Come and play Grand Theft Combine through the quiet Ambridge streets. And by the way, ROB IS STILL MARRIED.

[PseudoBadger]

Bolloxfest is imminent. Will this thread make it to the big day?

[BuildYourOwnSnowman]

Ambridge needs a sausage king!!

[Tommy]

marking my place.... not sure Charlie fancies Adam but thing Adam may fancy him....

[JollyGolightly]

Love this new thread



Ruaridh has no Archer blood, of course.

[Selks]

Argh what is it with Jill's weird and annoying way of talking? Why do all of her sentences have to go UP at the end? Stop it woman!

[ZeroSomeGameThingy]

I used to know the (very elderly) descendants of the original Turtle Soup suppliers.

Time Peggy realised that not everyone has a Bank of Gran....

[TheOneWiththeNicestSmile]

That last bit was very well done

[OddFodd]

Ooh what about Ruarhi (sp?)?

He's not an Archer either. Perhaps he and Lily will fall in love?!

[OddFodd]

Gah - I posted before refreshing. Foolish on a fast-moving thread!

[BuildYourOwnSnowman]

Yes that's true - forgot about Brian! How old is he though?

[BuildYourOwnSnowman]

And Brenda could come back with a couple of kids to freshen the gene pool

Jill hasn't always spoken like that - what's happened? She sounds permanently surprised

[AllMimsyWereTheBorogoves]

Oh yes, I'd forgotten about Ruairi! He will be 12 in November - where has the time gone? Too young for anybody else in Ambridge except possibly one of the Button girls - or Abby, but that would be very weird. Although he shares no DNA with Abby, Phoebe is Abby's half-sister and she is Ruairi's works out on fingers half-niece?

Yes, I think that's right. Brian is father to both Kate and Ruairi but they have different mothers so they are half-siblings. Kate is Phoebe's mother (absent, thank god) so Phoebe is Ruairi's niece, or half-niece if you want to be picky.

So if Ruairi took up with Abby, he would be consorting with his half-niece's half-sister.

[BuildYourOwnSnowman]

This is why they need fresh blood!!

[AllMimsyWereTheBorogoves]

Yes. I think my new campaign will be to get the Button Girls to be speaking characters asap.

[ZeroSomeGameThingy]

I suspect Jill sounds permanently surprised because they've never allowed her to say so many words at once before. I remember the actress saying in an interview that during the grand sharing out of Brookfield to the children she only had one tiny phrase.

[TeenyfTroon]

I like Jill. She doesn't like hunting or private schools so I think I'd get on with her.

Mind you, I also felt sorry for HWMNBN

[R4]

Can The Archers Business Expert tell me how far Fallon has got with her planning for Loxfest and the rest? Has she done a food hygiene course? Have Jill and Emmur? Are their kitchens up to standard for producing goods for sale to the public? Do they have insurance? Do they have safety management systems? What is their supply chain? etc etc

[PetulaGordino]

Do they need some sort of licence?

[unitarian]

Good point, R4. And is Susan going to be happy with Emmur taking over her kitchen to bake cakes for Fallon? Perhaps the outbreak of food poisoning is saving itself for Bolloxfest.

What has Ed found to pawn? Or has he taken on a pay day loan?
And will Peggy apply her keen business brain to Ed's problem and save him from ruin?

[JessieMcJessie]

I can't believe that nobody has mentioned the lovely ending to the last episode. The singing was absolutely beautiful. Made for a pleasantly stark juxtaposition on my way to work through bustling Hong Kong streets.

Does anyone know the name of the poem that Jill read?

[PetulaGordino]

I haven't listened yet but TheOne mentioned the ending.

[twojumpingbeans]

I thought it was done beautifully. Jill's reading was so poignant..

[PseudoBadger]

As someone who enforces food safety and H&S at events like Loxfest, I would treat Fallon's operation as low risk (if it's ambient cakes and hot drinks only).
However she and anyone who produces cakes for her to sell should be registered as a food business, and they will then enter the inspection protocol. However, due to budget, it is unlikely that such a low risk food business would get an inspection in the near future.

They would probably use the FSA's Safer Food Better Business paperwork which is as implied good safety management system. It would walk them through supply chain management and due diligence.
They would also need to think about labelling and allergens.

[PseudoBadger]

Damn autocorrect *which is a simplified food safety management system

[Northernlurker]

I listened last night driving to Waitrose. Had to sit in the car and compose myself before going in - I was in floods. Beautifully done.

[R4]

It was a Wilfred Owen poem called Futility.
I thought that the Westminster Abbey service last night was very moving as the lights gradually went out. And Lark Ascending had me in buckets of tears, as ever.