Price Watch/Conor Pope: Winfried Eamon Scheidges from Galway discovered an anomaly in the pricing structure of the Eurostar service which impacts rather badly on Irish residents.
Recently, in search of a train ticket from London to Paris, he went to the Eurostar website. He was immediately asked for his country of residence, selected Ireland and proceeded to the booking page. He gave the date he wished to travel and selected a one-way ticket and was offered two choices: a Business Premier ticket at a cost of €322.50 or a Standard single fare for €223.50.
"Having just paid less than €50 for a return flight from Knock to Gatwick I decided to experiment," he writes. He left the site, making sure he deleted the Eurostar cookie - a small file identifying his computer to the site - that had been left on his machine. He returned to the site and when asked for country of residence he answered Germany. "And behold suddenly I had still two fare alternatives," he says. This time, however, he was asked to pay €95 for a Leisure Select single fare and just €45 for a Standard single fare.
Having said he was a German resident, Scheidges proceeded to make his booking and gave his Galway address for delivery "which the system accepted. If even Eurostar thinks that all of us here in Ireland deserve to pay extra, what chance have we got when dealing with local business that overcharges us?" he asks.
We contacted Eurostar who confirmed our reader's findings but explained that cheaper fares were available as an Irish resident, if only he had known where to look. "It is absolutely not the case that we are discriminating against Ireland," the spokesman said.
Irish users of the online booking service, like their British and French counterparts, generally go for return tickets, while people in countries further away - like Germany or the US - most often opt for one-way tickets, he explained.
Americans on holiday in Europe might fly into to London, take the train to Paris and then fly home from Rome. "Passengers coming from the UK, Belgium, France and Ireland tend to buy return tickets, so we have a range of leisure fares available but you need to specify a return ticket, otherwise you are automatically offered a one-way ticket which is aimed at the business traveller and is more expensive."
Passengers from countries where single-fare tickets are the norm are offered by default "leisure fares" comparable in price to the return tickets available to Irish residents.
The spokesman said that Irish users "in terms of their travel patterns are like UK customers" but accepted that because Eurostar does not advertise a great deal in the Republic, users here would be unaware of the cheaper return tickets the company routinely offers. He said he planned to raise the issue with the company's e-commerce division to see if the pages Irish users are directed to could have banners advertising the fact that return fares are considerably cheaper than the single fares offered.
Value4Money - Fresh soup
New Covent Garden Wild Mushroom Soup
€1.69 for 600 grams, €2.82 per kg
Highs: This is the cheapest of the soups tried, all the more impressive as it appears to have positioned itself as a very high-end luxury brand. Free from all additives, artificial flavours and preservatives, it is very wholesome and tastes it, too.
Lows: The mushroom flavours aren't strong, despite the fact that the company promises these will "recall the misty flavours of the autumn forests". Could the fact that the mushrooms account for just 10 per cent of the ingredients be to blame?
Verdict: Good and good for you.
Star rating:***
Avonmore Fresh Mushroom Soup
€1.89 for 500ml, €3.78 per litre
Highs: This Irish-made soup is the most readily available of the brands tried. It tastes pretty good too - thanks, perhaps, to the fact that it has a higher percentage of decent-sized mushrooms in the mix than the competition. It is also substantially thicker and heartier, and makes for ideal comfort food on a miserable winter's evening.
Lows: Vegetarians beware, as chicken stock (or bouillon) is listed as one of the ingredients. It's not particularly cheap and one container is too small to keep two hungry people going, yet too big to be eaten alone.
Verdict: Easy to find and to eat.
Star rating:****
Tesco Finest Wild Mushroom Soup
€3.09 for 600 grams, €5.15 per kg
Highs: This looks the most promising, both on the shelf and in the pot. It doesn't disappoint in the eating. The chestnuts and readily discernible wild mushrooms lend it a rich taste and texture, while the hint of Madeira adds an imaginative and interesting dimension, wholly lacking in its rivals. It could almost pass as home made.
Lows: While it looks and tastes mushroomy, a quick scan of the ingredients reveals that at just nine per cent, it has less mushrooms than any of the other soups tried. It is also the most expensive by a fairly sizeable margin.
Verdict: Tastes good, but at a price.
Star rating:****
Dunnes Stores Fresh Mushroom Soup
€1.69 for 500 grams, €3.38 per kg
Highs: This is comparatively cheap and tastes absolutely fine, if fairly unmemorable. It is quite creamy and has a mild peppery punch. Its very finely pureed nature means the ample amount of mushrooms all but entirely disappear into the mix and the tub is - somewhat surprisingly - microwave friendly.
Lows: But the large, rigid plastic container will be hard to recycle. It is also a little too pureed and takes on a babyfood-like consistency. And Dunnes has decided that 500 grams is plenty to feed two people, which is a bit mean.
Verdict: Not enough to get excited by.
Star rating:**
