I didn't realize that we had been making bread for hundreds or thousands of years as a previous poster stated.

We haven't, modern bread (with air in it) has only been made in the last 200 years.

I'm struggling to find my preference for a sliced bread for toast that's easily obtainable and that I don't have to make a 20 minute journey to but each time I run out (bearing in mind I have other priorities to fill the freezer). Those I've tried that I like the LOOK of are either too thin and / or way too 'airy', lacking any substance and come out of the toaster more brittle than Cream Crackers or VERY thickly sliced and over-sized that it has to be trimmed down and then comes out the toaster soft and soggy in the middle even though it looks OK from the outside. ATM I find the best bet is the stuff sold at most 7s (IIRC) and Big C etc in the green / clear polythene bags, Farmhouse or something is it?

What does surprise me is how crap the Big C bakery offerings are compared to Big C Phuket. The latter has a superb bread section with a massive selection of fresh baked Western style loaves. Here it just seems to turn out sticky goo.

When Carreforre was taken over by Big C on the Superhighway used to have a fair bread selection, and every time I went in was sold out or almost sold out of most. I've been making my own for a few years now, but I occasionally see it out of the corner of my eye, so I'm pretty sure they still sell a good range, and their cheese selection almost as good as Rimping (and cheaper because they have their own generic brand).