Add the vegetables, season and simmer for 20-25 minutes until the vegetables are tender. 1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed 1tsp thyme leaves 1tsp cumin seeds 50g butter 1tbsp flour 1 litre vegetable stock 1 medium parsnip, peeled and cut into rough 2cm chunks 1 small swede, peeled and cut into rough 2cm chunks 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into rough 2cm chunks 2 medium turnips, peeled and cut into rough 2cm chunks Salt and freshly ground black pepper for the crust 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped 1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed 60g butter 50-60g fresh white breadcrumbs 2tbsp finely grated mature Cheddar, or Lancashire cheese 40g flaked oats 2tbsp chopped parsley Gently cook the onion, garlic, thyme and cumin in the butter for 2-3 minutes until soft. Sainsbury's too claims, "We have reduced our promotion participation in the last year and worked hard to encourage customers to trade up and try new wines." Bogofs won't go away in a hurry, but isn't emphasising value and quality better than going for the lowest common denominator?. This savoury crumble makes a great midweek supper or you could have it with the Sunday roast.

Now's the time to be making the most of root vegetables, and you can use any seasonal roots in the recipe. Or add a little Caribbean influence by using sweet potatoes and plantain and even more spices. Either way, the more far-sighted retailers such as Waitrose are looking for ways to promote wine at full price with, for instance, wines of the month, more descriptions, leaflets and tastings. Perhaps the shift has something to do with the fact that surpluses are starting to dry up. Fortunately, the message seems to be getting through to retailers: feeding the Bogof monster offers only short-term solutions to short-term problems.

It's a selective approach, one that could lead ultimately, to a more satisfied consumer It's more than blanket bombing. Majestic's promotions, which offer 20 per cent off a given region or country when you buy two, and Waitrose's wine-of-the-month reductions, are two examples of the kinds of promotion aimed at encouraging us to be more adventurous, to try new wines and new flavours. It's reassuring, therefore, to see that some companies are combining attractive deals with a little more thought and education. As long as retailers comply with the legal requirement to sell a product for at least 28 days before cutting prices, they can offer the promotion. So simply shopping by numbers, making a bee-line for the biggest discount, doesn't always add up. In the worst-case scenario, these deals don't give extra value because the wine price is artificially inflated to begin with. Is it any surprise that a growing number of wine producers rely on a strategy of selling the greatest quantity at the lowest price possible? Why would retailers search out interesting new bottles when vast wine surpluses have been produced over the past three years? The promotion mentality can be relied upon to obscure dubious quality.