thank you for replying I was starting to become slightly paranoid
Aww, now I wish I had posted what little experience I have. I nearly did, but I figured it wasn't really much use.
Parkers are about as cheap as they come, unless you are prepared to take a chance and buy off shop shelves. What's wrong with buying from the shops? They are warm so the plants start growing, but stuck in a packet, they have no light, and grow soft and spindly. Also if they are damaged when packed, the combination with warmth and damp provide the ideal environment for rots and moulds. They do tend to dry out after a few days, but that's not exactly good either. Maybe they will be ok if you manage to get them within a couple of days of going on the shelves, look carefully before you buy.
Having said that though, if you don't know what variety you want, the little packets, you get in shops are the cheapest way of trying a bunch of different varieties.
One of Parker's bumper pack varieties (Cambridge Favourite), just happens to be one that has an excellent chance of being the ones that I want, so I got them. I have also ordered some Royal Sovereign from Marshalls, another old variety. And I'm going to take a chance ordering some of a less commonly available old variety, from somewhere I've never heard of before, just to see what they are like. (Can you tell I'm a heritage veg fan?
)
With strawberries especially, I am trying to get the really flavoursome varieties, that have dropped from view, because of some commercial reason like 'they don't trasport well'.