Episode 5 Rip Off Britain

There's a lot we don't know about the food on our plates,

and the shops and the labels don't always tell you the whole story.

Sometimes there's just too many offers

and when you actually look at them, you're not really saving that much.

Whether you're staying in or going out,

you've told us you can feel ripped off by the promises made

for what you eat, and what you pay for it.

If you buy six, it's cheaper.

But I don't want to buy six, I want to buy one.

From claims that don't stack up to the secrets behind the packaging,

we'll uncover the truth about Britain's food

so that you can be sure you're getting what you expect

at the right price.

Your food, your money - this is Rip-Off Britain.

Hello and welcome once again to Rip-Off Britain,

where, in this series, we're unwrapping the secrets

of the food and the drink that we consume every day.

Now, we know that different brands work their socks off to try to

convince us to buy their particular product,

so we're here to cut through all that hype

and try to ensure that when you spend your money,

it's on the things that you really know you want.

So with that in mind, we'll be looking a little bit

more closely into the bold claims which are made

for some everyday products to see if all of them really do stack up.

And as we reveal the truth behind some of the labels themselves,

you may end up feeling that not all things we'll be talking about,

some of which, by the way, you may have bought yourselves,

are necessarily quite what you thought they were.

And along the way, we'll also be settling a concern

that many of you have already shared with us,

not so much about the items that you buy in the supermarket

as the one that you've already got at home in your cupboards,

and what you want to know is how long you should leave them there.

Well, we'll have an answer to that,

as well as unpicking the secrets of some of the other food and drink

that you have, so that all you've got to do is enjoy them.

Coming up, the big-name brands boasting added protein.

But is there really any need, or indeed, benefit?

These products are not generated

to improve people's health, necessarily,

they're generated to make companies money.

And the storm in a teacup over the price of a speciality cuppa.

Why should brews such as an Earl Grey cost you

more than a bog-standard builder's?

I can understand if it was 5p more, but when it's 40p more,

I think that's not fair.

You know, there can't be very many of us

who don't know that protein is an essential part of our daily diets.

But it isn't always easy to know exactly how much

you should be having to stay healthy,

which is why you may have been drawn to a whole range of new products

that are springing up from big-name companies that appear to

make the whole thing easy

by adding extra protein to some very familiar brands.

Now, that protein boost, however, can come at a price,

so is it worth it?

Well, some experts would say no, it's not, and that,

far from being an innovative short cut to eating better,

these protein-packed products are just a very clever

marketing gimmick and a way of getting us to spend money

on something that, well, frankly, most of us won't need.

They're everyday foods, but not as we know them,

because some of the UK's biggest brands have added a bit of muscle

to some of their best sellers.

Cereals like Weetabix and Shreddies, and even chocolate bars

Mars and Snickers,

have introduced versions of their products that are higher in protein.

And watching these ads...

It doesn't taste like a protein bar, it tastes like it should.

19g of protein is the perfect amount.

..you'd be forgiven for thinking that these new versions

of the products are the ideal accompaniment

to a healthy lifestyle.

There are more than 640 muscles in your body.

New Weetabix Protein helps grow and maintain them.

No wonder, when faced with a choice between the traditional variety

or the one full of protein,

most of the people we spoke to had no doubts over which they'd go for.

If I had to choose one, I'd most likely choose this one,

obviously because of the high levels of protein in it.

I'd go for the protein one.

-Yeah, I'd go for that.

-So, I'd pick this one,

because it's got less in fat and it's got more protein.

The protein bandwagon set off back in the 1950s in California,

when the body-builders of Muscle Beach started adding powder

made from soy beans into their diets to help build muscle.

In 1972, the body-conscious reached for the nutrient once again...

..as the low-carb, high-protein Atkins diet hit the shelves,

with eating plans like Paleo and Dukan following suit in the 'noughties.

But these new protein products, which in some cases

can cost a lot more than the standard varieties,

aren't aimed just at those trying to gain muscle or lose weight.

So now we're all being targeted, and why?

Well, of course, because it's big business.

But how much protein do we actually need in our diet,

and are these products a good way for us to get it?

Well, here's a man who should know.

