An aunt was given a present from a niece who had come back from France.
It was a very fancy box of talcum powder.She left it in the bottom drawer of her dressing table for weeks.One morning she was awoken by a horrible smell coming from the box.She binned it without bothering to open it…Her niece asked later whether she had enjoyed the farmhouse cheese.
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Tinned custard that’s about 3 years out of date. I’ve used it and it’s ok. Tinned is a lot better than making it from dried custard powder.
I’ve got dried rice that’s about 2 years out of date and i would use it if needed.
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Probably spices … tandoori mix about 15 years old, not sure it’s got a use by date. A single nutmeg in a Swartz jar about the same age, I grate a little into things like leftover chicken in white sauce, very nice. Ms d00d insists these things improve with age.
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Forgot the jars of honey. Do they get out of date, people? I think one has been opened.
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Unearthing Egypt’s pyramids, modern archaeologists have found artifacts dating back thousands of years, including pots filled with honey that never spoiled.
To understand honey’s un-bee-lievable shelf life, we turned to beekeeper Whendi Grad and her husband, Garnett Puett, a fourth-generation beekeeper at Big Island Bees in Hawaii. Grad and Puett maintain 2,000 hives using traditional beekeeping methods.
“Honey will darken and/or crystallize, but it is still safe to eat,” Whendi said.
Metal or plastic containers can oxidize the honey, and heat can change its flavor. So, for best results, store it away from any heat-producing electronics in your kitchen.
Even more important is sealing honey in an air-tight, glass container to prevent it from fermenting. And be careful to use clean, dry utensils when scooping from the jar; moisture contamination will ruin honey.
Incredible … 
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The oldest thing in my food cupboard is Mrs Fox…
She’s older than me by about six weeks…You could say that I’m her toy boy…
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I hope you’re not veering off topic Mr Fox 
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I remember when we stayed on the croft my father had some beehives. At the end of the season he would remove sections from the hive and put them in an extractor which spun the honey out. When it was put into jars it was clear but over time it gradually crystallized.
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Yes I saw a couple of whole nutmegs in a jar in the cupboard with a best before date of March 2006 on the packet. I do like grated nutmeg. I might try some on my morning porage, as I don’t think they can go off if kept dry and in a jar.
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I used to have a tiny little nutmeg grater. It came within a small jar of Schwartz nutmegs as I remember.
Can’t beat a hint of grated nutmeg in the mulled wine 
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We must have eaten some dodgy stuff when we were young and living on the croft. Grocer van came once the week. No electricity so no fridge freezers. Water hand pumped from a well and milk consumed untreated from the cow. I am 85 now and have had very little illness so it must have done my immune system some good.
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A bag of sugar, now solid. We stopped using sugar and this bag ended up getting more n more stuff in front of it. Couldn’t see it in the end as it was way at the back of the cupboard. 
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Is wine included as food? I haven’t checked the drinks cupboard yet but, round about the millennium, I remember drinking a bottle of Greek Cava from 1978. It tasted like honey! The cork had been sealed in wax.
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We don’t have sugar (or any artificial sweetener) at home.
Helps to discourage people popping in for a cuppa. 
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The cork could have disintegrated by now, if it’s not lying down. 
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I always keep a tidy little sugar bowl to hand… just in case.
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I’ve got this Christmas pudding we must have forgotten, best before March 2022
It’s only Best Before, not Use By, so do you think it would be OK or 
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I steamed some brussel sprouts today and they had a sell by of 8th Oct. They were absolutely fine.
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Brandy is good for preserving things isn’t it?
eg:Nelson.
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More tea vicar?
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