The saddest event of 1997 was undoubtedly the closure of Britain's last Spam factory.

Invented in the US in the 1930s, its name was derived from its ingredients, shoulder pork and ham. It became known as the soldier's food during the second World War - and formed almost a daily part of servicemen's rations.

In fact, Eisenhower wrote to Spam's inventor after the war, saying: "I . . . officially forgive you your only sin - sending us so much of it".

It is probably the most famous brand in the history of canned food - with a little help from Monty Python - and has sold more than four billion tins all over the world.