Tag: uk

Every journey starts some where. As a pure novice to sourdough breads, I started my journey. My first sourdough was frought with problems that ultimately led to a bread that was unproofed and could be used as a door stop because it was so hard. When I made my English Muffinsthis week, I had some extra starter and tried my sourdough bread, again. While not 100% ‘spot on,’ it was a significant improvement. This article will explore the changes I made.

Starter

As I analyse the situation I note that my kitchen is on the warm side, running around 75 degrees Farenheit. Though, I do question, if for a part of the time with my first loaf, if the kitchen was cool under 70 degrees Farenheit. This led, at times, for my starter to ran runny and not growing as quickly. So to fix it, I had to vary the ration of starter, flour, and water for the feed. I found a 1 part starter to 2 parts flour and 2 parts water worked quite well and sometimes 1 parter starter, 1 part water, and 2 parts flour worked. However, if I used the latter then an extra stir was need about 1 – 2 hours later to ensure all of the flour got mixed and a 1:1:2 ratio was only needed for a day because the started would not rise if I kept using the 1:1:2 ration. What I found that was critical was ensuring the flour was fully mixed and I did feel the temperature of the water was also a factor. So, I tried to keep the water cool and not too high as it led, I feel, to a runny starter.

Making the bread

Once the starter was doubling in size, it was time to make the bread. The first time I added the starter to flour and salt it was a bit sticky. Relying on my previous bread making experience, the stickinees made me thing more flour was needed and I added a bit more flour. The second time, the flour soaked up the starter water mixture and was overly dry. So, again relying on previous experience, I thought water was needed.

As I look back, I do question if my intervention (adding more flour the first time and adding more water the second time) led to the results.

Both times, I found that the bread did rise quicker than expected. The second time the bred was showing it was being underproofed and I did make attempts to save it. First attempt was to do more stretching of the dough, which did make it less sticky. However, after letting it rest, it became sticky again and this time I did put it in the fridge for about an hour. After the hour, the dough was expected.

Cooking the Bread

The first time, I put it into a 5 quart dutch oven and covered it. When i took of the lid, the dough appeared somewhat flat and translucent. After it finished cooking, the first attempt the dough was so hard, I could not cut into it.

However, the second time, the dough did rise, it did have a few bubbles, and it slight browned when I took off the lid to the dutch oven. So, I cooked it without the lid. This time the dough did rise and it did brown. When I did cut into it, the dough looked a bit undercooked and a bit dense. Nonetheless, it is a significant improvement from my first attempt.

My takeaways

From my first two experiences, I have learnt kitchen temperature, mixing ratio, and to some extent the temperature of the water used influences the starter. I do expect my next attempt will mean further improvement on my journey in making the ultimate sourdough bread.

Recently, I published an article regarding the pitfalls of socialised medicine and totally unreleated, president elect Trump spoke about the cost of prescription medication. After hearing Trump speak, it made me reflect about my experiences with both the US and UK health care system.

Trump is right, Americans do pay too much for prescription medication. In the UK for example you can get weight loss medication for about £120 if you go private or if you are type 2 diabetic then you can get the medication for no cost. Whereas in the US, without insurance covering the cost for the weight loss medication, it can easily run $1,000 per month.

If you live in the US then you may feel anger because the medication is about 85% cheaper in the UK. While I am a big supporter of Trump, personally, I do not believe getting rid of the ‘middleman,’ will make medication prices competitive like the UK. Why?

When you peel back the layers of what goes into the cost there a major fundamental differences between the US and UK. For example, in the UK, medication advertisements are banned for prescription medication. Meaning pharmaceutical companies cannot promote medications on television nor sponsor events to promote their medication. Likewise, in the UK it is the government that negotiates prices and does a cost benefit analysis before medication is approved. Furthermore, in the UK, health care workers are paid a fraction of what their US counterparts make. Finally, the UK legal structure is different and punative damages, are rarely if ever awarded. This means litigation costs are less.

At this point, you may feel that I have missed the biggest problem IP rights. Most of us, do not realise the sheer cost involved in researching, developing, testing, publishing, and then marketing a drug. For most drugs, it takes years of researching, testing, and reviews before a drug hits the market. This is to ensure the drug is safe, to identify the side-effects, to identify the correct doseage, and the population for the drug. For a drug to enter the market place, the developer has spent hundreds of millions of dollars. IP rights is the mechanism that allows the developer to recover their costs before they face competition. Without IP protection, orphan drug development and development of vaccines, like COVID, would cease. Instead medications would be developed based on high demand like for baldness, ED, and other cosmetic needs. For me, I do not see IP rights as a driver of price but a mechanism to encourage development.

This brings me to the next part of my discussion, what is it like in the UK to get medication. If you have read my earlier article, you will notice I am not the biggest fan of socialised medicine. Unlike the US, where you can walk into your pharmacy and ask for a refill. In the UK, you have to contact your GP then within 72 hours your GP notifies your pharmacy. Depending on the medication and the pharmacy the medication may be available. If it is not available then you may have to wait a week. With one of my medications, I have had to switch it twice because there were shortages. Luckily, after my second switch my current medication, so far, has not faced supply issues.

The above, highlights one issue of cutting out the ‘middleman’ but what no one in the UK admits is that cost factors into prescribing. One of the medications I take took me over a year to get because I had to wait because my GP, in the UK, was not trained to prescribed it. Worst yet, before waiting a year for the prescription, I endured two (2) years of misery due to side effect because I was being prescribed the cheapest medication first instead of what would work for me. If I was in the US, the right medication would have been prescribed after a 15 minute appointment and I would have not had to endure two years of side-effects.

