Homemade scones off the menu at some National Trust houses
Fresh scones topped with cream and jam are often the highlight of any visit to a historic house, once their fine architecture, old rooms and beautifully tended gardens have been taken in.
But the traditional, homemade favourites are now set to be replaced with bought-in alternatives at some properties amid job cuts.
The National Trust is cutting 550 jobs as a higher minimum wage and the impact of Rachel Reeves's national insurance raid on employers has caused costs to balloon.
It said costs had grown more quickly than visitor numbers to its historic houses, castles, parks and gardens and that it had no choice but to cut back.
Chefs and catering staff at the least profitable cafes are set to lose their jobs, and food will instead be bought in.
The National Trust said less than 10 per cent of cafes will be affected, but that has not stopped some volunteers from reacting with horror.
One volunteer, who alerted The Times to the plans, said they would cause 'severe disappointment' among visitors.
Steve Thomas, of the Prospect union, which is representing those facing redundancy, told the newspaper: 'Whether they are chefs or curators, National Trust staff are as integral to the experience of visiting our iconic historic sites as the properties themselves.
'Losing vital skills and experience would be a disaster for the Trust. It will be noticed by the public and could even reduce visitor numbers, which would only worsen the financial position.
'This process needs to be approached with the utmost caution so costly mistakes are avoided, and Prospect is engaging with the Trust on behalf of our members.'
It comes after the National Trust was criticised for making its scones vegan, with some complaining they tasted like 'dry biscuits'.
Maude Newby, a 64-year-old long-time member of the National Trust, said at the time: 'I can't stand the taste of the new scones. They are not like traditional ones at all – they are flatter, drier and have an unappealing texture.'
The National Trust told The Times: 'The proposed changes would affect less than 10 per cent of our cafés, all of which are smaller outlets where rising costs are making it increasingly difficult to be financially sustainable.
'We would still have food and drink available at these cafés, however, and in more than 90 per cent of our cafés there would be no change to what we offer.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
13 minutes ago
- The Independent
Newcastle United transfer news: Benjamin Sesko, Yoane Wissa, Randal Kolo Muani and more
Having ended their trophy drought with Carabao Cup success last season, Newcastle United now have work to do in the transfer market. With a return to the Champions League, the Magpies need to strengthen their squad to compete at the highest level. Boss Eddie Howe has made it known that he is looking to work fast this summer, seemingly not wanting to repeat the sort of saga that saw Marc Guehi remain at Crystal Palace despite strong interest last summer. The Saudi-backed club were without any major recruits over the past two seasons due to PSR rules, but started the summer with a big move for Anthony Elanga – with the Nottingham Forest winger joining in a deal worth £55m – and are set to make more notable additions as they continue a pursuit of Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike. Here's everything you need to know about Newcastle United 's summer transfer plans: There are four key areas of improvement this summer. The first is up front, with the club seemingly hunting for another striker to join - or potentially replace - the prolific Alexander Isak. Despite the club being desperate to hold onto their talisman, the Swede is exploring other options and seemingly wants to join Liverpool. Newcastle needed reinforcements on the right flank too as they prepare to do battle in the Champions League, and with squad depth likely playing a key part in their recruitment plan this summer, the club sealed a deal for Elanga earlier this month. In midfield, the Magpies have plenty of options, with the likes of Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes probably in no need of additional support. However, another central defender would be a major plus as the club returns to Europe's top club competition, with Guehi having been the notable target last summer. Finally, Newcastle have been linked to signing a new goalkeeper, which has become an apparent area that would benefit from improvement. Despite Nick Pope's class, his injury record has sometimes meant Howe is forced to contend with his his back-up. James Trafford appeared to top the list of targets, but the Burnley stopper now looks set for a return to Manchester City. Done deals Ins: Anthony Elanga (Nottingham Forest, £55m), Antonito Cordero (Malaga, free transfer) Outs: Lloyd Kelly (Juventus, £15m), Sean Longstaff (Leeds United, £12m) Jamal Lewis (out of contract), Callum Wilson (out of contract) Potential targets Benjamin Sesko, RB Leipzig As the club braces for a monster bid from Liverpool for wantaway Isak, Newcastle are eyeing up RB Leipzig frontman Benjamin Sesko as his potential replacement. The Slovenian striker was heavily touted with a move to Arsenal earlier in the window, but the German club held firm on his £70m price tag. After already being pipped to Hugo Ekitike by the Reds, a hefty cash windfall from the sale of Isak would no doubt provide them with the funds to complete the move. Yoane Wissa, Brentford Newcastle are also said to now be interested in Brentford's Yoane Wissa as they look to bolster their attacking options. The Congo international could be available for around £50m, with the Bees holding that valuation for their record goalscorer, who grabbed 20 goals in all competitions last season. However, as Newcastle begin to accept the reality that they may now be without their superstar striker, their interest in Wissa - who would be seen as more of a support act to Isak - is starting to cool. Randal Kolo Muani, PSG Reports have emerged that the Magpies could be interested in Randal Kolo Muani after their failed pursuit of Ekitike. They are said to want a striker whether or not Isak leaves, and the PSG man – who spent last season on loan at Juventus – could be a good cut-price option. Axel Disasi, Chelsea Reports from France continue to link Axel Disasi to Newcastle, as was the case during the January window. Chelsea signed the centre-back for around £38m and could be open to a sale, with the Frenchman having spent the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa.
