It put me in mind of my hazy recollections of Play For Today (1970s BBC adult drama TV programme), or the more playful work of Mike Leigh and Ken Loach. It is quintessentially English, and also makes some very astute observations about culture, class, desire, difference, gender differences and human relationships. As a practice, our focus was to restore the historic identity of the former John Mills & Sons Mineral Water Factory and Bottling Works that had been diminished as a result of poor maintenance, insensitive adaptations and a disregard for building conservation.

Freda's also obsessively infatuated with her employer's nephew, Vittorio. He's the tall, rich, young and handsome Italian man and she spends lots of time daydreaming about living in his castello or his swanky flat in Hampstead. The funny thing is that one is never given actual proof that Vittorio actually has a castello in Italy and the flat in Hampstead is conjured out of Freda's fictional dream for future marital bliss. Freda is often found ogling him at work when she thinks he's busy. But the most humorous part of it all is that he's aware that she wants him and is always watching him. She kinda reminds me of this little dog and how he tries to hide the way he is salivating over the man's sandwich: Freda was enjoying herself. She stopped a tear with the tip of her finger and brought it to her mouth. You should be terribly keen,’ said Freda. ‘All that fresh air and the green grass blowing. You should be beside yourself at the prospect.’

I felt this novel was a good example of that. I found it hard to lose myself in the book because of a prevailing sense of disconnection that permeated the reading of it. On the flip side, it's very well written (despite the tremendous overuse of adverbs), and Bainbridge was obviously pushing some buttons at the time with her talent. One thing I found eye-opening in the novel was the abysmal treatment of women in the workplace in the 70s. The daily sexual/physical harassment suffered by female employees at the hands of the their male counterparts and superiors will make you shake your head in dismay. It's a decent little story, as well as a window into a world we would barely recognize today. The first half of the book is largely comic, but the outing takes a macabre turn, which I won't spoil. The whole thing builds to a very satisfying conclusion, and is a pleasure to read. Having established her characters, Bainbridge brings them all together for a ridiculous and ultimately tragic day out in the country. It’s supposed to be a treat - a picnic, a day away, a sort of team-building outing - but again those words come to mind: absurd and squalid. Freda plans a seduction and Brenda hopes to avoid one, but the day unravels into something out of everyone’s control.

Our 750ml sports bottle is ideal for the thirsty athletes amongst us. We find this bottle very popular with gyms, football/rugby/tennis/squash clubs and corporate banded sporting events. Freda is a girl with dreams. She comes up with a plan for the entire team to take off for a day out in country. It will, she hopes, give her the opportunity to capture the heart of the manager, Vittorio. Brenda has more pressing concerns - how to avoid the amorous intentions of her fellow worker, the lecherous Rossi. Jordison, Sam (18 October 2013). "The Bottle Factory Outing's unsettling brilliance is short but barbed". The Guardian . Retrieved 3 January 2023.Freda and Brenda are two young women living and working in north London. Freda, aged 26, is a large, flamboyant and assertive blonde, with aspirations of going on the stage. The privately educated Brenda, aged 32, is more reticent and strives to avoid confrontation: she was previously married and lived in rural Yorkshire, but has left her husband and moved south. The two live together in a dismal bedsit, sharing a double bed, although Brenda insists on a barrier made up of a bolster and books to separate their respective halves. By day they work as labellers in a wine-bottling factory owned by Mr Paganotti, an Italian. To which Brenda did not reply. She looked and kept silent, watching Freda’s smooth white face and the shining feather of yellow hair that swung to the curve of her jaw. She had large blue eyes with curved lashes, a gentle rosy mouth, a nose perfectly formed. She was five foot ten in height, twenty-six years old, and she weighed sixteen stone. All her life she had cherished the hope that one day she would become part of a community, a family. She wanted to be adored and protected, she wanted to be called ‘little one’. The Bottle Factory Outing is a novel inspired by Bainbridge's own experience of working in a bottling plant. At times offbeat, the humour is mingled with moments of poignancy particularly in the final scenes as the workers gather at a bizarre party in the factory attic.