Interesting thread, apologies for length of the following:
1 Every kit I've done (including geordie bitter) has needed rousing to finish. With some I've added yeast nutrient before stirring, but they've all finished a bit high. Maybe the water's too alkaline, would it be worth adding a bit of citric acid?
2 I'm a bit 'scientifically challenged' - why does every tin of the same size have to have the same og?
3 Surely munton's can manage different recipes - I don't cook curry for every meal on my one cooker (not for breakfast) (well only sometimes)
4 I've never got the 'everyone used to make their own bread/beer/cheese/wine/horsehair mattresses so it can't be hard to do it well' argument. When I was little my parents were regularly given lovingly-baked victoria sandwich cakes (by grateful customers). The majority were just terrible - undercooked, over cooked, both(
), weird buttericing, and most often just poorly washed tins or maybe other utensils (hands?) which gave them that 'dirty oven' taste. I'm not a great cook but I can make a bloody good victoria sandwich - and I think it's easy - but all those perfectly normal bakers couldn't! rant over - sorry!
