Editor’s blog: Bugbears & pasties

One of the biggest bugbears in life is the spiralling cost of petrol and diesel at the pumps.

And with the crisis in Libya, we are being warned that prices are set to rise another 5p a litre, hitting new record highs.

What really grates is the huge price disparity from region to region. In Spain, for instance, a litre of diesel will set you back the equivalent of 105p while in Britain the average price is 134p. In the US, it is just 55.7p.

While I appreciate different countries impose different levels of duty, I fail to understand why pump prices can vary so much in the UK, even in the same county, often by as much as 5p a litre.

There needs to be greater transparency of pricing in the UK, as called for by the AA recently. UK prices seem to bear little relation to wholesale prices. In Europe earlier this month, pump prices actually dropped in line with lower wholesale prices, however during the same time in the UK, prices continued their steady march upward.

Of course, there are some who believe that prices should be much higher, to protect the environment. But for remote regions like Cornwall, there are few transport alternatives and the situation is putting rural businesses under increased strain.

At least there has been some good news to celebrate this week, however, with the Cornish Pasty finally being granted Protected Geographical Indicator status by the European Commission.

At last now, when you sink your choppers into a delicious savoury treat going under the name of ‘Cornish Pasty’, you can rest assured it is the genuine article and not some cheap imitation from up country denigrating the fine reputation of the UK’s original fast food.

It’s a late/early Christmas present for the Cornish bakers and suppliers, depending on which way you look at it.

In Camborne it’s Christmas every day, however. Not only are lights still up, (as of February 24) they’re still turned on!