DOES tradition count for nothing? Tuesday March 7, 2000 is likely to be the last Shrove Tuesday when your pancakes can be lubricated by a Jif Lemon.

The plastic container of pure lemon juice is set to be phased out of production. Its manufacturer, Unilever, says it can no longer afford to keep production of this British institution going on the basis of sales for one day a year.

Other familiar brands are set to follow Jif Lemon into the museum of lost merchandise. Stork margarine and Spry Crisp'nDry are also on Unilever's hit-list of defunct products. What, dear reader, is going to be next? Could it be the Oxo cube, Fairy washing up liquid or the Jaffa cake?

We are living in a branded civilisation: if it doesn't have a well known brand on it, it isn't worth buying. What a load of old twaddle!

What about trainers? I can't remember the number of times I've heard parents explaining to their off-spring that they cannot afford these branded trainers or those branded shoes. Then, having dutifully explained, they go ahead and spend £100 on a pair of branded trainers. Is this a case of the tail wagging the dog, or what? These parents must have more money than sense. I know it's difficult to say no to one's children, especially if saying no puts them in a bad mood for the rest of the day. But they get over it.

I hear you saying: they won't wear anything else. My response is, if they want these items so badly let them earn the money to pay for them. They will then soon recognise the value of £100. I suggest that you spend £25 on a reasonable pair of unbranded trainers and £75 on the weekly family shop. We are doing our children no favours by indulging their expensive whims.

We are entering dangerous territory by putting a premium on branded goods. Very often a cheaper alternative has the same quality without the packaging. In any case, what do you do with the packaging? Of course, you throw it away. Think of the world's non-renewable resources you would be saving.

As an experiment a while ago, I deliberately bought a weekly shop consisting purely of the supermarket's own products. The bill was reduced by fifty per cent. The other fifty per cent paid would have paid for the brand names.

I resent paying over the odds. I'm no a cheap skate but I do get annoyed when being taken for a ride. They say that the cost of living in this country is higher than many other countries. It's only higher if we don't get off our backsides and search for unbranded alternatives: Oxo is only gravy browning, Fairy is only washing up liquid and a Jaffa cake is only a biscuit.

Don't let Unilever see you coming.

Next Shrove Tuesday, don't bemoan the fact that there's no Jif Lemon to put on your pancake, use a real lemon. Anyway, I prefer orange juice on my pancake.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.