As Americans debate how to reduce the obsence cost of medications, there is one point Americans must remember, no system is perfect. While many Americans wish for a NHS style system of health care, the NHS has its downside and the older you get, the more noticiable it becomes. For me, I fell out of love with the NHS when I had to wait over a year for a prescription that, if I were in the USA, I would have received after 1 – 15 minute appointment and to make it worse, I endured two years of side-effects because the right medication for me was more expensive than the alternatives. A rush to remove the ‘middleman’ without fully understanding the complexities involved may actually drive costs up and make the system worse. From my experiences, I prefer the US system because GPs are properly trained and you do not have to wait a year to get the medication you need. In conclusion, the UK health care system may seem attractive for Americans but the reality, there are a lot of drawbacks. If you cut out the ‘middleman’ then you need to be prepared for what will follow.

Copyright (c) Be Berry Informed 2024 – All rights reserved.

Introduction

This article is written from a buying a share ownership, unoccupied new build perspective. While the following information will provide you some insight into shared ownership, the process and timeline for purchasing resale properties and unbuilt properties are subject to specific dependencies.

So why buy shared ownership? Are you currently renting and aspiring to own your own property, but are you concerned about the current economic situation, particularly the rising taxes on hard-working individuals? Do your concerns lead you to believe that you will always be renting due to your inability to afford homes?

For some, there exists a solution: shared ownership. Not everyone can afford shared ownership, but those who qualify may benefit.

Go Back

Shared Ownership Explained

Basically, you share the property’s ownership with the housing association. Typically, you will own between 25% and 100% of the property. In some situations, you can buy as low as 10%, but from my experience, 25% seems to be the lowest you can purchase. You pay the housing association rent, service charges, and insurance for the portion you do not own.

Buying a house outright with a mortgage involves making an offer. Purchasing through shared ownership is competitive and operates on a first-come, first-served basis. The individual who completes their checks first will have the first chance to secure the property. This process takes place regardless of any incentives or premiums offered by other buyers.

Purchasing your share

How do you know how much to buy? Purchasing a shared ownership property is more complex than purchasing a home with a mortgage. It involves a step-by-step process involving a finance company, a housing association, and, in most cases, a mortgage advisor. 

Go Back

1st Step: Initial Qualification

What do you want in a property

Consider what you need from your property. Think about your requirements, like location, number of bedrooms, size of the house or flat, if it has a garden, cost, energy efficiency, and other qualities that are important to you. This is the first question you must ask yourself, and it will shape answers to your other questions, such as is shared ownership right for you, can you afford shared ownership,Â

Finding the property

There are several ways to find your property and to help you determine if shared ownership is right for you. Please note that these tools are not associated in any way with this site. They provide a broad estimate of what you can afford and list properties in your area.

There are three ways to find a property under shared ownership. First, via the government.uk website. This search will identify developers offering shared ownership homes for sale, along with links to their respective websites. Another resource is Share to Buy, which offers listings of shared ownership homes. The final option is to utilise online platforms such as Rightmove and OntheMarket.com, where you can search for shared ownership homes using the site’s provided filters.

Regarding your affordability, several online tools, such as a shared ownership calculator, can estimate your shared ownership based on the information you provide. Others, like the shared ownership affordability calculator, can give you an estimate of what you can afford for your monthly payment.

Go Back

Making contact and initial screening

Once you find a property you like, you will reach out to the housing association, who will provide you with information about their finance company and contact details. The finance company will do an initial screening to determine if you qualify.

The finance company will notify the housing association and arrange a viewing of the property if you qualify.

What does this mean? It is a hybrid situation, where you will be leased but enjoy the benefits of home ownership. Because shared ownership is a hybrid ownership model, it means that you will pay a mortgage, pay service charges, and pay part of the building insurance.

Go Back

Step 2: Viewing and further qualification

At this stage, you will have the opportunity to view the property. It is likely that a representative from the housing association will be there. While the representative may not have all the answers, they should be able to address common questions such as tenancy agreements, the extent of improvements permitted by the housing association, the area, and other general inquiries. Once you’ve viewed the property, you should reach out to the finance company, not the housing association, to discuss your decision to proceed.

Should you wish to proceed, further checks are done, like income, debt, or anything adverse on your credit report, and you may be asked to pull your credit file. This stage is to determine if you qualify for a mortgage, to do a 5-year stress test, and to determine if you meet the housing association’s financial requirements. From my experience, housing associations will have a residual income requirement that can range from 0% up to 20%. Residual income is the percentage of income remaining after paying rent, mortgage fees, service charges, insurance, and other expenses.

If you haven’t already, we will now inquire about the source of your deposit and the amount you plan to contribute. Depending on your response, you may need to provide documentation and bank statements.

Once these checks are completed, the finance company will proceed to search for a mortgage. Really, you don’t need the finance company to find a mortgage. You have the option to find your own mortgage broker or arrange a mortgage on your own. However, if you have adverse credit, low income, or plan on using Universal Credit, then consider using a mortgage broker.

Go Back

Step 3: Reservation Fee

If you are the first to complete their checks, then you will get the opportunity to reserve the property. In order to reserve it, you will need to pay a fee, which will vary depending on the property, location, and housing association, but generally expect the fee to be in the £200–£500 range. It is only once you pay your fee that the property will be removed from the market, and if someone pays the fee before you, then you will lose the property. Therefore, it is imperative that you pay your fee as quickly as possible once you complete your checks. Once you have paid your fees, you will need to contact a solicitor to complete the process.

Go Back

Timeframe

So, how long does it take from initial contact to paying your reservation fee? A lot depends on how quickly you can provide the information required, the housing association, the finance company, the time of year, and the type of property. The general estimate would be 2–6 weeks to complete the checks and pay the reservation fee. Once you instruct your solicitor, expect 8–12 weeks, on average, before completing. Overall, this means the whole process from beginning to end will be 3–5 months.

Go Back