The festive season starts at a different time for everyone. For some, it’s always the day after Halloween; pumpkins out, tinsel in. For others, it’s when Christmas decorations start lighting up their local high street. And for everyone else, it’s when the coffee shops change their menus. You can’t avoid it: overnight the options go from standard latte fare to oversized, over-sweetened, over-caffeinated – and severely overpriced – Christmas coffee madness.
What used to be a light touch – say, the addition of an eggnog latte – has now become an entire market in its own right, with different, more ludicrous and expensive variations on the classic cuppa added each year. This silly season at Pret a Manger, you can pick up a “caramelised almond latte” or a “maple pecan latte” for a whopping £4.40 (my local Pret a Manger in south London charges £4.65). Meanwhile, the regular latte starts at £3.80; that’s almost an entire pound in difference. And for what exactly? A few pumps of syrup? Some sprinkles and some cream?