Dr Stuart Gray is a lecturer in exercise and metabolic health,

and he's especially interested in how our bodies

are affected by the food we eat.

Protein's basically the building block of the body,

so all our muscle tissue, all our organs, everything in the body,

all the cells are composed of protein.

So without protein, we wouldn't be here.

So what happens if you don't get enough protein?

Lots of things would probably happen.

The main one, you would lose muscle mass,

and that puts you at risk of a number of medical conditions.

Because proteins, also in times of energy crisis,

it can be converted to sugar and it can keep us fuelled.

So you're more at risk of getting disease

and you're probably going to fare less well with it -

you're less robust, less resilient in coping with it.

The recommended daily intake of protein for adults is around

55g per day, give or take a few grammes, depending on your age.

So I wanted to know how much I'm getting, and whether,

with all these protein-busting foods hitting the supermarket aisles,

I should be using them to supplement my intake.

So I've kept a diary of my diet for a week

and Dr Gray is taking a look.

You consumed about 70g of protein on average per day.

So that was enough?

That is more than the current recommendations, yeah.

But, I mean, looking at all of the new protein products

that are available on the market,

would any of those actually give me a boost?

The evidence would suggest no.

There's some evidence that, if you were doing a lot of exercise,

you may require some extra protein

and you may get a very small benefit,

but it would probably not be anything you would really notice.

And it seems the same is likely to be true for most of us.

Research suggests that in the UK, almost everyone gets

more than enough protein through their everyday diets and in fact,

men get, on average, over 50% more than they need.

All of which raises the question of what point there is in buying

a protein-enhanced chocolate bar or box of cereal in the first place?

But according to food marketing expert Phillip Adcock,

the answer to that is simple -

manufacturers know that any hint of a connection

to a healthier lifestyle can be enough for us

to pop a product in our supermarket trolleys.

There's lots of positive associations with the word protein.

So, as the lazy brains we all have and are, then we will think by,

"Oh, that's got protein, I can do less exercise."

So what we're always looking for is a short cut to a healthy lifestyle,

and by putting a protein badge on, we will buy something.

Whether that's 0.01% healthier or 40% healthier,

we just see it as slightly healthier,

so it's the indulgence alibi.

But we, as shoppers and consumers, need to understand

what protein we need and whether we need to go and get

some more or not because at the moment,

we're paying a lot more money for a little bit more protein.

We took a closer look at two of the best-known brands

that have added protein to their products.

First, Weetabix.

On the day we checked, a regular pack of 24 cost £2.50

from a leading supermarket,

and two biscuits would give you 4.5g of protein.

But at the same store, you would pay £3 for the Weetabix

that comes with the added extra,

and with two of those biscuits containing 7.6g of protein,

it works out at 1.3p extra per gram.

But you could just as easily add the same amount of protein to your

usual Weetabix by pouring on an extra 100ml of milk.

In fact, the white stuff contains all the protein we need

in our diets, although using it as the only source

isn't recommended for adults, who need a varied diet.

Another product that's received nutritional enhancement

is a Snickers bar.

A normal one, typically costing around 65p,

contains 4.5g of protein.

But a bar of the similar-sized protein version

has almost four times that amount, a full 18g,

as well as fewer calories, fat and sugar.

But that extra kick comes at almost four times the cost,

because we found this bar for sale online for £2.40.

And while there are some who would consider it worth every penny,

others, like Dr Gray,

would say that's a lot extra to pay for something that isn't necessarily

as healthy as you might hope.

The fact that a lot of these products are packaged up

with other things, like sugar and saturated fat,

it's not going to be an overall very good addition

to people's diet, really.

Do you think that they're, sort of, masking the fact,

in their own commercial terms?

So the fact that, all right, 18g of protein in a Snickers bar,

but because of all the sugar and fat that's in there as well,

it's almost cancelling out the health benefit.

It is, yeah, yeah. So even if you do have a protein requirement

where you did need protein, getting it alongside that fat

can interfere with a lot of these processes as well,

so actually, we may well be losing the benefits of the protein,

as you say, by adding all this other stuff in.

So, I mean, you're a scientist, so what would your advice be

in terms of our protein intake and how we should be getting it?

So, for me, ideally, if you can, get it from your diet.

