WITHOUT first reaching for the dictionary, hands up all those who know the meaning of hedonic tone . Bit of a puzzler, eh? One can reasonably suppose that it is to do with hedonism which Chambers defines as in ethics, the doctrine that pleasure is the h

WITHOUT first reaching for the dictionary, hands up all those who know the meaning of 'hedonic tone'.

Bit of a puzzler, eh?

One can reasonably suppose that it is to do with hedonism which Chambers defines as "in ethics, the doctrine that pleasure is the highest good".

And the good book goes on to reveal that hedonics is "that part of ethics or of psychology that treats of pleasure".

So hedonic tone must be something to do with pleasure, mustn't it?

But hold on now - there are degrees of pleasure, ranging from the ecstatic to the other end of the scale.

And the context in which I saw "hedonic tone" this week is definitely at the bottom end of that scale.

In my job I get to read some fascinating press releases and just such a one crossed my desk this week.

It was all about steps to reduce stink from sewage works, and it proclaimed that some of the nasty whiffs from said local treatment works could be a thing of the past thanks to a new voluntary code of practice just published by government department Defra.

Part of the advice to works operators and regulators is to: "Understand odour by, for example, assessing its concentration, intensity, character, and hedonic tone", adding helpfully "ie unpleasantness and offensiveness".

So there we have it, the lid has been lifted on potential nasal onslaughts. I suggest it now be shut pronto.

Moving from one end of the digestion process to the other, I was aghast to read that the world's most expensive sandwich had gone on sale at Selfridges in London.

The £85 a round price tag was said to be mostly down to the fact that it contained Wagyu beef - acclaimed as the "caviar of meat" - which comes from cattle which are massaged and fed on beer.

Also squeezed between the slices of 24-hour fermented sour dough bread are foie gras with black truffle mayonnaise and some fine cheese.

Apparently, at least five advanced orders were placed for said sarnies. Perhaps it would be a crumb of comfort for the starving millions in the world to think that those consuming these obscenely priced snacks will suffer indigestion as a result.

Hopefully, a similar fate awaits the purchaser of another item of food which went on sale in London yesterday.

Hailed as the world's most expensive Easter egg, this 25in tall creation is encrusted with more than 100 half-carat diamonds and costs £50,000.

Even if digestion is avoided, maybe the eater would suffer some tooth damage crunching down on a diamond or two. Serves them right? I would say so.

If you associate Easter with bunnies, here's an interesting bit of research just revealed.

Veterinary charity PDSA has come up with the nation's top 10 names for these cuddly creatures and not surprisingly, the "top carrot" is Thumper.

Fluffy is second with Snowy filling the third place and - unimaginatively to my mind - the fourth favourite is Rabbit.

The iconic Peter inspired by Beatrix Potter tales - a popular name 10 years ago holding sixth place - is now gnaw-where to be to be seen in the list.