There's a slow hand clap for Knob. Will there be one for Toby? Discuss The Archers here.

[PseudoBadger]

Sorry for the poor title - the end of the last thread has arrived sooner than I thought and I haven't had the benefit of hearing all of the last 2 nights....

"Have you forgotten that SOC has personal experience of the gay lifestyle? He would be likely to know (if anyone does)." Eh?

I still don't think it matters that the interviewers were using their personal knowledge of Tom's background. It would give him experience of a really tough interview and highlight where his potential weaknesses are. No matter how positive a spin he has put on his decisions about dealing with ready meals and supermarkets, he needs to be prepared for someone asking about a history of putting investments into projects he has not followed through, particularly when it is other people's money he used in the first place.

Will Bridge Farm now make Anya? redundant now Helen is back? How many people can they support. They have quite a large workforce compared to other farms like Brookfield and Pat and Tony can hardly go back into retirement if Tom is going to keep swanning off abroad.

Hmm but Bridge Farm is more of a factory/shop as a well as a farm.

Helen couldn't run the shop on her own before so can't see it being any different now. She's not a very capable person - despite what everyone says!! There's always someone else there to do the actual work

It would be difficult, to say the least, for Helen to look after Jack, make cheese and run the shop unless Pat and Tony do some heavy-duty childminding, which presumably they don't have time for anyway. Plus Henry needs a lot of attention from his mother to deal with the effects of Rob's tender care.

Isn't it a bit odd that Kate is suffering empty nest syndrome?

Organic baby food - very popular in other places. Has he not looked into the uk market at all? It all seems a bit mansplaining in a way

Kate and Roy are sooooo getting back together. Bleurgh

Yes Anti, Kate talking about missing Phoebe , but not a word about her other children! Most odd - and Roy didn't call her on it either.

Kate's feelings are all about feeling old, not about where her children are! Bit like AbFab.

ppeat I still don't get it. What exactly is the local angle? Is he trying to sell only in the Ambridge area? If he is trying to sell UK wide, then what does "local" mean in that context? Sorry if I'm being dense.

They clearly couldn't come up with a better idea so decided to make the uk ambridge is in a totally Hipp/organix/Ella's kitchen etc etc free zone

I think by "local" Tom means that it won't be generic organic baby food, but a sort of premium organic artisan baby food, made by Helen and Tom on their family farm in Borsetshire. If it hadn't been for Stabnight, they could have stuff on the packaging about how every recipe is tested by little Jack, the youngest member of the farming family. And they would have Sterling Gold in minute quantities in the cheesy hotpot to promote the dairy.

Yes I think so too Jasper .

I noticed too St Vincent that like all egoists Kate is still applying every situation to herself. She also didn't mention her other children. It's all me me me with her.

Interesting that she actually thought that Woy should get back to dating. Maybe she's also thinking of herself there too Don't do it Woy!!!

Yeah exactly. She doesn't give a toss about how Phoebe is doing, just on how it reflects on her.

Jasper ppeat Ok. So it's not me who's dense, it IS Tom. He certainly doesn't need travelling abroad as others have said - he really needs to start with the U.K. market.

And just to jump on that bandwagon - I hate Kate also. Self-involved to the hilt.

I know nothing about organic baby food, but were I to be in the market for such stuff one of the things I would want to be reassured about is the hygiene record of the producer. One quick Google would show that the producer's family had had a very bad case of E Coli a few years ago. At that point I would move on sharpish to another brand!

I missed the bits in the summer when Tom must have been thinking about the baby food idea. Can someone tell me when/how Helen came up with the idea first?

Also does it matter that there are other baby food manufactures like Ella's/Rachel's etc? There's room for more. I remember trying those brands when DS was a baby ( he's just about to turn 10) & I would have tried a new one.

But not from a place that had had an E. coli outbreak. I think a version of the Ambridge health fairy will come into play with nasty SLs from the past miraculously being forgotten.

Didn't Kate say something about her normally being the one to move on and this time it's Phoebe, which feels strange? And it's true that Kate's record is of leaving her children rather than her children leaving her, which sounds terrible spelt out like that.

I think the point on the baby food is that they are trying to make out it is an innovative idea in the U.K. 'It's popular in other countries'.

As for Kate, yes I think that is what she is saying. Just odd her other kids didn't get a mention

Yes, it's strange that the interview panel brought up trashing GM crops twenty years ago but didn't mention e coli from five years ago.

'I've always admired your independence.' Why didn't we hear Helen calling the fire brigade to put her flaming pants out?! Such a blatant volte face (I know some people on here are Susan fans, I've never been able to stand her).