What is your supermarket of choice?

[Floh]

I only shop at local, independent, handlers -- except, astonishingly enough, for TEA at Aldi's.

this is for their brand of Ostfreisland tea which is absolutely the bee's knees and every bit as good as any english breakfast tea, which isn't readily available.

i particularly adore a local shop which has three different businesses under one roof -- a delecatessen, butcher and baker. i get my fruit and veg at the outdoor market, which is thrives, every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday (when i get to go there, on my bike, and fill my baskets).

 

[marshall]

Car's been buggered for the last couple of weeks, so I've had to rely on local shops...been a revelation...

Started using a local butcher, having organic fruit and veg delivered by the box. And I'm saving a small fortune. No crappy comfort food temptations, I suppose.


Determined to keep up the good habits even when wheels ARE back...

 

[Floh]

And I'm saving a small fortune. No crappy comfort food temptations, I suppose.

I think you may have something there!

 

[mentalchik]

Car's been buggered for the last couple of weeks, so I've had to rely on local shops...been a revelation...

Started using a local butcher, having organic fruit and veg delivered by the box. And I'm saving a small fortune. No crappy comfort food temptations, I suppose.


Determined to keep up the good habits even when wheels ARE back...

As has been said before, thats the thing, i don't have any local shops !



and if you work wierd hours and don't want to spend all your time off work hiking it around to find any small shops that may/may not be cheaper (not ime), well its kind of a no win situation !

 

[Roadkill]

Car's been buggered for the last couple of weeks, so I've had to rely on local shops...been a revelation...

Started using a local butcher, having organic fruit and veg delivered by the box. And I'm saving a small fortune. No crappy comfort food temptations, I suppose.


Determined to keep up the good habits even when wheels ARE back...

I always hate saying this because it sounds so, well, smug, but I really do think that people who don't shop at independent places are missing out.

Meat from a really good butcher is something worth tasting; really good, organic, fresh fruit and veg - not stuff that's been carted half-way round the country in a lorry, smothered in plastic wrapping - is so much tastier, and my local 'Indian and Continental Store' - a local importer with a few small shops dotted round Hull - has spices, pulses and other things I've never even heard of, let alone seen in the supermarket. I think it's a real tragedy we're losing that diversity and individuality.

I also like the fact that my local shopkeepers know what I like to buy, not because of some intrusive 'loyalty card' scheme, but because they know me, know what i like to buy and actually interact with their customers. Shopping locally is a friendly experience, in a way that trudging round Tescos never could be.

 

[aqua]

you need to see some of our local shops

you wouldn't be in them I assure you

 

[Roadkill]

you need to see some of our local shops

you wouldn't be in them I assure you

Same goes for several around hull, but they're more than counterbalanced by the good ones.

 

[WasGeri]

Tesco because it's on the way home from work and the only one that will deliver to me.

Sometimes go to Asda at weekends.

Occasional purchase from M&S which is the nearest to my work (forgot to vote for them though).

There are no independent bakers/butchers/greengrocers anywhere near me (apart from halal butchers and a fruit/veg shop that got prosecuted for having dead mice in the back, which I am no longer very keen on using).

 

[geminisnake]

I'd be prepared to bet I work a lot more hours than the average, and I do 75% of my shopping elsewhere...

You're lucky you've got the choice and desire.

I detest food shopping, it bores the shite out of me and I only do it once a month coz I have to, it involves a 30 mile round trip coz the local shops(8mile round trip) are so crap.

I am not prepared to pay over the odds for a crap product, simple as.

Therefore it's off to Lidl and Tesco I go. I truly like tesco value stuff, though Tesco are going down hill now too, so I'm not sure what I'm going to do soon.

 

[minum]

I get food delivered from Tesco once a fortnight, and they are really reliable, pick all the right stuff etc. I love the fact that the website remembers my last shop, so I more or less order the same stuff again really quickly. I hate shopping, and dont drive, so this is brill for me. I also think Tesco's are cheap compared to other places I've tried. But, I am trying to shop more locally, and source stuff that is locally produced wherever I can to reduce carbon miles. I just hate shopping too much to spend time on farmers markets etc.

 

[onenameshelley]

There are no independent bakers/butchers/greengrocers anywhere near me (apart from halal butchers and a fruit/veg shop that got prosecuted for having dead mice in the back, which I am no longer very keen on using).

