Woolworths clearly weren't satisfied with selling imported "artisan" bread all the way from the other side of the Pacific, but also have a diverse range of pastries from Europe. They've been selling them for at least a few months, but I've been slow to write about it.

Many Australians are aware that the US behemoth Costco, bulk retailer extraordinaire, opened its first warehouse in Melbourne recently. Costco has received more than a bucket of free promotion through all the media attention it got (and I guess I'm not helping). I've been to Costco in the US and wanted to see what the Australian experience would be like. It's striking how a novelty in one context (me being a tourist in the US) feels so different and unwelcome on my home turf.

For the bakers among you, I have news of fresh yeast. Coles supermarkets are stocking fresh yeast again after a hiatus of three or four years.

Continuing my occasional quest for examples of disappointments in supermarkets, I have found a new example of the import-cheap-product-at-all-costs approach to retailing. What do you think I found?

We've long known that supermarkets don't really value good veg. Here's yet another example thanks to Duncan's foodcam.

George Monbiot has a piece about growing produce and why supermarkets can't give you the beautiful fruit you might desire.

The New York Times writes about the growth of down-sized supermarkets, based on a perhaps British model of small 'express' or 'local' supermarkets.

Once upon a time there were no supermarkets. Imagine! Few people who have grown up in Australia have known or remember a life without sheds filled with neat aisles of groceries and the ka-ching! (or bloop!) at the checkout. Some of us now regard supermarkets as fairly evil, but we are still largely dependent on a lifestyle with supermarkets close to the core.

Melbourne is alive with the annual Melbourne Food and Wine Festival. A special event as part of the two-week festival is 'A Taste of Slow', held this weekend. I attended two sessions and came away disappointed, with the feeling that Slow Food is still failing to get its message across or perhaps even to know what its message is. I didn't expect to hear clichés about obesity or endure junk science but that was part of what I heard.

It's three years since I was last in Britain and I was curious to see what might have changed in the food scene. It wasn't hard to miss the popularity of gastropubs, the growth of decent chocolatiers, and the burgeoning enthusiasm for organics. My impressions of markets, new shopping habits and some random bits.