A shopper was reportedly told that buying boozy desserts before 10am was ‘unlawful’ (Image: Getty)
With just over a week to go until , the rush to secure all the food and drink needed for the big day is well and truly on.
But those hoping to catch some UK supermarkets at quieter times in the morning and evening may not be able to tick everything off their lists.
Shoppers in have come up against “baffling” alcohol licence rules preventing them from buying decadent festive desserts including Christmas pudding and tiramisu.
The country’s licensing laws mean that supermarkets and shops are banned from selling alcohol between the hours of 10pm and 10am.
The rules are only meant to apply to alcohol drinks – but shoppers at a near Glasgow were left unable to take home their boozy festive puddings this week, seemingly due to the regulations.
[COMMENT]
One customer said they were forced to leave without their tiramisu (Image: Getty)
One customer told the Daily Mail that their tiramisu was flagged as containing alcohol to checkout assistants during an early morning visit.
Stewart Meldum, 75, said he was “baffled” by the store workers’ refusal to sell the Italian dessert to his wife Carol before 10am.
Employees at the supermarket reportedly said the purchase was “unlawful”.
He said: “A fellow shopper next to [Carol] was having the same issue with a Christmas cake.
“The assistant was full of apologies, but my wife left without her tiramisu.”
Don’t miss… [REPORT] [REPORT] [REVEAL]
Traditional tiramisu contains around 1.8% alcohol, usually through Marsala wine (Image: Getty)
“What’s next?” the Newton Mearns native added: “Will they cordon off the tiramisu at night? Why do we in Scotland tolerate such ludicrous micro-governance?”
A spokesperson for Waitrose told the Mail that the incident had been due to an “error” in their system.
They said: “We’re very sorry for the inconvenience Mr and Mrs Meldrum experienced.
“This was a temporary error with our system and will be resolved very soon.”
In what some view as an unfair penalisation of drinkers, the has continued to restrict booze sales in Scotland over recent years, including through the introduction of a minimum price per unit of alcohol, which rose from 50p to 65p earlier this year.