There's a lot of sources in the diet,

the beans, the pulses, the meat, cereals, breads also.

But you can see how the packaging could make you think that these bars

have a health benefit,

as I saw for myself when I met some of the members at this Glasgow gym.

If you were to see Shreddies Max Protein and Snickers Protein,

would you be tempted, do you think, to buy them?

I'd probably pick that up rather than the normal brand

that doesn't say protein, yeah.

Just because they've advertised protein,

it sort of draws your eye to it

and makes you believe it's better for you.

So, what do you think about the companies

who are pushing the protein?

They're just trying to sell their products,

because they know people are health-conscious

and they're just putting protein on stuff and saying,

"People will just buy it."

And that's a sentiment Dr Gray heartily agrees with.

These products are not generated

to improve people's health, necessarily,

they're generated to make companies money.

If there's a market there and people are willing to buy these products,

a company will fill that slot in the market and sell these products.

Well, we put all of this to the manufacturers

of the products that we looked at.

Nestle, which makes Shreddies Max Granola,

told us that nowhere on the pack does the product claim to be

high in protein, although it does contain enough protein

to legally be called a source of protein.

It said that the cereal is high in fibre and low in saturated fat

and is a simple way for granola lovers

to add more protein to their diet.

Weetabix told us that its product provides 20%

of an adult's recommended daily amount of protein

for those who are keen to boost their intake.

And it said that, just like other products with added extras,

the cost of the increased protein level of Weetabix Protein

is reflected in the slightly higher price of the product.

As for the £2.40 price tag we found online

for a Mars or Snickers Protein bar, manufacturers Mars told us that

while pricing is at the retailer's discretion,

its recommended retail price is in line with

other protein-rich products.

Mars also said that these bars tap into a strong consumer trend and

offer the nutritional profile that you would expect

from a traditional post-workout protein bar.

Well, you'd expect the manufacturers to make a spirited defence

of these products and of course, there's certainly no problem

in eating them if you're happy to shell out the extra money to do so.

But if you're doing it purely because you think

there's going to be a benefit for your health, well,

it's really not that simple.

And if you think you do need it,

there may well be better and cheaper ways

to get that extra protein boost.

Still to come on Rip-Off Britain,

what's to be done with those dusty old bottles of alcohol

at the back of your cupboard?

Rather than waste them, we'll see if, once past their best,

they are still OK to drink.

When we try it, if it's good, we drink it.

If it isn't, it goes down the plughole.

Now, a good old-fashioned cup of tea

has long been a very British tradition.

Ever since the drink hit our shores in the 17th century

we've embraced it, and of course, it has very calming qualities.

What problem isn't made better by a nice hot cuppa?

But these days we're spoilt for choice, with an array of white,

green and black leaves that promise to do much more than just

calm the nerves. There are teas that claim to aid weight loss,

boost your immune system and even, apparently,

reduce your risk of a stroke.

Very bold claims indeed.

And to top it off, many speciality teas cost more than your typical

English Breakfast, which has led one viewer to get in touch to ask

what exactly she's getting to justify paying extra.

Peppermint tea, Earl Grey, infused and good old Breakfast,

just a few of the brews from around the world on sale in Britain today.

Now you can buy them loose or in square,

round or even pyramid-shaped bags.

Such is our thirst for tea that the industry is now worth an estimated

£620 million,

and it seems that we all have a preference for how we like it.

My perfect cup of tea is strong, two tea bags in it,

and, erm, hot and, erm,

quite a bit of milk in it, in a china cup.

Well, I drink Assam tea.

But I only have two cups of tea a day.

I have decaf because of my problem with caffeine

giving me palpitations.

My perfect cup of tea would be just a classic mug of tea,

just flavoured with tea, nothing else, no other flavours.

Michael and Angela Brown from Ketton in Cambridgeshire

have very different tastes in how they take theirs.

Thank you.

I like British tea, or English tea, as we call it,

whereas my wife would normally prefer Earl Grey.

I don't particularly like the tea that Mick drinks.

Never liked it, and I can't bear any kind of tea with milk in it.

That's just horrible.

But however much they disagree on which type of tea

makes the best drink, they do have one thing in common.

