THUMBS DOWN
Rugby rip-off:Pity the poor Munster fans who lacked the faith to book trips to Cardiff before last weekend when their team qualified for the Heineken Cup final.

Prices for flights to the cities closest to Cardiff, where the match takes place at the end of May, have increased by as much as 1,000 per cent since the rugby team secured its qualification. Some flights from Shannon to Bristol, which is a short hop away from the Welsh capital, had price tags in excess of €550 last week, while flights out of Dublin were over €450.

THUMBS UP

Wave goodbye:Home cooking is regaining popularity, in Britain at any rate, with the number of people preparing meals "from scratch" almost doubling over the last five years, according to research.

But the microwave is losing favour, with just 11 per cent of people regularly using one to cook an evening meal. The number of Britons who "always cook from scratch" has increased from 24 per cent in 2003 to 41 per cent, according market analyst Mintel.