One of those bizarre factoids that often gets trotted out by analysts is that bread actually has a higher penetration marketing double-speak for how much a particular product is purchased in a particular market than toilet roll. It’s in the high 90s percentage-wise. So how can we mop up those last few bread-dodging households? Stop the Week suggests a marketing campaign around these uncommon uses for bread, from the ever-relevant Reader’s Digest...

l Remove scorched taste from rice that’s been cooked for too long and burned by placing a slice of white bread on top of the rice while it’s still hot and replacing the lid. Wait a few minutes and voilà! Burned taste gone.
l Soften up stale marshmallows by putting a couple of slices of fresh bread in the bag and sealing it shut and leave for a couple of days.
l Absorb whiffy vegetable odours while cooking by placing a piece of white bread on top of the pot, which absorbs the pong.
l Prevent a grease flare-up when broiling meat with a couple of slices of white bread in your drip pan to absorb any grease and also reduce the amount of smoke.
l Clean dirty or greasy fingerprints from walls and wallpaper by rubbing with a slice of white bread.
l Pick up glass fragments after a crockery mishap by pressing a slice of bread over the area.