Now if MacDonalds were to close thousands of their outlets and Cocacola were to go bust, I'd be a happy man.

Wishful thinking methinks. We can only dream. Although Mcdonalds fries are bloody nice!

Yeah you say that, but if Mcdonalds started closing, whilst on many A roads in Britain us travelling folks would probably have nothing to eat, horrible though it is.
We also need the driving breaks etc.
What have been sadly closed down, is many of the little food and tea vans we used to see.
We used to crave brekkie at a little van just outside Oxford in a layby, he was sadly shut down by authority.

I would like to see the return of the decent indie food van!
We seem to be living in a time in which nobody will even risk doing it.

(I really really hate Starbucks and Costa Coffee for that matter, absolute extortion)

On my last trip to London I was surprised how many Starbucks there were so close to each other. Two within a few feet of each other on Victoria Street.

I haven't used a MacDonalds for several years. I preferred 'The Great British Burger' outlets, which are no more, or Burger King - but mostly I'd choose Wimpy because they have real knives, forks and plates and a friendlier atmosphere.

And pepsi is better than coca-cola.

I could see lots of little food and tea vans springing up again if MacDonalds disappeared from the road sides, but that's only if the modern health and safety people allowed them. I remember having coffee and fag ash in a small place near Torquay .. very decent prices, but not exactly at the top of the hygene league, although not any worse than my own kitchen. Those small places had character.

Health and hygiene Dominic?

My stomach knows full well when it has had a Maccy D, and that is not a hygiene issue.
Eww, the inbalance is awful.
If we all ate a few more germs occasionally, our immune systems would probably be better.

Must be an English problem. There are still loads of "vans" north of the border. Probably to secure our placement as Europe's most unhealthy. Can't beat a break in a lay-by with a cup of dishwater and mistery meat on a bap!

I have adored a couple of breaks with a Yorkshire pud and gravy along the road crossing from north east to north west,from a van.
The sad thing is, very few of us "soft southerners" can probably afford to make the gigging trip anymore.
That`s another subject, on a different thread, but would it not be lovely to find local foods instead of chains in local areas in the UK?

Don`t even start me on Little Chefs!!!