Ahh gwaan pop a mouse on some toast jobs a goodun

Our local butcher was shut down for having maggoty meat that they were cutting the rank bit off and flogging the rest

 

[Roadkill]

You're lucky you've got the choice and desire.

I'm certainly lucky to have the choice, and from that stems the desire. I only enjoy food shopping at all because of the places I've the option to go to: were I limited to the supermarkets I'd actively dislike it.

I certainly appreciate that i'm lucky, which is why i always stresss that it isn't practical to avoid supermarkets altogether. On the other hand, I'm getting more and more angry that the choice that some of us are fortunate enough to enjoy is steadily being taken away, hence my frequent rants on the subject.

 

[pinkmonkey]

I'm certainly lucky to have the choice, and from that stems the desire. I only enjoy food shopping at all because of the places I've the option to go to: were I limited to the supermarkets I'd actively dislike it.

I certainly appreciate that i'm lucky, which is why i always stresss that it isn't practical to avoid supermarkets altogether. On the other hand, I'm getting more and more angry that the choice that some of us are fortunate enough to enjoy is steadily being taken away, hence my frequent rants on the subject.

It seems to be going the other way where we live - Yasar Halim is always packed and busy - they can't put the produce out fast enough - but then again I live in a Greek /Turkish area where they appreciate good quality produce and cook proper meals.

 

[geminisnake]

If I could afford it I would shop at the farmers market, though it too is a 30 mile round trip, and only on once a month afaik, and the local farm shop , and the harbour, but I've been meaning to buy fresh fish for about 6 months now and keep forgetting. The fact that I don't even like going into the local town doesn't help.

We do support the bakers van that comes round. And coz the driver lives in the village he'll come back with anything he doesn't have(in the van) when he finishes

 

[pogofish]

and if you work wierd hours and don't want to spend all your time off work hiking it around to find any small shops that may/may not be cheaper (not ime), well its kind of a no win situation !

Indeed, the days when you could do your weeks shopping in several shops on the same nearby/streets are long gone - Largely because of the supermarkets, plus councils planning, zoning & transport policies of course. To get my weeks shopping using entirely independant places now would involve a full day at least, a 60-odd mile round trip involving 2-3 towns a small fortune in parking fees before paying over the odds for produce. Even the farmers market is organised by a mobile "events" contractor, sells mainly luxury produce rather than everyday & whilst it has some nice stuff, you need very deep pockets to shop there.

Saying all that, when I am in a position to use one of the good independants shops that are still in the area, I do.

 

[SwizzleStiX]

Definately Tesco, i love their finest range as well

 

[mr steev]

I really don't get the appeal of Waitrose. Sometimes I pop in for my lunch to the one on the Kings Road and it is nothing special. Their food is nothing execptional.

Compared to Asda they're in a different league.
I went to Asda on Saturday for the last time! No organic carrots, no organic eggs, no baked beans and no tinned tomatoes... and rammed! Ended up going to Waitrose and ALL of their eggs were free range, loads of organic ones... ended up getting some lovely huge organic/free range duck eggs. They may have been more expensive but worth every penny compared to Asda shite.

I tend to use Sainsburys the most, but that's cos it's close to where my gf works, and I have to give her a lift somedays. I buy my spices, spinach, aubergines etc from the local Asian supermarket. Planning to get an allotment soon and organise some friends to do a farmers market run at some point so hopefully will have even less of a reason to use supermarkets

 

[hovis]

Waitrose. I would shop at local shops but the have all shut down near me as it has a tesco and a big Painsburys. We still have a good fishmongers though.

Waitrose food is better quality and they do more organic and fairtrade stuff and have a better alcohol selection.

I don't mind that food costs more there as the quality is better and hopefully they aren't squeezing the suppliers so much.

If I had a garden I would grow my own veg.

 

[William of Walworth]

Our nearest is Somerfield in Walworth Road at the end of East Street -- it's tiny and shit.

The small Tescos in the E and C Shopping Centre is almost always packed, and runs out of stuff.

Stig quite likes the big Morrisons in Peckham because it has the best choice of stuff including beer. I don't mind it either, but it requires a bus ride.

The huge Tescos in the Old Kent Road isn't too bad either, but it isn't all that near.

