I can appreciate how disappointed you must be.

Dear Tesco PLC,

I am writing to you to inform that I am sorely disappointed with your own-brand 'Recipe Improved' English breakfast muffins (pack of 6). I am at this very moment eating one. Indeed, I have been eating Tesco muffins for breakfast for many months now and there is just something missing from the new recipe: a certain 'je ne sais quoi' has been replaced with a bald 'quoi?'. The muffins are not the same. I hope to see the old recipe reinstated soon.

I hope to hear your thoughts on this soon.

Yours expectantly,

Guy M. Taylor

Dear Mr Taylor,

Firstly, I’d like to apologise for the delay in getting back to you. Please let me assure you that we always try to respond to our customers' queries in a timely manner and I’m sorry that due to high volumes of contact, this has not happened on this occasion.

I'm sorry that you're not happy with the new recipe on our English Breakfast Muffins. I can appreciate how disappointed you must be.

I'd like to look into this to establish what changes have been made or if there is a quality issue with the ones that you've purchased. Can you kindly advise of the following information from the packaging:

Barcode Number
Date Codes
Batch/Production Code (Found with the Date Codes)

If you could also send me your full address details, and the amount you paid when purchased then I'd be more than happy to issue you a refund in the form of a Tesco Moneycard.

I do hope that, despite the problems you've faced, you'll continue to shop with us, giving us the chance to provide the excellent service you've come to expect and so rightly deserve to receive.

If you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact me at customer.service@tesco.co.uk quoting TES9067180X.

Kind Regards


J------------
Customer Service Manager
Tesco Customer Service

Dear J--------,

QUOTING TES9067180X

Thank you very much for your e-mail. Of course I understand the customer services team of a supermarket chain as large as Tesco must receive a lot of correspondence and the delay is understood.

However, I have since disposed of (recycled, actually) the packaging of the English Breakfast Muffins and so sadly cannot provide you with the Barcode Number, Date Codes, Batch Code or Production Code.

Should I have been able to provide these details, your kind offer of a Tesco Moneycard is duly noted and much appreciated.

However, it's not about the money. That the muffins only cost 74 pence is beside the point, even in these austere times. That I have witnessed the price of butter (it's not an English Breakfast Muffin without butter, it's just a muffin) rise on an astronomical scale from around 1 pound to 1 pound and 30 some pence in a matter of months is also beside the point.

It's the recipe that's wrong. J-----, Tesco has let me down. I used to love breakfast, I used to rejoice in it. Now your muffins just taste cheap, and there is nothing to celebrate and certainly nothing to rejoice in. Can you please change the recipe back, please?

Kind regards,

Guy M. Taylor

Dear Mr Taylor,

Thank you for your response. I appreciate that you've thrown the packaging away given the delay in my reply.

I've asked my support team if they're aware of any issues with our muffins so we can establish if its the change in recipe or possibly a quality issue with the pack that you purchased.

However, my offer of a moneycard still stands. If you wish to receive this, please advise me of your address and I will duly send this to you with my best wishes.

Thank you for taking the time to write further.

If you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact me at customer.service@tesco.co.uk quoting TES9085797X.

Kind Regards


J-----------
Customer Service Manager
Tesco Customer Service

Dear J--------,

QUOTING TES9085797X

That's no problem, I'm determined to get the bottom of this.

I look forward to hearing what your support team has to say about the muffins. I'm fairly convinced the change to the recipe is to blame, but I'm still interested to know of their findings.

With this in mind, J------, can you tell me what change was made to the recipe? I've since eaten some more Tesco muffins, and I can say with some authority that the so-called, 'new, improved' muffins taste stale even when they're fresh. Could that be to do with flour? I think that's part of the problem. I'm no baker, but I suspect flour is at the root of all of this.

Kind regards,

Guy M. Taylor

Dear Mr Taylor,

Thank you for your email and I apologise for the delay in my response. My colleague J------- is currently away so I hope you don't mind me replying on her behalf.

We are sorry to hear that you don't find the English muffin to be improved.

A lot of work has been done to improve the product. This has been independently tested and benchmarked. The new product has been formulated with new kit and a new recipe in order to improve the taste and texture. A 2-stage mixing process allows the correct consistency of dough to be achieved and provides further aeration which in turn gives a more open texture. The griddle settings have been formulated to give a slightly crunchy outer texture and a soft, fluffy inner texture. The quality of the flour used in the recipe combined with the level of added soya flour allows a white crumb to be produced. The flavour of the muffin has also been improved with the addition of an extra 0.2% salt compared to the existing product. An alternative improver system allows a more stable open texture.

I hope this helps and thank you for taking the time to email us.

If you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact me at customer.service@tesco.co.uk quoting TES9097518X.

Kind Regards


A----------
Customer Service Manager
Tesco Customer Service