When I get up in the morning, the first thing is a cup of tea.

-Oh, I'd have to agree with that.

-Before I've had breakfast

-or anything like that, a cup of tea.

-Mm.

But Michael and Angela don't confine their tea-drinking

just to their house.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-Good afternoon.

We'd like some tea, please.

Now that they're semi-retired,

they often pop into a cafe for a good old cuppa.

One builder's tea, one Earl Grey.

Thank you very much.

But unlike in this cafe that has the same price

for the different teas,

they often find that Angela's beloved Earl Grey can cost more.

-There we are.

-Oh, that's lovely. Thank you.

When we go out to a cafe and my wife drinks Earl Grey tea,

it can cost up to 40p more for a drink,

and I don't think that's fair.

I think that's far too much.

Particularly as when they buy Earl Grey to drink at home,

the price difference is nowhere near as much.

It's, on average, about 2-3p per tea bag

more expensive than ordinary tea.

But when we go to a cafe

it can be up to 40p and I don't understand why.

I could understand if it was 5p more

but when it is 40p more, then I think that's not fair.

Well, to see if the couple's experience is true across the board,

we took a closer look at what you might pay for different teas

when you're out and about.

Now, we checked the prices at 42 independent cafes,

comparing the cost of a traditional English Breakfast tea with the price

of Earl Grey, mint, camomile, fruit and green tea.

More than half, 22 of the cafes,

charged the same price for all types of teas, but on 20 menus

we found higher prices for speciality teas,

with some charging up to 70p more.

This looks like the place.

So, keen to see if there is a justifiable explanation

for such price discrepancies, Michael and Angela have come to meet

Ajit Madan, a tea sommelier.

When you buy English Breakfast, for example, versus Earl Grey,

the Earl Grey tends to be a bit more expensive,

and it's usually attributed to the fact that they add

oil of bergamot, which is an essential oil,

and it's actually quite an expensive additive to put into tea.

So you're adding an extra layer of cost into the Earl Grey

that you don't have with the English Breakfast.

Bergamot oil costs around £7 per 10ml

and a decent blend of Earl Grey tea contains up to 4% of it.

Now, that may sound like a small amount,

but as it's an expensive addition, it explains why some teas cost more.

But Michael doesn't think that explains

those price hikes in some cafes.

I know when we buy it at home the difference in the price isn't great,

but when we go to a cafe,

we find the difference is quite considerable.

When you go to cafes, you know, particularly the nicer ones,

a bit like the nice sort of tea houses,

they would probably pride themselves in saying,

"Look, the Earl Grey that we're serving you

"is a higher grade Earl Grey."

Generally speaking, if you compare a kind of speciality leaf

versus the type of tea that you might find in a mass-market brand,

and if you compare the size of the tea leaf, for example,

the mass-market tea brand might be almost sort of dust-like

in the size of its...

of the tea leaf, compared to a speciality tea,

which can range from anything from this size of the tea leaf

down to that sort of size.

And those tend to generate more sophisticated flavours.

And people are willing to pay a premium for that.

Another factor that can push the price up is where the tea is grown.

Now, it's widely believed that the finest tea

comes from the highest altitudes,

where it's picked very carefully by hand.

So in the cafes, the general cafes and that,

do you think it's right that there should be such a large mark-up

for speciality teas?

I think if you're going to a tea house or a coffee shop or a cafe

and you're ordering a nice cup of speciality tea,

I think it is justified that you pay more for that type of tea,

which is more expensive for the cafe to buy.

Well, it seems that Ajit at least is convinced that

when it does come to a good cup of Rosie, you do get what you pay for.

But do our tea-loving duo agree?

Armed with the expert's advice, will they now be happier

spending a little more on Angela's brew of choice?

I will still buy Earl Grey but I think I'm going to be changing

the brand that I normally buy.

If they served better quality speciality teas,

then the extra cost would be justified.

Big relief - it seems Michael and Angela's faith

in their beloved cuppa has been restored.

But of course, the choice of tea available

doesn't stop at Earl Grey,

so later on in the programme,

we'll be investigating whether some of the bold claims made by

some speciality teas are worth paying extra for.