The Independent
13 minutes ago
- The Independent
Expensive t-shirts are not more durable, first study into the garment finds
There is no correlation between the price and durability of t-shirts, a first major study into the popular garment has found. The most expensive t-shirt tested by the University of Leeds Institute of Textiles and Colour (LITAC) and environmental group Wrap was outperformed by one costing just a 30th of its price. The study concluded that price has 'very little' to do with the durability of most t-shirts sold in the UK, and that spending more money does not guarantee the item will be more hard-wearing. Researchers tested the durability of 47 t-shirts – 24 male and 23 female designs – from UK clothing brands, including luxury items. They washed the t-shirts using a standard mixed 30C wash cycle followed by a tumble dry 50 times. The t-shirts were graded for pilling – when small balls form on the surface of an item, and the main reason people dispose of the garments – as well as colour fading, shrinkage and general appearance. Of the top 10 best performing t-shirts, six cost less than £15, outperforming many more expensive tees including the most expensive costing £395. The research found more hard-wearing t-shirts tend to have a percentage of synthetic fibres in the composition such as polyester, polyamide, and elastane. Cotton t-shirts tended to have higher shrinkage than synthetic ones, which can be exacerbated with tumble drying. However, the research found four of the 10 top garments were made of 100% cotton. LITAC's Dr Eleanor Scott said: 'If circularity in fashion is to be truly effective, durability must come first. 'Durability underpins the reuse and resale market, as well as keeping our loved items in use longer. Crucially, these findings show that durability is not a luxury reserved for the few — it's achievable at any price point.' Mark Sumner, Wrap's programme lead on textiles, said: 'Most shoppers use price as an indicator of how hard-wearing clothes are – 'the more I spend, the more I'm bound to get out of my purchase'. 'But our study shows this is totally misleading. The most expensive t-shirt we tested cost £395 and ranked 28th out of 47, while a £4 t-shirt was placed 15th. 'The most durable t-shirt cost £28, but the one ranked second worst was £29. So, if you're judging on price alone – buyer beware.' PhD candidate at LITAC, Kate Baker, who presented the findings to the Product Lifetimes and the Environment Conference in Aalborg, Denmark, said: 'This research is another step forward in the road to developing a way of measuring how durable the clothes we wear are. 'Improved clothing durability is critical for the future of circularity and providing the opportunity for people to wear the clothes they love for longer.' The reports recommends that consumers wishing to ensure their t-shirts are as hard-wearing as possible choose heavier weight cotton options, while those with a blend of cotton and synthetic fibres also perform well.
BBC News
14 minutes ago
- BBC News
'Huge inflation' in transfer market
Bradford City chief executive Ryan Sparks says there has been "huge inflation" in the transfer market as the club ready for their return to League were promoted on the final day of the season and managed to sign eight players before 1 July as Graham Alexander rebuilds his despite Birmingham City and Wrexham winning promotion to the Championship last season, Sparks says there are still other big-spending clubs who have made the third-tier market tricky to told BBC Radio Leeds: "We wanted to move quickly and have a squad ready for pre-season and we did that. We were always going to have plans regardless of what division we were in."It is an intense market, the activity in League One has been like never before, there is huge inflation in the market."But we are very happy with what we have done. We have been able to attract players for different reasons and we will continue to do that. The window doesn't close for some time yet."Recruitment is really important and there are conversations every day. The process doesn't change but the cost of players does."The manager has the final say on players, that will never change as far as I am concerned."Listen to the full interview and more on Bradford City on BBC Sounds.
