So supposing you were sluttish enough to have a packet of jelly in your cupboard

[LadyGlencoraPalliser]

with a best before date sometime in 2005. Would you use it?

i didnt even think vaseline could go out of date!!

Oh yeah, clearly I meant I was sluttish not to have noticed the bright green packet that had been lurking in the cupboard for four years without being used. The strawberry and blackcurrant jelly never seems to suffer that fate - lime must be least favourite flavour.
I did sling the brazil nuts also dated 2005 though.

ah you need to go on to that do it now slattern blog.

Wozzat then?

limes my favourite flavour. tis yummy!

I would probably use it! I do ignore best before dates, I just use my common sense. I hate wasting things.

I would throw out nuts which are more than a year out of date though as they go weird and stale.

The best was when we moved house in 1997 though and a few years later were having a cupboard clear-out and found some cocoa with an oddly old fashioned looking label. Couldn't find a BBE date on it at all but there was a competition to win a paint box (!) which had a closing date in 1989!!

If it looks ok and smells ok I do think I would use it but if the texture had changed or there was anythng dodgy looking about it (visually or by smelling it) I would bin it. but as it has a high sugar content I cant see anything being wrong with it really...please report back to us how it was.

OK, I will risk poisoning my children in the cause of science. They will understand.
DD1 made apple and blackberry pie tonight (it was fab and she did every bit herself - took her two hours!) so maybe lime jelly tomorrow.

for the sake of 40p, couldn't you have gone and bought a fresh packet by now?

I have about four in-date packets wot are red or purple.
'Which jelly do you want, children?'
'The red one, please Mum.'
It is only that I was wondering whether I COULD use the green one.

make it up and give it to someone you don't like and watch for any ill effects
that way you will know for next time

But my MIL is not due to visit for ages.

you will have to save it then!