There's teas that maybe even say they can provide you extra energy,

extra zip, and what we would say is

clinically, there is very little evidence to say

that any of these claims can be substantiated.

Now, here's a sobering thought.

According to the figures, most adults in the UK

will spend over £300 per year on alcohol and almost

half of that is consumed at home.

Now, even though much of that is drunk straight away,

some will be kept a lot longer.

A half-finished bottle of sherry,

gathering dust in the back of the cupboard, say,

or what about the bottle of bubbly we've been saving

for a special occasion?

But unlike the food we eat, it isn't quite so easy to know

if those long-forgotten drinks have gone past their best.

There's rarely a sell-by date, except on beer, and after all,

some drinks are actually said to improve with age.

So, when you asked us the question,

"Is it still OK to drink from a long-neglected bottle?"

we decided to investigate, and we found just the couple to help us.

It looks like an unassuming suburban house in Devon.

But step inside and it's a very different story.

Tucked away in the home of Simon and Donna Randall

is a fully working bar.

The extension started '98, '99, something like that,

and actually finished it about two and a half years ago

and it's been a work in progress ever since.

It's what I would consider a proper pub.

We decided to create it like this

because it is a style that we do like.

It's very much almost like a museum as well,

collecting the old things that we remember from younger days.

Now of course, as these aren't licensed premises,

the bar is only open to friends and relatives,

and because Simon doesn't sell his drinks, unsurprisingly,

those friends and relatives

don't need much persuasion to come and visit.

Have one of those. A fine pint of that.

We will see what we can do, young sir.

Love it, yeah. It's got all the...all the elements

that you don't get in the bars in town.

You can hear yourself think, you can speak to people,

you can play pool.

It's just a fabulous atmosphere.

We have a good time when we come here.

Have to leave whenever we leave but it's never early, normally.

Please help yourself to a gin and tonic.

The Randalls' shelves are stocked with a mixture of drinks they have

either bought themselves or that friends have donated.

And with the bar nearly 20 years in the making,

it's a fact that quite a few of these bottles

have been around some time.

Remember this one I got you?

-That one there.

-'89, when I went to Tenerife, that one.

This was the first year Donna and I met.

Donna brought me that back as a present.

She didn't know my drinking habits at the time,

so it was a bottle of tequila, which is...

-Yeah, it's very good.

-This one here,

this Tia Maria has actually been open for many, many years.

Erm, not quite sure but certainly I would have probably said

getting on for at least five, five years old.

Martini, I think probably every bar and home bar has various bottles

of Martini that somebody comes to a party, drops off,

origin unknown, and this is just one of several we've actually got.

In the UK, we throw away the equivalent of 624 million

bottles of wine a year, but not Simon and Donna.

Their vintage specimens are just left on the shelf.

In fact, they've a whole wine rack full of them.

So, here's our wine collection.

That's an interesting one.

'93, it's got on the back of the label.

And then we're into some ales.

And there is a good old Cornish tribute.

Looking at the bottom of that one,

that was at its best before 3rd July '14,

so that's two and a half years out of date.

With every bottle worth between a couple of pounds to over £100,

they're worried about the money they're wasting

as the booze goes past its best.

But equally, they're anxious about

allowing their friends to consume it.

If it's the spirits and that sort of stuff,

then if somebody wants to try it, they can.

But if there's something that's, you know,

an out-of-date cider or something, to be fair, no,

we wouldn't and we don't.

You too may well have worried if it's still safe to drink the bottles

lingering in your own cupboard,

though chances are you won't have quite so many as Simon and Donna.

So the question is, are they right to be wary,

and which drinks are most likely to deteriorate

if you keep them too long?

Well, the usual labelling rules just don't apply to any drinks

which are over 10% alcohol because if they stay unopened,

they are unlikely to be harmful.

That puts almost all unopened bottles of spirits

into the category of still safe to drink.

And the same is true of most wines,

which are typically between 11% and 14% in volume.

Below 10%, the contents are unlikely to make anyone ill,

but the taste could be affected.

So, the best before date is just that -

a guide to when the drink will be at its prime.

Professor Anthony Hilton is a microbiologist at Aston University.

He's been studying food and drink safety for nearly 30 years.

Alcohol is a natural preservative,

but it's very much dependent on the concentration.

