Elmlea is not cream!!!

I'm bummed. Tesco used to carry long-life single cream, but they recently stopped. Now our local Budgens, which carried Heritage long-life cream, has also stopped. So I suspect whichever dairy was going the pasteurization has decided to halt production, or has gone out of business.

I'm not a big coffee drinker - a couple of cups a day - but I really must have it with cream, not milk. It makes all the difference to me.

Half and half would be fine, but they don't sell it here. And the problem with ordinary single cream is that it goes off before we finish a container, even a small one.

And Elmlea is NOT cream! They use the terminology of cream -- 'single' and 'double' -- and the containers look like cream, but it's actually whipped vegetable fat. Ugh. You'd be amazed how many people who work in supermarkets are surprised to hear that. (Actually, to be fair, I probably would never have noticed if DH hadn't pointed it out).

There. Rant over.

According to mysupermarket.co.uk and ASDA themselves,  ASDA has 250 ml long life single cream for 65p

Half and half would be fine, but they don't sell it here.

Here it's called Half Cream, it is hard to find, I agree.

Ya know what, I just noticed this the other day at the supermarket and was rather outraged because I didn't read the rather smaller printed wording saying it's a cream alternative.  I think I've used it before and if I (as a CHEF no less!) had known this I would never have touched the shite.  And yes, I use that word because that's what it is!  I agree that the packaging makes it look as if it's proper cream and that it's a bit deceptive.  Give me good ole full fat dairy cream any day over some whipped crap.  Same with butter, if it's not made from something out of a cow I don't want it!

if it's not made from something out of a cow I don't want it!

I so agree!

And Elmlea is vile. There's no reason for its existence.

I knew there was something funny about that stuff!  I thought it was just all long-life cream that was funny!  But doesn't the long-life stuff go off just as quickly as the normal stuff once you've opened it?

Wow- I really need to start reading packaging more carefully.    I'm with you on the not from a cow, don't want it! 

Sure isn't! I had to explain that one to my bf when I asked him to get me some cream for strawberry shortcake.

Maybe some gold top milk? Its in a glass bottle and has cream on the top of it..... and is actually 5.2% fat milk.

Is Elmlea the one in the red and white package (with what looks like a flag/cross on it)? I was getting Sainsbury's single cream this summer for my coffee, because I can NOT do milk in coffee. Here at home, I use soy creamer (just cos it's less fat and fewer calories!) I wish they had that over there or at least half and half widely available!

They do have soy creamer here:
http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/sainsburys-price-comparison/Cream/Alpro_Soya_Reduced_Fat_Cream_250ml.html
http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/sainsburys-price-comparison/Cream/Alpro_Soya_Dream_250ml.html

And Oat cream (which I recommend over the soy, but that's me):
http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/ocado-compare-prices/Cream/Oatly_Healthy_Oat_Dairy_Free_Alternative_to_Cream_250ml.html

As for the OP, I can usually find smallish whipping cream containers.  Then if I don't use it all, I can use it for whipped toppings.  Heck, you could even make butter from it if you didn't use it all.  On the fat scale, it's between single and double (not that you didn't know that, just some people don't), and I think it actually goes better in hot drinks than single cream.

ETA: I think you can freeze cream as well, which might not be ideal for drinking or whipping, but what you don't use you could freeze later for soups and other recipes.

Looked up about freezing, and came up with this:

http://www.floradawn.com/cooking/2010/03/24/freezing-cream/

Is Elmlea the one in the red and white package (with what looks like a flag/cross on it)?

White and a different color for each type, they all have a strawberry in the design, being poured over by the runny grades, and perched on a pillar of the stuff on the whipping kind.

They do have soy creamer here:
http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/sainsburys-price-comparison/Cream/Alpro_Soya_Reduced_Fat_Cream_250ml.html
http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/sainsburys-price-comparison/Cream/Alpro_Soya_Dream_250ml.html

And Oat cream (which I recommend over the soy, but that's me):
http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/ocado-compare-prices/Cream/Oatly_Healthy_Oat_Dairy_Free_Alternative_to_Cream_250ml.html

Ooh! Thanks! I've looked in Saino's before, but have never seen it. I will be living in London, so hopefully I can do the ocado delivery thing where we'll be.

And, thanks, Trémula. I know I've seen them, but I don't think I've had that type before because it doesn't have a lid that reseals.

I have a new appreciation for the packaging! The shop around the corner only carries single.

Saino's... that's a new one for me! That's up there with ASDAs and Tescos  

Saino's

Yeah, we don't say that.