful to Gordon" : what was wrong with that comment?

Suprised you have time to post here : aren't you posting pictures of your knob to your girlfriend?

[BrilloPad]

standard practice for BrilloPad

If I dont comment then I agree with the article. If you dont like it dont read the thread.

The standard of trolls has really gone downhll here. I almost hope Wilmslow returns.

[minestrone]

If I dont comment then I agree with the article. If you dont like it dont read the thread.

The standard of trolls has really gone downhll here. I almost hope Wilmslow returns.

AtW

Did you not get pissed off over AtW's lunch threads?

For what it is worth I do not agree that you haave to post a comment on quoted posts.

[Bagpuss]

"We should all be grateful to Gordon" : what was wrong with that comment?

Suprised you have time to post here : aren't you posting pictures of your knob to your girlfriend?

I thought it was your g/f to be honest



Anyway....

Best of the West Country
The country's second Slow Food market in Exeter is a showcase of Devon's fare

Carol Trewin


Following the model of Bristol’s regular Slow Food Market, Exeter is the second Slow Food Market to be set up in Britain and encapsulates everything that is good about Devon – produce from the rolling hills, fertile red soils, the moors and the stunning coast which still has abundant stocks of fish and shellfish – despite reports to the contrary – including Dartmouth and Brixham crab and the special but not so prolific Clovelly Herring, only available for a short season in late autumn, but well worth seeking out.

On the third Saturday of each month - though not in winter - on Exeter’s Quay you will find the likes of Emma’s Bread, artisan sourdough and rye breads, lovingly made in small batches, and organic fruit and vegetables from Martin Bragg at nearby Shillingford Organics. Then there is honey produced on the edge of Dartmoor, smoked fish from Tracey Mill near Honiton, and goat's cheeses from Dave Johnson of Norsworthy Dairy Goats, made just outside Crediton in mid-Devon.

At this time of year heather-fed lamb from Dartmoor is in season, along with deeply coloured and intensely flavoured mutton from Exmoor. Beef comes from the county’s two traditional beef breeds, South Devon and the Devon (also known as red rubies because of their deep red coats), both of which produce tender marbled beef.


The county is spoilt, too, with a high number of independent butchers who know the farms where the animals are raised, the breeds and sometimes even the fields where they have grazed.

Try Pipers Farm in Exeter, which also sells by mail order and works with a dedicated network of producers around the county to secure regular supplies of top quality beef, lamb, venison, pork and poultry. Complete Meats, in Axminster and Honiton is legendary for its prize-winning sausages, and then there’s Anne Petch at Heal Farm in North Devon.

Tucked away in the far north of the county, Anne started a pioneering mail-order business in the late 1980s and has never looked back. Starting first with speciality pork from traditional rare breeds, she went on to build a range of other meat products and now supplies everything from hot smoked lamb to gourmet ready meals and hand-raised pies, most made on site in her purpose-built kitchens.

Once in Devon you quickly come to appreciate the county’s rich dairy tradition. There are dozens of artisan cheeses from ewes’ milk and goats and even buffalo mozzarella. My last, very approximate, count revealed 60 cheeses, from cheesemakers of all sizes and scale.

Quicke’s Traditional have been producing some of the best Cheddar outside Somerset for decades – it is regularly exported to France, Australia and America. Then there’s Rachel Stephens at Curworthy, who has quietly beavered away on the north side of Dartmoor for longer than she cares to remember. Further south is Robin Congdon, now making only three outstanding blue cheeses – Devon Blue (cows' milk), Harbourne Blue (goats' milk) and Beenleigh Blue (ewes' milk), which matches the best that Roquefort can produce.

The easiest way to find most of these cheeses is to make your way to Country Cheeses. Based in Tavistock, with branches in Topsham and Totnes, Elise and Gary Jungheim specialise in selling almost exclusively West Country cheeses.

If eating out is the way you want to enjoy Devon’s food, the county has several Michelin-starred restaurants, starting at the top with the two-starred Gidleigh Park, where Michael Caines still reigns supreme in the kitchens. Then there’s the New Angel in Dartmouth, the Masons Arms in Knowstone and The Elephant in Torquay. Equally good but without the Michelin fancy furbelows are The Harris Arms near the Cornish border at Portgate, the Dartmoor Inn at Lydford and the Jack in the Green at Rockbeare. If food with art is your fancy then try Damien Hurst’s The Quay in Ilfracombe.

Slow Food Devon is fortunate in having such a wealth of top-quality food producers to work with chefs who appreciate the range of local ingredients available to them. Many are building special relationships with small growers and producers and promoting the fact. They really are following the Buy Local principle rather than just paying lip service to it.

If this whistle-stop tour of the county has whetted your appetite then there are also plenty of good wines to accompany the food. Devon has several vineyards producing some award-winning wines, including Pebblebed Wines, near Topsham and the Yearlstone Vineyard overlooking the River Exe in Mid Devon. Further south, Sharpham has stunning wines, wonderful views over the River Dart and makes excellent cheeses.

And in this part of the world you cannot forget cider and apple juice. Traditional cider makers have been joined by newer businesses recognising the growing demand for good, clean cider and sharp, refreshing juices. One of the newest is RealDrink, a company that specialises in taking apples from small orchards from close to its base at Stoke Gabriel in South Devon. The result is a range of ciders and apple juices all identified by their specific locations – a drink with real provenance. The company also makes a sparkling cider using the Normandy cidre bouchée method and elderflower cordial.

In November Slow Food Devon is holding a Thanksgiving Dinner, working with the University of Plymouth’s catering and hospitality department. It seems appropriate to enjoy this traditional event not far from the Mayflower Steps, from where the Pilgrim Fathers departed for Massachusetts in 1620. It will follow the American custom of asking guests bringing a pie to share for dessert.

[HairyArsedBloke]

Yeah, and Mandy wants us in the Euro. Knobhead.

Knobhead II - Danny "inflation doesn't matter - cut interest rates" Blanchflower gets a CBE

[stackpole]

Knobhead II - Danny "inflation doesn't matter - cut interest rates" Blanchflower gets a CBE

I thought DB was dead?