So, the types of concentration that for example you get

in alcohol hand gels is around 68% to 70%,

and at that level it will kill bacteria.

At about 40%, which is where you would have things like vodka,

whisky, things like that,

it isn't really enough to have a killing effect,

but it will preserve that liquid.

So pure distilled vodka at 40% is unlikely to go off at all.

However, over time,

even strong spirits like vodka can develop a taint.

So when some producers recommend consuming within three years,

it's because after that time

distillers can't guarantee it will taste the same as it originally did,

though it's unlikely to harm you.

And, for the reasons we've already heard,

the professor is equally relaxed about wine -

until, that is, it's been opened.

Wines can store for a long period of time and mature

over that time and they don't go off.

It's just that when the cork is removed

and contamination from the air,

bacteria that might be in your kitchen, for example,

they will find their way into the bottle of the neck

and drop into the wine.

Then they use that as a nutrient sauce and they start to grow,

and that's really the problem.

And indeed, if you open a bottle of wine and you leave it open

to the atmosphere for maybe a week and then you taste the wine again,

it will have started to take on a more vinegary characteristic.

As for beer, the amount of alcohol

is usually under that magic number of 10%,

which means a bottle or can will usually have a best before date.

So, the alcoholic content of beer is somewhere from about 3%

maybe up to a strong ale, about 9%.

And at that level of concentration of alcohol,

it's insufficient to inhibit bacterial growth.

And if you leave a pint of beer out, bacteria will get in there,

so beer will spoil.

But unopened, even after that best before date has passed,

those leftover Christmas beers hidden at the back of the cupboard

should still be safe to crack open on a hot summer's day,

although they might not taste quite as good.

I think other than the taste,

I don't think there's any real risk in drinking beer

that tastes like it's gone a bit off.

Well, if that's a reassuring message

for most of the contents of your cupboard,

Simon and Donna are keen to take a closer look at some of

the tipples they fear have been festering too long on their shelves,

so they've come to a bar in Bristol where head bartender Chelsea

has some ideas for putting out-of-date drinks to good use,

though she'd never serve them to paying customers.

-Lovely to meet you.

-But before she gets creative,

she wants to know if our amateur bartenders can tell any difference

between what's in some of their old bottles

and brand-new similar products.

If it's only the taste that risks being an issue rather than safety,

is there really enough of a change to worry about?

With three drinks to sample, let the tipple taste test begin.

The first one is the ale

that's been out of date for nearly three years.

We're comparing it to a very similar ale.

Strange taste, but it's not unpleasant.

-That's proper.

-OK, guys, you're absolutely spot on.

After a few years, it starts to get a kind of sherry nose.

I think the one on the left has not got the kick as much, I don't feel.

No, I'm still sticking with right being the old one.

OK, you were actually right on this one.

Our final one, which is the red wine.

-That one.

-Definitely.

Yeah, you're both absolutely right.

For me, when I opened the bottle and I smelt the cork,

I got a vinegar taste straight away.

Well, with two out of the three drinks,

Simon and Donna correctly identified which was the older version

and which was the fresher one.

Only with the Tia Maria did Donna fail to get it right.

With the wine, they were probably helped along

with that vinegary smell Chelsea described,

a telltale sign that a chemical reaction occurred

while it was sitting in their wine rack.

Storing wine for long periods runs the risk of oxidisation,

a process that turns cheap wine into expensive vinegar.

This can happen to any wine, whatever the price,

as not all improve with age.

But again, if you can swallow the deterioration in flavour,

drinking it shouldn't cause any problems.

As for the other two, well,

Simon and Donna would still quite happily drink them.

The real ale, I thought for a drink that was so out of its use-by date,

I was really surprised that it was a really palatable drink.

Yes, it was very different,

but it was still a drink that you could enjoy.

Yeah, absolutely.

In fact, some alcoholic drinks remain so quaffable

beyond their best before date that there are companies

who've been able to turn that to their advantage.

Around the UK, warehouses like this one sell them

at discounted prices among a range of products that normal shops

won't touch because they're past their best.

Dan Cluderay's website, Approved Food,

sells all manner of discounted groceries, including alcohol,

which he knows plenty of customers will happily buy at a cheaper price.

