Nut shortage leads to Ferrero Rocher fears

There are fears of a Ferrero Rocher shortage this Christmas after a poor nut harvest. Hazelnut crop levels are lower than usual in Turkey, due to poor weather conditions and damage from insects. This means prices will soar and cause shortages in the run up to the Christmas season, when sales of Ferrero Rocher usually peak, said retail experts. Last year, Quality Street was forced to remove green and orange foil wrappers from some tins thanks to a shortage of the material, recalled The Telegraph.

Row over 'squishy' conkers

Organisers of the World Conkers Championships have caused a storm with a rules change over "squishy chestnuts", said UPI. A spokesperson said the horse chestnuts traditionally used for the contest would be baked this year, a hardening process that is normally considered cheating in a game of conkers, after the chestnuts harvested this year were found to be too soft and mushy. However, a critic of the move said: "I just checked my stash ... and conkers are emphatically not softer this year."

Link between colour and smell found

A study has found that homeowners hunting for paint or wallpaper should avoid strong smells if they want to pick true colours, noted the Hindustan Times. Scientists have shown that odours can change how people perceive colour, following experiments in which people who were asked to select the colour “neutral grey” chose a more red-brown colour when they smelt coffee, while opting for a bluer version when the odour of caramel was introduced.

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