My personal favourite is the big new(ish) Sainsburys in Wilton Road, Victoria, I often pop in on the way home from work.

When we get time, we get a fair bit of our shopping from local independents and East Street market. Stig likes an occasional trip to Borough Market (expensive, but quality!) as well. We're no great fans of supermarkets as institutions and are well aware of their ill effects, but whatever Roadkill (correctly) says, it's pretty hard to avoid using them if you work full time 9 to 5.

 

[_angel_]

As has been said before, thats the thing, i don't have any local shops !

Why is it so hard for people to understand this!! Yes I have tons of corner shops and takeaways but greengrocers/ bakers non!

All of the west of Leeds is undergoing colonisation by Morrisons, the grimmest supermarket chain since Kwiksave. Their fruit and veg is a joke - but it's that or nowt.


I don't drive - the only other supermarket is Asda in Pudsey - not 'that' far away but the size of a small planet and it takes forever to get around. I'm not convinced it's any cheaper either. (Although it does open 24 hours)

I would shop online but Tesco's doesn't take my debit card and I don't like using credit for everything.


Sainsburies is waaaaaaaaaaaay too expensive, and I've never set foot in a Waitrose.

M and S are great for party food, sarnies and treats but I think I'd have to be 95, Tory with a blue rinse perm with a lapdog wearing a frock to shop there full time.

 

[Stobart Stopper]

Ended up going to Waitrose and ALL of their eggs were free range, loads of organic ones... ended up getting some lovely huge organic/free range duck eggs.

Have you tried the blue eggs? Can't remember what they are called but they are the best ones I have ever tasted.

Waitrose really is the best for organic food, they have a huge range even in the small store I use in Buckhurst Hill. And their bread is excellent as well.

 

[pinkmonkey]

Our nearest is Somerfield in Walworth Road at the end of East Street -- it's tiny and shit.

The small Tescos in the E and C Shopping Centre is almost always packed, and runs out of stuff.

Stig quite likes the big Morrisons in Peckham because it has the best choice of stuff including beer. I don't mind it either, but it requires a bus ride.

The huge Tescos in the Old Kent Road isn't too bad either, but it isn't all that near.

My personal favourite is the big new(ish) Sainsburys in Wilton Road, Victoria, I often pop in on the way home from work.

When we get time, we get a fair bit of our shopping from local independents and East Street market. Stig likes an occasional trip to Borough Market (expensive, but quality!) as well. We're no great fans of supermarkets as institutions and are well aware of their ill effects, but whatever Roadkill (correctly) says, it's pretty hard to avoid using them if you work full time 9 to 5.

Whilst Morrisons is shit for produce - I find it excellent for wine and beer. They always seem to have good offers on.

 

[_angel_]

Whilst Morrisons is shit for produce - I find it excellent for wine and beer. They always seem to have good offers on.

To be fair they are very good for special offers, especially on cheese, and alcohol is reasonably cheap.

Maybe I can forgive them.. great for a wine and cheese party but not much else!

 

[Fuzzy]

i mostly use sainsburys but do top up shopping in somerfield. we have started getting an organic vegetable box delivered now as well which is nice and we try and buy meat from our local butchers.

 

[Stobart Stopper]

Just been to Sainsburys in Newbury Park, I wanted organic chicken breats for something I am making tonight, they didn't have any. All they had was a pack of shite chicken strips for almost £4. 4 fucking quid!
It's daylight robbery. And the lamb chops are over £1 each now, we can get a pack of about 20-25 from Smithfield for about £13-15.

 

[liberty]

I like to use my local as much as possible as I like the fact I can pop out for milk at 11..00pm

 

[moose]

Another vote for Booths.

 

[Chz]

Sainsburys, only because its the closest to my flat.

If I could choose any I would go for Waitrose.

Same goes for me. Though I'd prefer a Tesco to Sainsbury's, the new Clapham one isn't half as large as the Balham Sainsbury's.

 

[dynamicbaddog]

I'm quite lucky where I live, Lidl, Aldi, Iceland, Tescos and Sainsburys are all within about a 10 minute walk. I do the main shopping in Aldi it's just so cheap and they are the best for snacky things - crisps, ice cream, chocolate etc

 

[bigbry]

I shop at Tesco as it's the nearest and as my other half works there we get 10% off (as long as she's with me).