The difference between best before dates and use-by dates is that

best before is the guide to the optimum quality of the product.

Use-by dates, now, they are there for health and safety reasons,

so you'll find those things like chicken, meat and fish.

Best before dates you'll find in your cupboards -

it's tins, jars and things like packets.

Although it's an offence to sell food and drink

that's passed its use-by date,

selling products that are past their best before date

is perfectly legal, with the important exception of eggs.

And Dan says consumers can make particularly big savings on drinks.

It's absolutely fine.

Now, you know, there are examples of where,

I'm sure if you left a can of beer for years and years

it wouldn't look right,

but that comes down to the actual common sense -

is it blown? But often, open the can of beer, see if it looks right,

smells right, tastes right, it'll be absolutely fine.

Meanwhile, back at the bar,

mixologist Chelsea agrees we don't have to waste our past-it bottles

by pouring them down the drain.

In fact, as she's about to show Simon and Donna,

you could save money by creating an entirely new, fresh-tasting drink.

Judging by the wonderful label on the back,

I'm assuming it's from the '80s, potentially.

So, one of the fun things I like to do is to make a fruit cup,

commonly known as Pimm's.

So, we're going to start by doing a shot...

..of Martini Rosso.

And then we're going to do a shot of gin with it.

And to the gin, Chelsea adds orange liqueur, lemon juice

and fresh oranges.

There you go, guys. See what you think of that.

Oh, that is lovely. Very nice.

-Oh, yes.

-You can certainly taste the Martini.

Another tip for keeping your bottles tasting their best a little longer

is to store them in a dark place away from direct sunlight and heat,

perhaps, if you're lucky, like Simon and Donna, in your own bar,

where from now on they will feel a lot more confident

about testing those long-neglected drinks.

The reality is, a lot of alcohol gets better with age

and a lot doesn't, so I'll taste it and decide.

When we try it, if it's good, we drink it.

If it isn't, it goes down the plughole.

Earlier in the programme, we heard how Angela and Michael Brown

were left rather strained by the price of speciality teas

when they're out and about.

When we go out to a cafe, my wife drinks Earl Grey tea.

It can cost up to 40p more

and I think that's far too much.

But a tea sommelier told us

there are very good reasons why fancier cups

can be just that little bit pricier.

When you go to cafes, when you're drinking their Earl Grey,

they would probably pride themselves and say,

"Look, the Earl Grey we're serving you is a higher grade Earl Grey."

But of course, the choice of speciality teas

doesn't stop at Earl Grey.

Alongside the classics are plenty of new brews in the pot.

In fact, at one supermarket,

we found over 200 different teas on offer,

and even popular brands have jumped on the bandwagon.

-Tough day?

-Yes.

Then I've got just the thing.

Delicious fruit-flavoured Tetley super tea.

There are teas that claim to detoxify you, slim you down,

clear your skin and help you get a good night's sleep.

So, to gauge the appeal of such powerful brews...

It's organic, sleep easy infusion.

..we've laid out a few popular brands

to see what people make of them.

Well, these are supposed to support your immune system.

I doubt it.

Peppermint and spearmint. So...

Yeah, that's supposed to be good for the digestive system, isn't it?

Yeah.

Turmeric is the latest good food, isn't it,

to have, to add to your food?

Turmeric. I might try it,

but I'm not into really different teas.

Peppermint and spearmint.

Wonderful ingredients.

That I do fancy.

"Spruce up your insides."

It's not going to do that, is it, really?

Spruce up your insides.

So, a mixed reaction from that crowd,

but it seems that many of us are falling for the hype,

and branding expert David Whittle can understand why.

Consumers were looking for a different type of tea experience.

They are drinking less and less black tea

but looking for an alternative,

and looking for a healthier alternative as well, hence the...

..the growth in speciality teas.

And also, our trends are changing as well.

We're looking for more exotic experiences

as we experience different flavours across different food types.

That has an impact on tea-drinking as well,

and you will be happy to pay a premium for that.

Compared to your average cuppa,

we found speciality teas that cost over 30 times more per bag.

But you can still find some bargains,

especially if you hunt around stores' own brands.

