Tenses

We popped into Tesco today after lunch to get some tissues (my nose is running like a tap at the moment) and some biscuits. Having sampled them this afternoon our choices were mixed: Tesco's own brand custard creams were what it said on the tin, and their "american style" apple, raisin and cinnamon cookies were very nice too.

The disappointment was Fox's Chocolatey ... Millionaire's Shortcake.

You only get ten in that packet and it's a hard shortcake biscuit with some caramel squirted on it and trapped by a chocolate casing, as the picture on the packet shows to be fair. They're not that impressive to be honest, and quite pricey.

But that's not why I writing about it today. It's because of what it said on the packet. It read thus:

When we opened our bakehouse in Victorian England we were infatuated with quality and delighted in giving pleasure to our customers.

When you think that through it's an odd statement: what they're saying is that in 1853 when they began they were these things but it says nothing about how they are now. If that was me I would have worded it thus:

Since we opened our bakehouse in Victorian England we have been infatuated with quality and delight in giving pleasure to our customers.

I might even have slipped a "still" in before "delight" to emphasis the continuity of this infatuation with quality and delight in pleasuring¹ customers.

1. Oooh, errr, missus!