My Mother-In-law and her end of the world cupboard strikes again.

It has been noted that most of us have a different idea of what we would need at the end of the world, but my Mother-In-Law would have plenty of Toilet Roll, Bleach, Fabric Conditioner, Shampoo, Salt and Coffee to name but a few items she has bizarrely excessive amount of stored away.

I personally deal with possible shortages by keeping my chest freezer as full as possible, a good supply of tinned produce and a nicely rounded wine rack.

A couple of weeks ago my Mum-In-Law decided to add to my perfectly good stock of tins by buying me 10 tins of Tesco Everyday Value British Mushy Peas, what an extravagant present I hear you cry. . .Maybe so? But these little tins set her back 4 pence each, and a quick look on Tesco.com tells me they now retail at 3 pence a tin. These could possibly be the bargain of the century and just the thing to carry you through Armageddon cheaply.

The tins are quite nicely packaged for a value product; there is a tempting looking bowl of the mushy peas and a nice patriotic British flag adorning the can. The boring bit on the side of the can tells me that half a can contains 125kcal and a few other nutritional facts that can be found on Tesco.com. The tin quite predictably contains 90% Peas and Water, Sugar, Salt, Colours (Copper Chlorophyllin Complex, Carotenes).

Upon opening the tin with my trusty tin opener I am presented with a can of wishy washy, camouflage green coloured, fat peas, floating in some bubbly green liquid (quite possibly Grott Bags' bath water) a quick sniff and I get a nostril of what can only be described as flatulence, not a promising start.

I tip the peas into a microwavable jug (possibly Pyrex) using a spoon to round up a few lingering peas from the bottom of the can. My Microwave is 850 watts so the recommended heating time is only 1 and 1/2 minutes with a quick stir halfway through. During cooking a distinctly mushy pea smelling aroma starts to escape the microwave vents.

Once cooked I tip half the contents on to my plate and the other half onto my other half's plate, we had chosen to eat the peas as part of our fish and chip dinner. The peas still look rather tragic, floating in a pool of hot green liquid, not a mush in site. In all honesty the peas resemble my childhood enemy Marrow Fat Processed Peas.

I gamely spoon the peas into my mouth; they taste like mushy peas although a bit watery and powdery. I add a bit of salt, the peas perk up slightly. I add a squirt of tomato sauce, now they are palatable. Tomato sauce makes most things edible though.

I finish my mushy peas but Mr H has pushed his to one side, with a rather disgruntled look on his face he asks me where I got them from. I explain they are from his mum and that they are 4 pence. He requests I never put any item of food on his plate that costs 2 pence a serving ever again and complains of stomach ache for the next 24 hours.

In conclusion I personally have nothing against supermarket value products; in fact I am usually more than happy with them as they make my weekly food budget go that little bit further. In the case of 4 pence mushy peas I would say I am inclined to leave them on the shelf, personally I think they are too cheap, surely it costs more to make a can then what they are selling them for, I know they are described as loss leaders but I think Tesco may have cut one to many corners on the production of these.

As for the remaining 9 tins, I gave them to my step-son, who was more than happy to give them a home. As a side note the peas are not my worst present; my Grandma once gave me a set of 6 teaspoons for my 30th birthday.

Thank you for reading.