Aldi's own label fruit and herb tea, which costs 79p for 40 bags,

has been crowned best own brand in the UK,

beating pricier blends that cost much more.

Master of teas Ajit Madan has developed blends

that claim to aid sleep, clear your skin,

and even induce happiness.

He wholeheartedly believes that certain blends

offer more than good value.

There are certain teas that are meant to be good for helping you

to slim down, to lose weight, to increase your metabolism,

and there are also certain teas

which are really good for digestion and helping with bowel issues.

White and green tea has very high levels of antioxidants,

so, you know, teas - in combination with a good healthy diet -

can be really, really good for you.

It's not a substitute for mainstream medicine at all,

but it can complement your health.

So what does mainstream medicine make of the claims?

Well, GP Aisha Sharif isn't sure that they stack up.

There are teas out there that claim they can detox you,

they can boost your immune system, they can help with your sleep,

and I think there's teas that maybe even say

they can provide you extra energy, extra zip.

And what we would say is clinically,

there is very little evidence to say that any of these claims

can be substantiated.

In the NHS, none of us are really recommending

people go out and have a particular type of tea

for a particular health condition.

That's not something that we're recommending.

Teas that claim to work as a detox

are a particular bugbear for Dr Sharif.

They're part of the multi-million pound detox industry

that many health care professionals are sceptical about.

I think this is something that we see a lot in GP practices -

detox, and what does it mean? It means nothing.

If you have kidneys, if you have a liver, it's doing a job,

and you don't need a tea to help get rid of waste products.

If anything, this tea has dandelion,

and we do know that dandelion is a weak diuretic -

it helps push out fluid from the kidneys -

so it's just going to make you wee bit faster,

you may be having some trips to the toilet,

but I don't think it's going to do much more than that.

Dr Sharif isn't convinced that any of the ingredients

come in an amount that justifies the extra spend.

There's a sleep tea here,

and I think one of the ingredients that this tea has,

along with cinnamon and some camomile,

I think it has valerian root.

Valerian may in some cases make you feel more sleepy

and assist if you have some sleep difficulties,

but it's only 5%, so it's very, very weak,

and whether that would actually make you fall asleep,

I would be sceptical about that.

Well, when we contacted the companies behind these teas,

Yogi - who have many speciality teas in its range,

including the detox tea - didn't comment.

Dr Stuart's has robustly rejected any criticism

and also said the line "spruce up your insides",

used on some of the packaging, was intended to be humorous.

Clipper told us that its sleep easy blend contains

naturally calming herbal ingredients

which can help promote relaxation,

and it went on to say that it always recommends

that people suffering from severe sleep problems

or sleep disorders seek professional medical advice.

Diet-Tee said that it only uses the finest ingredients,

many of which have been used traditionally

in the natural herbal remedy industry for hundreds of years.

But while brews that come with apparent health benefits

clearly are not Dr Sharif's cup of tea,

she wouldn't put anyone off drinking them

but prefers if you stir in a soupcon of scepticism.

If you enjoy the taste of a tea

and if it makes you feel a certain way,

if it makes you feel calm or if it does help you

as part of your routine to fall asleep, I don't see a problem.

I do feel that if you believe that you need to drink or buy a tea

to boost your immune system, there's no such thing,

and really, you could save and spend your money in better places.

Well, I'm afraid that's where we have to leave it for today.

Thanks as always to all of you that got in touch with various queries

that sparked off some of our investigations.

Now, it's only because of your concerns and experiences

that we are able to reveal all kinds of truth about the claims made

for some of the most popular food and drink that we all buy.

Well, let's hope the tips we've heard about today

will help you go through your own shopping list

with extra confidence.

And remember, we are always keen to hear about new ways

to help us all bag a bargain,

so if you've got any advice you'd like to pass on,

please do get in touch.

Because we've got plenty of Rip-Off Britain programmes

coming up over the next few months, and who knows?

It could be your story that we feature in one of those programmes.

Or as Julia says, not just the story but also your advice,

your nuggets of advice.

But in the meantime, from all of us today,

I'm afraid that's where we have to say goodbye.

But do come and join us the next time we are here

-with Rip-Off Britain, and until then, goodbye.

-Goodbye.

-Bye.